Cherie DeVaux covers BloodHorse after historic Kentucky Derby win

Cherie DeVaux’s historic Kentucky Derby breakthrough is the face of BloodHorse’s June issue, but the real story is what the win has changed. Golden Tempo’s neck victory in the 152nd Kentucky Derby made DeVaux the first woman to train a Derby winner, and it also turned a once-in-a-generation result into a new baseline for what her stable can be expected to deliver.

The June 2026 issue leans hard into that moment. Along with the Derby 152 results package, it includes a special Front Row Seat section with Derby and Oaks photographs, plus features on Mike Pegram and partners Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Aqueduct Racetrack’s closing chapter, Terry Meyocks, the Kentucky Equine Management Internship program, 23-year-old assistant trainer Sofia Thompson, and veterinary scratching and regulatory issues. It is a wide-ranging edition, but DeVaux’s win gives it a clear center of gravity.

That is because her Derby was not just a sentimental milestone. Golden Tempo rallied from well back to win before 150,415 fans at Churchill Downs, and BloodHorse reported that about 20 million people watched on television. DeVaux was already the 19th female trainer to start a horse in the Derby. She became the first to win it. That difference matters, because firsts get attention, but repeatable success changes a trainer’s market and stature.

The next question is already in motion: what happens with Golden Tempo now? BloodHorse reported that DeVaux sent the colt back to Keeneland the morning after the Derby and would wait on his condition before deciding whether to point him to the Preakness Stakes. That is the pressure point after a win like this. The victory created the spotlight, but the schedule, the horse’s condition, and the next target will decide whether it becomes a one-day headline or the start of a longer run.

DeVaux has already made clear that Keeneland was central to Golden Tempo’s Derby preparation, and she described herself as a year-round fixture there. That detail matters because it ties the biggest result of her career to the place where the next phase begins. BloodHorse’s May 4 episode on the win, featuring DeVaux, jockey Jose Ortiz, Daisy Phipps Pulito and Monique Delk, extended the celebration, but the larger race is still ahead: can this kind of breakthrough become a regular part of the trainer standings instead of a historic exception?