Cherie DeVaux will saddle five Breeders’ Cup starters Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar, a sure sign of her rise to prominence as she attempts to become only the eighth woman to train a winner at the World Championships.
It was not that long ago—the summer of 2017—when DeVaux found herself at a crossroads. She had worked for Chuck Simon for six years and was in her seventh year as an assistant to Chad Brown. Everything was beginning to have that stale been-there, done-that feel.
She needed a change. But what?
Top bloodstock agent David Ingordo, who would become her husband in April of the following year, urged her to become a trainer. “You have the talent,” he said.
Although she had always believed in herself, she needed to hear that vote of confidence from another trusted source.
“I didn’t have the courage to do it on my own. I’ll say it that way,” said DeVaux, 42. “He was the catalyst to go out on my own.”
Change is never easy. DeVaux’s horses made 19 starts in 2018. They went winless. She finally broke through in March 2019 with Travelling in a $50,000 maiden claiming race at Gulfstream Park.
Baby steps turned into giant strides. What started as a 12-horse stable now numbers approximately 120 runners. Her solid Breeders’ Cup lineup at Del Mar is comprised of Pyrenees in the Classic (G1), Cagliostro and Pipeline in the Dirt Mile (G1), More Than Looks in the Mile (G1T) and Vahva in the Filly & Mare Sprint (G1).
“They have reasonable shots, if not to win, then at least to hit the board,” DeVaux said. “I’d be really proud if we hit the board more than once.”
Ingordo is so impressed by the talent his wife is sending into the 41st Breeders’ Cup that he calls this “the dawn of DeVaux.”
“As far as I’m concerned, there is no limit for her,” he said. “I think she can be an Eclipse Award-winning trainer one day if she continues on as she is. She trains high-quality horses.”
Cherie DeVaux and David Ingordo at the 2024 Keeneland September Sale
DeVaux’s horses were well-intended in her two previous Breeders’ Cup appearances. Tarabi took third in the Juvenile Fillies (G1) in 2021. She Feels Pretty finished a hard-trying third in the Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) last November at Santa Anita Park.
Jenine Sahadi became the first woman to train a Breeders’ Cup winner when Lit de Justice captured the Sprint (G1) in 1996. Maria Borell became the most recent female to join the list with Runhappy in the 2015 Sprint.
It may not be a matter of “if” DeVaux breaks through but when.
“Even though Cherie is in this only six years, she’s displayed qualities that I’ve only seen in some of the elite trainers I’ve been around,” Ingordo said. “It’s just natural. It’s there. You can’t teach her ability. She’s got it. Now, it’s just trying to continue to develop.”
According to Equibase, her operation compiled a record of 309: 56-39-35 last year and ranked 26th nationally with a career-high $5,558,777 in earnings. As of Oct. 30, she had smashed her earnings mark with $8,352,859 based on a record of 347: 51-53-48.
Vahva will run in the Filly & Mare Sprint
She made her mark at this year’s Preakness Stakes (G1) when she became the first woman to bank a $50,000 bonus as leading trainer by winning three races, all stakes, on Black-Eyed Susan Day.
The mere presence of Pyrenees, a 4-year-old Into Mischief colt, in the Classic represents a triumph and offers a testament to the abilities of DeVaux and her staff.
“He was special to us as a homebred, but he didn’t really have things figured out behaviorally,” said Adam Corndorf, who owns Pyrenees with Bonnie Baskin under the Blue Heaven Farm banner.
Corndorf went on, “It would have been easy for Cherie to pull the plug on him and feel like it was more trouble than it was worth. But she never did that with him. She always remained positive and optimistic about him and tried to focus on the good things he was doing. She never lost faith and never lost patience.”
The juvenile was not quite terrible at 2, but he was not a whole lot better than that in coming up empty in four maiden special weight starts. He finally broke through, but not until Dec. 15, 2023, at Fair Grounds in his lone start last year.
Pyrenees proved to be worth the time and trouble. He has won three of five starts this season and became a graded-stakes winner when he took the Pimlico Special Stakes (G3). His two misses were admirable runner-up efforts in a pair of grade 1 contests. He fell short against Kingsbarns in the Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs and, most recently, to speedy Highland Falls in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes at Saratoga.
Whatever the Classic brings, Corndorf is excited about what Pyrenees can accomplish at 5. “I’ll always be very grateful for (DeVaux’s) patience and her skill to develop him into what he has become, a wonderful horse and a wonderful experience for us,” he said.
Of course, DeVaux yearns to win the Classic or any Breeders’ Cup race. The Kentucky Derby (G1), the Triple Crown races, they would be dreams come true. In a sense, she has loftier and more admirable aspirations.
“I’d like to think I can be a good example for everybody, running my stable with a high level of integrity, trying to do the right things by a horse, advocating that this sport is a great sport,” she said, appreciating how important she can be as a role model.
