First Kentucky Derby female trainer to win tells riveting origin story

Kentucky Derby -winning trainer Cherie DeVaux grew up around horses, but she initially pursued an unrelated career track. DeVaux shared her origin story on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, May 5, three days after her horse, Golden Tempo, won the “Run for the Roses. ” MORE: Kentucky Derby payouts for top 5 finishers “It’s kind of a funny story,” the 44-year-old DeVaux said.

“I went to school for premed, mainly because I wanted a job that I could afford horses in my life. ” While paying her way through college at SUNY Albany, the Saratoga, New York, native took a part-time job at a stable. That’s when her training career took flight.

“I needed a summer job, and she [her mother] said, ‘Well, there’s this job; you just walk the horses. You can be done by 10. ’ I was like, ‘That’s good.

I can wake up early, be done,’ and I started as a hot walker, just by happenstance of where my life led me,” DeVaux said. McAfee loved the story: “Yeah, gonna have to become a brain surgeon to afford these damn horses. ” An independent trainer Golden Tempo, a 23-1 long shot, stormed from the back of the pack and held off favorite Renegade to win the 152nd Kentucky Derby.