Surrounded by dozens of reporters and photographers in the media scrum at Churchill Downs that follows a winning trainer the morning after the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, Cherie DeVaux paused briefly to take in the May 3 scene.

CeVaux Sunday at Churchill (Coady Media)

“Good thing I don’t have social anxiety,” she quipped as she stared back.

No doubt, because on May 4, the media attention reaches an even wider audience with a scheduled appearance on “The Today Show,” NBC’s popular morning show that blends national news headlines and interviews with newsmakers.

DeVaux now fits squarely into the newsmaking category, having become the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner, accomplished when Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Golden Tempo delivered a last-to-first rally in the $5 million classic a day earlier. The moment places DeVaux in a broader cultural spotlight, extending her story to an audience beyond regular Thoroughbred racing fans.

She and her Derby winner were set to take different paths on Sunday, with DeVaux flying to New York to be on-site for an early Monday national television appearance at NBC’s New York City studio, and Golden Tempo taking a horse van ride 70 miles down the road to Keeneland, DeVaux’s regular stabling base for her horses.

DeVaux said she is itching to get back home to Central Kentucky and “get back to my normal routine,” but added, “I guess I’m gonna have to take a little detour.”

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According to DeVaux, Golden Tempo was none the worse for wear following his Derby effort. Cameras clicked as the bay nibbled hay with his head poking outside his stall, where webbing served as a reminder to the race in which he competed a day earlier: Kentucky Derby 152.

DeVaux similarly wore a gray hoodie with that etched on the front.

Where Golden Tempo runs next remains less certain. DeVaux was noncommittal on whether Golden Tempo will contest the May 16 Preakness Stakes in Maryland, the second leg of the Triple Crown, taking place this year at Laurel Park. She similarly withheld any firm indication when Preakness officials reached her by phone near the end of the media session with their traditional day-after-Derby congratulatory call.

Maryland racing officials annually do all they can to entice the connections of the Derby winner to compete, knowing that handle and television ratings increase when one is in competition. New shooters to the Triple Crown are expected to comprise the overwhelming majority of this year’s field.

Golden Tempo’s condition — his health, energy, weight, and overall recovery  —will guide the upcoming decision-making process for his racing schedule. DeVaux indicated there is no urgency to decide on whether to compete in the Preakness Stakes before he resumes training in the coming days at Keeneland.

Derby winner Golden Tempo Sunday at Churchill (Coady Media)

“We’ll get him back there. We’ll assess how he’s doing, and as long as he’s in tip-top shape, we’ll talk about it,” she said. “It’s on the table, but it’s really up to him.”

Having entered the Derby off a six-week break following a third-place finish in the March 21 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds, Golden Tempo may have some foundation to support a quicker return in the Preakness. Still, the demands of a 1 1/4-mile race like the Derby can fatigue even the most durable runners.

The homebred Curlin colt has three wins and two thirds in five starts with earnings of $3,433,000. Jockey Jose Ortiz has been aboard for every race.

DeVaux noted that the cracked heels she and her staff managed with Golden Tempo in the Derby lead-up proved insignificant on race day, and she was quick to discount them as a potential future hindrance. Cracked heels are typically more of a nuisance than a setback, customarily treated with antimicrobial or moisturizing creams and minor training adjustments to reduce discomfort.

In discussing the Preakness, she said, “Obviously, this race is in two weeks. It’s a lot different than what he’s done. He’s a horse that has a lot of constitution to him. So, he can handle something like that. But if one day he just doesn’t look like he’s in tip-top shape, then we’ll pivot and come up with another plan.”

Derby winner Golden Tempo Sunday at Churchill (Coady Media)

While Derby winners once routinely advanced to the Preakness in pursuit of the Triple Crown, recent years have seen a shift. Horses such as Rich Strike (2022) and Sovereignty (2025) were kept out of the middle jewel to await the Belmont Stakes in early June, bucking tradition and reflecting a more measured approach to modern campaigning. The Bob Baffert-trained Justify, in 2018, is the 13th and most recent Triple Crown winner.

“So the Triple Crown is hard to win for a reason, and I appreciate the history of it,” DeVaux said. “Horses are definitely different. They’re not built the same. They’re not trained the same as back then. But current times have shown that it can be done with the right horse.”

Waiting for the Belmont Stakes, five weeks after the Derby and contested this year at Saratoga Race Course at the Derby’s 1 1/4-mile distance, presents a viable alternative. Kentucky Derby runner-up Renegade is expected to take that route, with Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher indicating the colt will ship to Saratoga May 5 and bypass the Preakness.