What a year it’s been for Cherie DeVaux. Her seven graded-stakes wins included her first Breeders’ Cup victory, and she hit the $10 million mark in earnings, a career high, when Serving Time, a 2-year-old maiden winner, crossed the line first in an optional-claiming race at Fair Grounds on Sunday.

The Breeders’ Cup win, with More than Looks in the Mile, was a high point, of course. After finishing sixth in last year’s Mile, he didn’t return until August, and he was second in two Grade 1 races, the Fourstardave and the Keeneland Turf Mile, before trying the Breeders’ Cup again.

“It was really exciting, and it was more so with him because there was a lot of confidence coming out of the Breeders’ Cup last year with him,” DeVaux told Horse Racing Nation this week. “He had run so well, and it was really disappointing that he had injured himself in a stall accident. But rarely do plans ever work out the way you hope that they do or lay them out. And for him, the races that we targeted, we had to go in the Fourstardave instead of the Lure, just because it had rained off. And we were going to have a race in Saratoga, then to the Coolmore Mile, and then to the Breeders’ Cup, making the Breeders’ Cup the biggest target. So it’s very rare that that actually works out and then you actually win the race.”

Breeders’ Cup wins can bring more business, but DeVaux isn’t looking to grow her stable, which fluctuates between 120 and 130 horses.

“I’m at a point where my stable is where I set it out to be, as far as numbers go,” she said. “It’s where I’m comfortable. So it’s not that I’m hoping to get a bunch more horses, because that’s not my goal, just trying to make sure it’s quality over quantity, and just trying to be a good fit with my clients, with me, their goals and making sure that that’s a good fit. But where I am right now is where I had set out in the beginning of my journey of being a trainer.”

DeVaux provided updates on her stakes runners and promising 2-year-olds for HRN’s Barn Tour series.

Skinner. The 4-year-old Curlin colt is coming off his first stakes win, taking the Native Diver (G3) for John Shirreffs last month at Del Mar. “Skinner just came to me. He came to me to target the races in the area, both in Oaklawn and Fair Grounds. … Right now we have penciled in the Louisiana Stakes. He’s also highly regarded to go to the Pegasus. So I need to get him in and breeze and just get comfortable with the horse, and then come up with a plan.”

She Feels Pretty. The 3-year-old Karakontie filly has a 7: 4-2-1 record and won the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) last out. She is entered in the American Oaks (G1) on Thursday at Santa Anita. “Obviously, our big target with her next year would be Breeders’ Cup. So the American Oaks, it’s a mile and a quarter. They’re going to run (the Breeders’ Cup) again at Del Mar, so I’m not sure what they’re going to do with the distance of the race, if they run it back at a mile and three-eighths. This race kind of tells if we’d have to be more inclined to think about the mile, or if she can handle the distance of the mile and three-eighths.” Despite her strong record, she’s “just a little frustrating in her races, just because she acts like she has a lot and she was just kind of going up to her company and staying to the leaders and hanging a little bit. But the blinkers (added for the QEII) have seemed to help that.”

Brilliant Berti. The 3-year-old Noble Mission colt has won five of his last six starts, most recently getting his first graded win in the Bryan Station (G3). “Brilliant Berti is being freshened right now. I have him at Keeneland being freshened to come back for next year. … He’s a horse that’s very exciting. I don’t think we’ve seen his ceiling yet. I think he’s continuing to improve. So that’s exciting for next year.”

Vahva. The 4-year-old Gun Runner filly had two graded wins this year before finishing third in the Ballerina (G1) and eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. “Vahva is another one being freshened. We will probably start her year off the same (as this year), in the Madison (G1) and then in the Derby City Distaff (G1). But she’s still in turnout, going to start back right after Christmas.” DeVaux is not sure what caused her poor performance at Del Mar. “She didn’t fire. It just wasn’t her day. Found a couple little things that could be bothering her when we ran her through Dr. Bramlage. So, you know, we’ll just have to see how she comes back. Always a question, kind of off form now, because she had two lackluster races in a row from the Ballerina and Breeders’ Cup. So we just have to see how she comes back from that.”

Pyrenees. The 4-year-old son of Into Mischief started the year with three wins, including in the Pimlico Special (G3), then was second in the Stephen Foster (G1) and the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) before a seventh-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. “Pyrenees is another one, a horse that’s been improving. I don’t know if he’s Grade 1 level, ultimately, Breeders’ Cup level. He definitely belonged last year, had himself in a good run. Same thing, we just freshened him after Breeders’ Cup. And he’s an exciting one because he continued to improve, and he didn’t run a bad race in the Breeders’ Cup. He just wasn’t as good on that day, and he had a little bit of a rough trip. So we’ll bring him back. There’s no target on what to get him started for, but he’s another two-turn dirt horse that’s exciting for next year.”

Cagliostro. The 4-year-old Upstart colt has a 6: 2-1-1 record this year but finished 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. “He is going to be running in Dubai for their carnival. He’s still with me, training into a race there in January, and then he might come back to me after the festival. That was the intention when they bought him. So hopefully he performs well over there and then he comes back to finish his year here.” Cagliostro is owned by Wathnan Racing.

Mc Vay. The 3-year-old Constitution colt also was moved to DeVaux from Shirreffs. He’s entered in the Woodchopper Stakes at Fair Grounds. “I’ve been really pleased since he’s come into the barn. He came in in great order with a pretty nice enough resume, a 1x but he had run in some Derby preps as well, so he’s exciting.”

2-year-olds

Tanti Auguri. The Quality Road filly won her debut at Fair Grounds going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf on Dec. 13. “She seems more inclined to want to go two turns. She had the speed where I thought she could handle the five and a half just to get started. And so we’ll probably run her in an allowance race before putting her in stakes, but definitely another one that’s shown a lot of precocity.”

States’ Rights. The Constitution colt broke his maiden in October on his third try and was fourth last out in an optional-claiming allowance. He gets another start Thursday at Fair Grounds. “We’ll just see how he develops. But he acts like he can be a stakes horse for next year, and there’s plenty of options for him as a 3-year-old.”

Without Caution. A son of Without Parole, he won his debut in July but is 0-for-3 since. He’s entered in the same race as States’ Rights. “He won first time out on debut at Saratoga, and he’s a horse that’s been developing. Again, another interesting horse to see how he improves.”

Deep Manhattan. The Justify colt “was ultra impressive” in his debut at Fair Grounds, earning an 84 Beyer Speed Figure. “He’s a half sibling to Deep Satin, who is lightly raced but has won the Virginia Oaks, and she’s coming back as well. So those two, Deep Satin coming back, she’s an exciting prospect (next) year, a 4-year-old who’s already won a stake, I think that was her third start. So she’s exciting. And then Deep Manhattan being the half brother, he won impressively his first time out. We’ll look to develop him. It’s kind of early in the year. So we’re really trying to get them ready and point towards the spring, summer and fall. So everything we’re doing is trying to get them there.”

Cromwell. The Quality Road colt was third in his debut at Keeneland and then second by a head at Fair Grounds on Saturday. “He’s a half to Arabian Night. He’s a big two-turn colt. … Going two turns at Fair Grounds (Sunda), he broke out, ended up last going around the first turn and then came with a nice run at the end and just missed on the wire from being last at the three-eights pole. So he’s probably the most exciting dirt horse that we have, colts, as far as thinking about those types of races.”