Cherie DeVaux

It was the most literal of dream scenarios. The thing is, it had happened before. From time to time, Valerie Mastromonaco will have a dream--always about a horse--and then something will happen to bring it to life. Nothing dramatic, most of the time. True, once she dreamed that a particular horse in the barn had a problem, and unfortunately turned out to be right. But she doesn't take the phenomenon too seriously, as a rule; nor expect anyone else to do so. "I've no theories," she says. "I just think...

Trainers Cherie DeVaux, Tom Morley, and Graham Motion have joined the Belmont Pledge, committing a portion of their Belmont Festival earnings to benefit the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and the hundreds of retired Thoroughbreds in its care, according to a TRF release on Tuesday. The trainers join trainers Michael McCarthy, George Weaver, Whit Beckman, and Amelia Green. "Thoroughbred aftercare is a cause that is incredibly important to me. These horses have blessed my life in countless ways, and we have a responsibility to ensure they are cared for long after their...

Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable's homebred Golden Tempo (Curlin), the Keeneland-based winner of the May 2, GI Kentucky Derby, on Saturday turned in his second of three works at the track in preparation for the GI Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course June 6, according to a press release from Keeneland on Saturday morning. With jockey Jose Ortiz aboard for trainer Cherie DeVaux, the colt covered five furlongs on a good track in 1:00.20. The workout was originally planned for Friday, but was postponed due to wet conditions after...

Kentucky Derby hero Golden Tempo (Curlin) will stand at Lane's End Farm at the conclusion of his racing career, the farm announced Friday morning. Hailing from an accomplished female line as a homebred for Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stables, the son of Curlin put himself on the Derby trail via Louisiana's point race series, including a win in the GIII Lecomte Stakes, and placings in the GII Risen Star and GII Louisiana Derby. He returned on the first Saturday in May to make history as not just his venerable...

Golden Tempo (Curlin), the winner of the GI Kentucky Derby, put in his first workout at Keeneland on Friday, May 15 since capturing the big race for trainer Cherie DeVaux, according to a post on X by Gabby Gaudet. In company with 4-year-old stablemate So Sandy (Omaha Beach), the 3-year-old drilled four furlongs in :48.60 (10/74). The splits for the half mile move were :25.2, :36.2 and :48.3. Golden Tempo galloped out five-eighths in 1:01.1. Owned by Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable, the colt could be pointing to a...

Edited Press Release America's Best Racing (ABR), the national content and marketing platform of The Jockey Club, today announced record-breaking results from its 2026 Kentucky Derby campaign. Launched on Mar. 1 and running through Derby Day on May 2, 2026, ABR's campaign generated more than 150 million video views across Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), TikTok and YouTube, nearly double the 76 million views from its already record-setting 2025 campaign. Total engagements surpassed 10.7 million, a 191% year-over-year increase, while overall impressions topped 104 million, up 98% from the prior year....

The Horse Racing Women's Association (HRWA) presented by FanDuel TV will hold its 2026 Annual Conference October 12-14 at Harper Hall in Lexington, Kentucky. The annual event for women in racing brings together an inspiring community of leaders, innovators, athletes, executives, and changemakers from across sports and business. As part of the conference lineup, HRWA is honored to welcome Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Cherie DeVaux and Golden Tempo co-owner and breeder Daisy Phipps Pulito, who will join a broader roster of influential speakers, including a Keynote Speaker and a series of...

Hall of Famer Bob Baffert will not point GII Pat Day Mile victor Crude Velocity (Beau Liam) to the GI Preakness Stakes next Saturday, and will instead target the GI Woody Stephens Stakes with an eye on the GI Haskell Stakes later in the summer, the trainer confirmed to Agentes 305. According to a post on X from the aforementioned page, Baffert was 'very tempted' but ultimately decided against the entry as it was coming up too quickly for the 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'. The Stephens runs at...

My obsessive nature has been consumed by this Triple Crown spacing mess. It was obvious that Cherie DeVaux was going to decide to skip the Preakness, although I think she was pure in her process. If the industry is trying to grow its appeal beyond the Derby, AND NYRA won't budge from its traditional June date--and for the life of me, I don't know why--why doesn't the Preakness, now with Churchill Downs at the helm, best market the Preakness, and often the Triple Crown, and leapfrog the early June Belmont...

Jose Ortiz is one of the nation's best jockeys, but he had never won the Kentucky Derby until he steered Golden Tempo to victory on May 2, 2026 at Churchill Downs. Jose talks to the Writers' Room team about the experience on this Overtime episode.

'Kentucky Roses,' a new Hallmark movie that premiered on their channel May 2 and began streaming through Hallmark+ May 3, is nothing short of a triumph for the sport of Thoroughbred racing. Set on the grounds of iconic Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, here's a film that has something for everyone. It's good, clean fun, but it also deals with myriad issues including class division, gender identity and the labyrinth that is family history. Most of all though, if you are trying to hook someone that knows next to...

There was little question as to who would be the primary Gainesway Guest of the Week on this week's edition of the TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. Trainer Cherie DeVaux not only won the GI Kentucky Derby with Golden Tempo (Curlin), she also became the first female trainer to win the race. But there were so many good storylines out of this year's Derby, that the podcast split off into three parts. In what we are calling the "TDN Writers' Room Podcast Overtime" we also featured in-depth interviews...