Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Cherie DeVaux seeks more hardware and history in Breeders' Cup

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — There’s no telling if or when Cherie DeVaux will fully grasp her historic achievement, though many have been quick to remind her of it.

Especially in familiar surroundings such as Keeneland, where this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup World Championship will present the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner with opportunities for more horse racing success — and perhaps, bigger accolades. Beyond the chance to join Kathy Ritvo (Mucho Macho Man in 2003) as the only female trainers to win Saturday’s marquee Classic, DeVaux could bolster her prospects to become the first woman to win the Eclipse Award as trainer of the year.

Making history wasn’t necessarily DeVaux’s objective, but she’s mindful of the impact her remarkable run has made on many levels. Nearly six months after 23-1 long shot Golden Tempo fulfilled a career dream by rallying from last to win the Derby at Churchill Downs, she’s back home at the picturesque track in the heart of Bluegrass horse country eager to cap a whirlwind season with another signature victory.

“Well, nothing beats being at home,” DeVaux said of her racing base. "(Winning the Derby) changed my life in the most magnificent way. … I’m not surprised at the opportunities that it’s created obviously professionally, but I have been taken aback at how it has really resonated with other people. I mean, I have men and women coming up with tears in their eyes talking to me about how inspired they were.

"It’s hard for me to grasp because I feel like I’m just a girl who trains horses.”

DeVaux, who earned a Breeders’ Cup Mile victory two years ago with More Than Looks, has a trio of contenders, including Englishman, the 4-5 favorite in Saturday’s $1 million Sprint. Stablemate Brilliant Berti is a 30-1 long shot in the $2 million Mile.

DeVaux’s most notable contender, of course, is Golden Tempo, who enters the $7 million Classic at odds of 5-1. Stunning rallies have distinguished the bay colt, who also went last to first to win the Belmont Stakes in June. He was third his last time out in this summer’s Travers at Saratoga — DeVaux’s hometown — after missing time with an illness.

Golden Tempo faces a tall task from the No. 3 post against seven other horses, including defending race winner Forever Young, the 2-1 morning line favorite from Japan. Forever Young has two Grade 1 wins with a second as a 5-year-old and cruised to a 3¼-length victory at the Jockey Club Gold Cup in September.

The field also features 2025 Derby and Belmont winner Sovereignty, last year’s top horse. He is the 5-2 second choice and is one of two Classic entrants trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, along with Knightsbridge (9-2).

Golden Tempo's performance has thrust himself and DeVaux into the discussion. Not a bad payoff for a simple strategy.

“Everything we do is very deliberate,” she said, “especially with these high-level horses and pointing them to big races like these being our ultimate target. It’s a team effort.”

Post time on Saturday is 6:16 p.m.

Forever Young can join Tiznow (2000, 2001) as the only two-time Classic winners. Despite his strong tuneup at Belmont in September, trainer Yoshito Yahagi believes he must improve from that outing to beat a stacked field and repeat, especially as the hunted.

“This year, I think we are in a position that everybody is targeting us, so it’s not quite easy to defend the title,” Yahagi said through an interpreter.

Forever Young drew the No. 5 post position and is one of two Japan-bred horses in the field along with T O Password, a 30-1 longshot who will start on the rail.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has two unbeatens entered in Friday’s $2 million Juvenile that highlights a five-race slate for 2-year-olds. Hughes is 4-0 and the even-money morning line favorite, while Salahudin (3-0) is the 6-1 choice among eight horses.

Todd Pletcher-trained American History (2-0) is the 9-2 second choice. Unbeaten Emphatic (3-0) is the 9-5 favorite for the Juvenile Fillies, with Baffert’s Miss Monica (2-0) the 5-2 second choice.

Tom Ryan had been waiting a long time to name a horse Hughes, with a connection to hockey. His father-in-law, Pat Hughes, won the Stanley Cup three times with the Wayne Gretzky-led 1980s Edmonton Oilers dynasty.

Jack Hughes scoring in overtime to win men's hockey gold for the U.S. at the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February made up his mind. He had an impressive 2-year-old colt out of Into Mischief who by March looked like a winner, so he got the moniker Hughes.

“The goal was one thing, but his speech after it was what really got me," Ryan told The Associated Press by phone Thursday. "His whole passion in that moment about how proud he was to be an American, it really kind of moved me to say, ‘OK, now I need to use this name.’”

Hughes the current player famously lost a tooth and part of a second in the final against Canada. Hughes the horse has no issues there.

“The horse’s teeth are fine,” Ryan said with a chuckle. “The horse’s teeth are fine, so we’re good to go there.”

Aidan O’Brien and Baffert enter the weekend sharing the Breeders’ Cup record with 21 trainer wins, a tie O’Brien could break with more than a dozen thoroughbreds from his native Ireland and Britain.

Thirteen of 16 listed entrants are from Ireland with another from Britain and two from Kentucky. Baffert has six listed entries.

Two-year-old bay colt Coach Pope might be a sentimental favorite because his namesake guides a certain powerhouse college men’s basketball program just down the road.

Trainer Kenny McPeek, who graduated from Kentucky, chose the name to honor third-year Wildcats coach Mark Pope. The colt enters the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile as a 4-1 third choice.

Rebuilt Belmont Park in New York will host the Breeders' Cup Championships for the first time since 2005.

AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in New York contributed to this report.

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