Cherie DeVaux makes history as first female trainer to win Kentucky Derby after Golden Tempo’s furious rally

Nypost · May 02, 2026 · 270 words · By Andrew Battifarano

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Generate a natural audio summary of this story

Daily briefing

What to know about Cherie DeVaux makes history as first female trainer to win Kentucky Derby after Golden Tempo’s furious rally

Golden Tempo’s big day came with an extra bit of history.

Claims checked 7

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Golden Tempo’s big day came with an extra bit of history.

Why it matters

The horse, which rallied from all the way from last place to win the 2026 Kentucky Derby, made Cherie DeVaux the first woman trainer to win the Run for the Roses.

Common ground

“I’m glad I can be a representative of all women everywhere,” DeVaux said after the race, “that we can do anything we set our minds to.” With 25-1 odds at post time, Golden Tempo was far from the favorite to win it all, but using a furious rally down the…

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Cherie DeVaux makes history as first female trainer to win Kentucky Derby after Golden Tempo’s furious rally?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Jena Antonucci was the first when she won with Arcangelo at the 2023 Belmont Stakes?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/02/sports/golden-tempo-owner-cherie-devaux-makes-kent…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

cancel Disputed 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

verified

Claim 1: “Jena Antonucci was the first when she won with Arcangelo at the 2023 Belmont Stakes.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and multiple news sources confirm Jena Antonucci was the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race with Arcangelo at the 2023 Belmont Stakes.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Arcangelo is a retired Champion American three-year-old thoroughbred race horse who won the 2023 Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcangelo_(horse)

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of 1+1⁄2 miles (12 furlong…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belmont_Stakes

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Midsummer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for Ame…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travers_Stakes

+ 3 more evidence sources

cancel

Claim 2: “Coming into the race, only 17 other women had ever owned horses that ran in the Kentucky Derby.”

DISPUTED

There is a contradiction in the evidence regarding the '17 women'. One source claims 17 women had 'owned' horses in the Derby, while another source explicitly states that 17 'female trainers' had had a horse reach the Derby. These are two different roles (owner vs. trainer).

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 Kentucky Derby (branded as the 151st Running of the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve for sponsorship reasons) was the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby. It took place on May 3, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Kentucky_Derby

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Kentucky Derby (branded as the 152nd Running of the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve for sponsorship reasons) was the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby. It took place on May 2, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Kentucky_Derby

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Road to the Kentucky Derby is a series of races through which horses qualified for the 2026 Kentucky Derby, which will be held on May 2. The field for the Derby was limited to 20 horses, with…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Road_to_the_Kentucky_Derb…

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 3: “DeVaux became just the second woman to ever win a Triple Crown race.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (Al Jazeera and other web results) explicitly state that Cherie DeVaux is the second woman to train a horse that won a Triple Crown race, following Jena Antonucci.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — José L. Ortiz (born October 2, 1993) is a Puerto Rican jockey who has been a rider on the New York Thoroughbred horse racing circuit since 2012. As the jockey for Golden Tempo, he won the 2026 Kentuck…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Ortiz_(jockey)

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Kentucky Derby () is an American Grade I stakes race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of 1+1⁄4 miles (10 furlongs; 2,01…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_Derby

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 4: “If Golden Tempo runs in the Preakness on May 16, DeVaux will have the chance to become the first to win that leg of the Triple Crown, too.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm the claim that if Golden Tempo runs in the Preakness on May 16, DeVaux would have the opportunity to be the first woman to win that specific leg of the Triple Crown.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preakness_Stakes

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — “I’ve had to fight and scrap and be heard so that I could survive growing up. And I understand that’s not the same for everybody.” If Golden Tempo runs in the Preakness on May 16, DeVaux will have the…
https://nypost.com/2026/05/02/sports/golden-tempo-owner-cher…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Golden Tempo is trained by Cherie DeVaux, and with the win, DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby. She’s the second female trainer to ever win a Triple Crown event.
https://heavy.com/sports/horse-racing/will-golden-tempo-run-…

check_circle

Claim 5: “Now, after Saturday’s thriller at Churchill Downs, DeVaux can claim to be the first champion.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that by winning the Kentucky Derby, DeVaux became the first female trainer to win this specific race, thus becoming the 'first champion' in that context.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Now, after Saturday’s thriller at Churchill Downs, DeVaux can claim to be the first champion. Jockey Jose Ortiz of Golden Tempo celebrates in the winner's circle after winning the 152nd running of the…
https://nypost.com/2026/05/02/sports/golden-tempo-owner-cher…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Cherie DeVaux is the first female trainer to ever win the Kentucky Derby and just the second woman to ever train a horse that’s won a Triple Crown race.Cherie DeVaux is now among the names etched in h…
https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/02/sport/live-news/kentucky-derb…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Cherie DeVaux: Golden Tempo takes the Kentucky Derby as Cherie DeVaux becomes the 1st woman to train its winner AP. Trainer Cherie DeVaux kisses the trophy after a victory by Golden Tempo in the 152nd…
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/us/sports/news/who-is-c…

check_circle

Claim 6: “The horse, which rallied from all the way from last place to win the 2026 Kentucky Derby, made Cherie DeVaux the first woman trainer to win the Run for the Roses.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results and Wikipedia confirm that Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby (the Run for the Roses) with Golden Tempo on May 2, 2026.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Collins Obinna Chibueze (born May 9, 1995), known professionally as Shaboozey, is an American singer. His music combines country, Americana and hip-hop. After releasing two albums, Lady Wrangler (201…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaboozey

+ 3 more evidence sources

cancel

Claim 7: “With 25-1 odds at post time, Golden Tempo was far from the favorite to win it all, but using a furious rally down the stretch, the horse held off Mike Repole-owned Renegade, which came in at 5-1 odds.”

DISPUTED

There is a contradiction regarding the odds for Golden Tempo. One source states 25-1, while two other sources state 23-1. Additionally, while one source confirms Golden Tempo held off Renegade, another source only mentions Renegade in the context of Mike Repole's desire for a win without explicitly confirming the 5-1 odds for Renegade in the results summary.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mike Repole is an American entrepreneur, businessman, and racehorse owner. He is best known for co-founding Glaceau, which sold to Coca-Cola for $4.1 billion, and BODYARMOR SuperDrink, a sports drink …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Repole

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The 152nd Kentucky Derby is in the books, and Golden Tempo crossed the finish line first, holding off Renegade and Ocelli, who finished second and third, respectively.Golden Tempo, who pulled away at …
https://nypost.com/2026/05/02/sports/golden-tempo-wins-2026-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Golden Tempo has won the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby! Golden Tempo entered with 23-1 odds to win.Mike Repole hasn’t had the best luck at the Kentucky Derby, but can Renegade get him the Kentuc…
https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/horse-racing/live-blog/kentuc…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.