Kentucky Derby winner Cherie DeVaux bet on herself and won big

For more than a decade, Cherie DeVaux helped train other people’s horses as she dreamed of one day taking the reins herself.That dream came true, and then some. DeVaux became the first woman to train the winning horse at the Kentucky Derby when Golden Tempo claimed the 152nd Run for the Roses on Saturday at Churchill Downs. Jockey Jose Ortiz rode Golden Tempo to a first-place finish at Churchill Downs on Saturday.Rob Carr / Getty ImagesBefore starting her stable, DeVaux climbed her way up the ranks, beginning as a stable worker for the late Chuck Simon before becoming an assistant trainer for Chad Brown. In 2018, she finally acquired her trainer’s license and went out on her own. “It was a conversation with my now husband,” DeVaux, 44, said to WLEX-TV about her decision to go solo. “I was burned out from being an assistant trainer. I wanted to do something more for myself, have a little bit more of a personal life.”DeVaux’s initial plan was to see how training by herself went for three years, but she would win her first race only 11 months later. Though the start of the pandemic soon after halted her momentum, DeVaux kept