Kentucky Derby Star Cherie Devaux Hopes Golden Tempo Surprises, Then Welcomes A Break

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — The Belmont Stakes is little than 34 hours away, and Cherie DeVaux is emotion stressed.

Not astir nan race. DeVaux has done what she tin do to hole her 3-year-old colt, Golden Tempo, for Saturday’s 3rd limb of nan Triple Crown. Questions astir station position, way bias, moreover nan expanding threat of perchance terrible thunderstorms earlier nan evening station clip (4:04 PDT, Fox) are brushed speech because, arsenic she said, those are each retired of a trainer’s control.

No, it’s her constitution bag.

She forgot to bring it pinch her to Saratoga Race Course and she has a Fox Sports TV question and reply scheduled correct aft she finishes speaking pinch a newsman wrong her mini agency adjacent to Barn 83.

“I person to beryllium connected nationalist TV, and I person not a stitch of constitution connected correct now, each nan while having to effort to make judge I participate my horses and not hide and messiness that up excessively badly,” DeVaux said, smiling. “So it’s been a lot.”

But DeVaux is not complaining, because it’s been a lot since 7:10 p.m. EDT connected May 2, nan nonstop clip Golden Tempo crossed nan decorativeness statement first successful nan Kentucky Derby. And those 35 days person been filled pinch galore awesome experiences.

Golden Tempo’s trainer Cherie DeVaux kisses a trophy aft winning nan Kentucky Derby.

(Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

The coolest?

“We won nan Derby,” she said. “I don’t cognize if there’s thing cooler than that.

“There person been a batch of really neat opportunities,” she added. “A batch of different group person reached out. But you know, conscionable nan full acquisition itself.”

Winning nan Derby changes anyone’s life, but it’s magnified erstwhile you make history, arsenic DeVaux did by becoming nan first female trainer to win nan world’s astir celebrated equine race. It began a whirlwind that included much than 65 TV interviews and dozens upon dozens of matter messages and telephone calls.

And, truthfully, location was 1 acquisition that, for a assemblage softball subordinate and lifelong New York Yankees fan, exceeded nan others.

“I did get to propulsion nan first transportation retired astatine a Yankees game, which I thought was amazing,” DeVaux said. “To guidelines connected nan section and look astatine nan inexpensive seats [where I sat] erstwhile I was a kid. … And I’ve had overmuch amended seats successful caller times, but to really beryllium location and person that dichotomy of that was wherever you started and this is wherever you are, was really a profound feeling.”

Kentucky Derby winning trainer Cherie DeVaux and jockey Jose Ortiz propulsion retired nan first transportation astatine Yankee Stadium connected May 7.

(Ishika Samant / Getty Images)

Technically she’s backmost location for nan Belmont, which is being tally astatine Saratoga for nan 3rd and last twelvemonth while Belmont Park is rebuilt. But she has fewer memories of Saratoga arsenic a child; nan family moved to Florida erstwhile she was 9 and she lived location until she was 19. Much of her family, including her parents and respective siblings, unrecorded successful nan area, though, and DeVaux, who spends astir of nan twelvemonth successful Kentucky, said she’s been capable to bask immoderate clip pinch them this week.

The large mobility is whether her ample cheering conception will beryllium capable to observe different victory. Handicappers are much than a spot pessimistic. Saturday’s Daily Racing Form has 1-2-3-4 selections by 19 experts, and not 1 selected Golden Tempo. Just 2 picked him 2nd and 5 had him third. The statement was he would not decorativeness successful nan apical four.

His chances successful Kentucky were aided by a accelerated gait that tired retired nan front-runners, and connected insubstantial nan Belmont figures to beryllium tally astatine a much mean pace, which doesn’t ever thief a late-running horse. But he is simply a colt who relishes nan region and he has improved his Beyer Speed Figure pinch each start.

DeVaux is excited for nan race, obviously, but she’s besides eager for this “season” to end. She knows life will ne'er beryllium nan aforesaid arsenic it was earlier May 2, but she’d for illustration to slow down a bit, successful part, truthful she tin bask nan emotion of winning nan Derby.

“I couldn’t hole myself,” said DeVaux, who had ne'er had a Derby starter. “I didn’t really deliberation astir winning nan race. I thought Golden Tempo was going to tally really well. I thought he would deed nan board, … but I ne'er allowed myself to deliberation that he would triumph and what that would look like.

“And I’m 1 of those group I want to deliberation about, you know, we triumph nan race, what does that look like? But I was conscionable truthful excited to beryllium astatine nan Derby and I wanted to conscionable really beryllium present, that it really didn’t transverse my mind what would hap if we won nan race.”

Golden Tempo’s trainer Cherie DeVaux holds her nephew while speaking to reporters aft winning nan Kentucky Derby connected May 2.

(Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

Others weren’t prepared, either. DeVaux was carrying 1 of her nephews connected her hep instantly aft nan Derby, and immoderate group watching connected TV instantly praised her for being a moving mom. One problem: She doesn’t person children of her ain (her hubby has afloat custody of a teenage girl).

“Can I conscionable not beryllium a really bully equine trainer that did thing really profound and astonishing successful a short magnitude of clip aft I had to activity my rear extremity disconnected for it?” DeVaux said. “Like, why can’t that conscionable beryllium nan story?”

Etc.

The Belmont is nan 13th title connected a 14-race paper that originates astatine 8 a.m. PDT. The first 7 races will beryllium connected FS2 earlier sum shifts to Fox astatine noon (the Belmont show starts astatine 1). A abstracted handicapping-oriented show will aerial from 1-4:30 p.m. connected FS1.

There are 5 Grade 1 races scheduled, including Bob Baffert’s Nysos against Michael McCarthy’s Journalism successful nan Met Mile (2:32 p.m.) and Baffert’s Crude Velocity against DeVaux’s Englishman successful nan Woody Stephens (1:52 p.m.). The Belmont is slated to commencement astatine astir 4:10 p.m.