ENGLISH VERSION pieces designed to create a beautiful silhouette, with details such as buttons or small flowers … Foreign clients appreciate this greatly. I am very proud to be“ the milliner of Deauville” and to top off some of the biggest names in the racing world.
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CHRO- NICLES OF THE WORLD
UK
GIRL POWER: AN EXCEPTION TO CELEBRATE?
BY KATHERINE FORD
Cherie Devaux has written a new chapter in the legend of the Kentucky Derby. In the introduction to her Wikipedia page, the forty-something is now described as the“ first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby.”
With an incredible late charge to circle the field and snatch victory on the wire in front of the famous Twin Spires and 150,000 spectators, Golden Tempo enabled Cherie Devaux to make history. But in 2026, is it still time to celebrate these first victories by female professionals? We asked ourselves that question during the editorial meeting for the second edition of the GALORAMA Inside show, and our 100 % female team agreed that there should be nothing unusual about succeeding as a woman in the 21 st century. Does speaking about it as an achievement mean there is still a difference in the way spectators, bettors, clients and owners view a female trainer? And by focusing the headline on the woman rather than on the sporting achievement itself, are we still reinforcing the disparity? Should Golden Tempo be regarded differently from the previous heroes on the Kentucky Derby honor roll simply because the horse’ s trainer is a woman? Cherie Devaux did the exact same job as Bill Mott or Kenny McPeek, winners in 2025 and 2024, by bringing her champion to peak condition for the“ most exciting two minutes in sports.” For Cherie Devaux, the answer seems clear:“ I’ ve always focused on my career, and being a woman has never been an issue for me.” Raised in a trotting family in Saratoga and later in Florida, she arrived at the Kentucky Derby with the confidence of one of the most prestigious and traditional owner-breeder operations in the United States, the Phipps Stable. She was rewarded with the sport’ s most coveted bouquet of roses: the 400 roses that make up the garland presented to the winner.
Louisa Carberry, one of only three women to have entered her name on the honor roll of the Grand Steeplechase de Paris( five female victories since 2019), was present at Churchill Downs and shared her thoughts on GALORAMA Inside:“ Thanks to the women who came before us, we don’ t face complications. Forty years ago, maybe it was much harder for women … I hope young girls will draw inspiration from her example …” The same message has recently been voiced by Rachael Blackmore, Hollie Doyle and Marie Vélon, a generation fortunate enough to follow in the footsteps of pioneering jockeys and trainers such as Julie Krone, Jenny Pitman, Criquette Head, Gai Waterhouse and many others around the globe. Would images of Cherie Devaux jumping for joy during Golden Tempo’ s final surge have gone around the world if she had been a man? Probably not. But they portray a modern and highly emotional sport, and within a week of the Derby, Cherie Devaux had become a public figure in the United States. She made the rounds of television talk shows and even threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Yankees baseball game, becoming an ambassador both for women in sport and for horse racing as a whole.“ It’ s truly an honor to be that person women and girls can look up to and respect. We can dream, and we can make it. We can become part of history.” Cherie Devaux’ s success is
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