Cherie DeVaux weighs Preakness start after historic Kentucky Derby win

Cherie DeVaux left Churchill Downs with the sport’s biggest prize and a harder question still unresolved: whether Golden Tempo will stay on the Triple Crown trail or be given time to recover after his Derby breakthrough.

Golden Tempo won the 152nd Kentucky Derby by a neck in 2:02.27 for 1 1/4 miles, rallying from far back to pass Renegade in the final yards under José Ortiz. The Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable colt turned DeVaux into the first female trainer to win the Derby, a milestone that reached far beyond the usual racing audience and put her squarely in the center of a national story.

The immediate aftermath showed how quickly a Derby winner’s life changes. DeVaux faced a packed media scrum at Churchill Downs on May 3, then headed to New York for a scheduled appearance on the Today show. Golden Tempo, meanwhile, was sent back to Keeneland, where DeVaux usually keeps her horses. The colt looked calm in his stall and was nibbling hay, an encouraging sign after the stress of a 10-furlong classic.

That calm does not mean a decision is coming fast. DeVaux said she would judge Golden Tempo by his health, energy, weight and overall recovery before deciding whether to run him back in the Preakness Stakes. That wait-and-see approach matters because Derby winners are often pushed hard in the days after the Run for the Roses, especially when there is pressure to keep the Triple Crown chase alive. In this case, the horse will make the final argument.

The timing adds another layer. The 2026 Preakness Stakes is set for Saturday, May 16, at Laurel Park because Pimlico Race Course is closed for redevelopment. The race can accommodate a maximum field of 14, and the Maryland Jockey Club had 16 horses listed as possible starters, so Golden Tempo’s status could help shape the early complexion of the field. DeVaux’s colt also arrived at the Derby off a sharp half-mile move in :47 2/5 at Keeneland on April 24 with Brilliant Berti, a reminder that the stable had already been managing him with care.

For DeVaux, the moment is about more than one trophy or one decision. Golden Tempo’s Derby win made history, but the next move will show whether this becomes a sprint of celebration or the start of a carefully measured campaign.