The first woman to train a Derby winner, standing in her hometown
On a Saturday afternoon in Saratoga Springs, a horse named Golden Tempo completed the final leg of thoroughbred racing's most demanding gauntlet, and in doing so, carried its trainer Cherie DeVaux into the pages of history. DeVaux became the first woman ever to train a Kentucky Derby champion, and now only the second to train a Belmont winner — a quiet but profound reshaping of who stands at the center of the sport's most celebrated moments. That this unfolded in Saratoga Springs, the very town where DeVaux was born and began her career, gives the victory the quality of a story that was always moving toward this place.
- Golden Tempo entered the Belmont Stakes at 9-2 odds, carrying the weight of a Derby win and the question of whether lightning could strike twice across two different tracks.
- The heavily favored Renegade, backed down to 8-5 by bettors confident in Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher's hand, loomed as the race's central threat — and finished third, unable to answer the stretch run.
- Commandment pressed Golden Tempo to the wire, turning the final strides into a genuine contest before the Derby champion held firm in 2:03.49.
- Cherie DeVaux's victory completed a historic double — first woman to train a Derby winner, second to train a Belmont winner — closing a gap in the sport's record books that had stood for generations.
- The win at Saratoga also marked the end of a three-year displacement for the Belmont Stakes itself, with the race set to return to a rebuilt Belmont Park next year.
Golden Tempo crossed the finish line at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday with Jose Ortiz aboard, holding off Commandment in the final strides to win the Belmont Stakes in 2:03.49. The victory came just a month after the horse had taken the Kentucky Derby, making Golden Tempo the 13th horse in history to win both races — a testament to its versatility across different tracks and distances.
But the deeper story belonged to trainer Cherie DeVaux. With the Derby already secured, she became the first woman ever to train a Kentucky Derby champion. The Belmont win added a second distinction: only the second female trainer to win the Belmont, joining Jena Antonucci, who trained Archangelo to victory in 2023. That DeVaux was born in Saratoga Springs — the very town where she launched her career and now stood as a historic figure — gave the moment a particular resonance.
The race unfolded at a slower pace than the Derby, yet Golden Tempo still closed decisively in the final furlong. Renegade, the morning-line favorite trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher and backed down to 8-5 by bettors, could only manage third. The betting field had been fragmented, with several horses clustered at 5-1 and a handful of Pletcher-trained longshots ranging out to 20-1.
Saturday also marked the third and final time Saratoga hosted the Belmont Stakes while the traditional Belmont Park underwent demolition and reconstruction on the Queens-Long Island border. The race, shortened from its classic 1 1/2-mile distance to 1 1/4 miles to fit Saratoga's main track, will return to its rebuilt home next year — ending a three-year displacement for one of racing's most storied events.
Golden Tempo crossed the finish line at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday afternoon with Jose Ortiz in the saddle, securing a victory that would reshape the history of women in thoroughbred racing. The horse, carrying 9-2 odds into the Belmont Stakes, surged down the stretch in upstate New York and held off Commandment in the final strides, crossing in 2:03.49 for the 1 1/4-mile distance. It was the third and final leg of racing's most demanding test, completed just a month after Golden Tempo had won the Kentucky Derby.
The significance of the win extended far beyond the horse itself. Cherie DeVaux, who trained Golden Tempo, became the first woman ever to train a Kentucky Derby champion. With this Belmont victory, she also joined an even more exclusive circle as only the second woman to train a Belmont winner—a distinction previously held only by Jena Antonucci, who trained Archangelo to victory in 2023. DeVaux's path to this moment carried its own geography: she was born in Saratoga Springs, the very town where she now stood as a historic trainer, having launched her career at the track where she would eventually achieve her greatest triumph.
Golden Tempo's performance on Saturday differed markedly from the Derby. The pace at Saratoga was considerably slower than what unfolded at Churchill Downs a month earlier, yet the horse still managed to close decisively in the final furlong. Commandment finished second, while Renegade, the morning-line favorite, settled for third. The victory made Golden Tempo the 13th horse in history to win both the Derby and the Belmont—a pairing that speaks to a horse's versatility across different tracks and distances.
The betting market had told a story of uncertainty heading into the race. Renegade, trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher and the runner-up finisher at the Derby, had been backed down to 8-5 odds from an opening of 2-1, suggesting confidence among bettors in the horse's chances. The rest of the field was fragmented, with Chief Wallabee, Commandment, and Emerging Market all sitting at 5-1. The longer shots—Powershift, Growth Equity, Ottinho, and Vitruvian Man, all also trained by Pletcher—ranged from 12-1 to 20-1.
The Belmont itself has been in transition. Saratoga Race Course hosted the race for the third and final time on Saturday while the traditional Belmont Park, located on the border of Queens and Long Island, underwent demolition and reconstruction. The historic race, traditionally run at 1 1/2 miles and known as the Test of the Champion for its grueling distance, was shortened to 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga due to the configuration of the main track. Next year, the Belmont will return to its original home, restored and rebuilt, ending a three-year displacement that saw one of racing's most storied events held in the Adirondack region.
Citas Notables
Jena Antonucci trained Archangelo to win the Belmont in 2023, making her the only other woman to achieve this feat before DeVaux— Historical record
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
What does it mean that DeVaux trained both the Derby and Belmont winner?
It means she's now part of a conversation that was almost entirely male. The Derby and Belmont are the two hardest races to win in America. Doing both in one year with the same horse—that's not luck. That's judgment about breeding, conditioning, pacing strategy, everything.
Why does it matter that she was born in Saratoga?
Because she came home to win. She started her career at that track. Now she's standing there as the first woman to train a Derby winner. There's a completeness to it that wouldn't exist if she'd trained the horse from somewhere else.
The Belmont was shorter this year—1 1/4 miles instead of 1 1/2. Does that change what we should think about Golden Tempo's win?
It changes the narrative a little. The Belmont is supposed to be the ultimate test of stamina. At the full distance, you're asking something different of a horse. But Golden Tempo still had to beat Renegade and Commandment over the distance that was set. You can't rewrite the race that happened.
Renegade was the favorite and finished third. What happened there?
Pletcher is a Hall of Famer—he knows what he's doing. Sometimes the favorite doesn't run its race. Sometimes another horse is simply better that day. The pace was slower at Saratoga than at Churchill Downs, and that may have suited Golden Tempo's running style better.
What comes next for this horse?
That's the question. Golden Tempo has now won two of the three Triple Crown races. The Preakness is already behind us—that's the race the horse didn't win. So the Derby-Belmont double is the story. What DeVaux does next with this horse, whether she runs it again or retires it to stud, that's where the real legacy gets written.