DeVaux makes history as first female trainer to win Kentucky Derby

What you probably already know: Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. She joked about all the questions that came her way in the lead-up to the 152^nd Derby, where her horse, Golden Tempo, rallied from dead last to win at 23-1 odds. She held her small son during the NBC interview following the race. “I honestly don’t know,” she said when asked what it meant to her to become the first woman trainer to win. “I’m glad I could be a representative to all women everywhere that we can do anything we set our minds to.”

Why it matters: Major media covered the feat, with the Kentucky Derby website noting that only 18 female trainers had previously competed. In 1992, Shelly Riley’s horse, Casual Lies, finished second. The British Horseracing Authority noted in 2022 that only 24% of the 570 active trainers in the country were women, adding that only 19 of the top 100 trainers in the 2022-23 Jumps Season were women. As far as gambling goes, one piece of research reveals that women jockeys won 0.3% more of the time than the odds suggested over a 10-year period in a sport where “uniquely, men and women compete side by side.”

What it means: The Athletic wrote an interesting piece on DeVaux, who grew up around horses but was a premed student until 2017. She admitted that she was in danger of losing her in-state residency because her family was relocating and wasn’t thrilled about taking a required organic chemistry class. She grew up in Saratoga Springs, New York, got her horse training license in 2018 and won her first race a year later.

What happens next: DeVaux downplayed her accomplishment but admitted it could have positive effects. “Being a woman or my gender has never really crossed my mind in this journey of mine,” DeVaux said. “I have to say, the racetrack is a tough place. It’s a tough place if you are a man. It’s a tough place if you are a woman. The thing that really has become apparent to me is that not everyone has the same constitution as I have mentally. It really is an honor to be able to be that person for other women or other little girls to look up to.”