Cherie DeVaux made history when Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby at the beginning of May, becoming the first female trainer to win the first leg of the Triple Crown.

DeVaux, 44, said that while she never made her gender part of her identity as a horse trainer, it was the one thing she wanted to do as a female.

“It was the one thing as a female I wanted to do just cause I thought it would be – it’s a neat benchmark. There are 151 runnings with all men, and then it’s me,” DeVaux told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.

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“I have never made a stand that my gender was part of my identity as a trainer. I am a horse trainer. We all work really hard, male, female. So it wasn’t on the heels of being a female.”

For DeVaux, she was happy that the conversation about a female winning the Kentucky Derby could finally move on.

“I actually was getting a bit – I don’t want to say tired in a bad way, but that question kept coming up, and it’s like it’s time for the conversation to move on from it is how I felt. I quipped in the post-Derby interview, ‘Thank God I don’t have to answer that question anymore,’” DeVaux said.

The Saratoga Springs, New York, native, said that it’s an honor to be someone that people look up to.

“It’s an honor. And I hold great respect with the fact that I am somebody now that people, women, men, people look up to. That’s something that I don’t lose sight of, and I’m just out doing my thing, and if that can inspire somebody else, it’s a bonus on top,” DeVaux said.

“I’ve always felt like we need to be doing – we train horses, but we can reach the community, or others, just by doing what we’re doing and conducting yourself, holding yourself accountable and to a higher standard.”

GOLDEN TEMPO TO SKIP PREAKNESS STAKES, ENDING TRIPLE CROWN BID AS TRAINER CITES LONG-TERM HEALTH

Trainer Cherie DeVaux kisses the trophy after Golden Tempo won the 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 2, 2026. (Abbie Parr/AP Photo)

DeVaux, about a week and a half removed from the Kentucky Derby win, said that things are finally starting to settle down.

“It’s been overwhelming in a really amazing way,” DeVaux said. “Been busy, doing a lot more extracurriculars other than running our stable, which I keep joking that when a league wins a championship, they go to Disney World, and we continue to have a lot of horses to train. So, things are starting to quiet down a little bit and getting back to the enjoyment of working with our horses and training the rest of the stable.”

Going into the race, Golden Tempo was 23-1 to win the Kentucky Derby. DeVaux said she felt good about Golden Tempo but was tempering her expectations.

“I felt that Golden Tempo was going to run a really good race. We targeted the race. We had a plan with him. He checked all the boxes. He got to the race in great order, but realistically, it’s the derby. And it’s our first trip to the derby, and there’s a lot of horses in it. It’s not a very good chance you’re going to win, right?” DeVaux said.

“So, just realistic expectations that I put on the whole situation was let’s have fun. Hopefully, Golden Tempo runs a really good race. He comes with a run and we’re going to be happy with that.”

JORDON HUDSON, BILL BELICHICK TAKE IN CHURCHILL DOWNS DURING KENTUCKY DERBY WEEKEND

Trainer Cherie DeVaux stands outside a barn after a workout at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 27, 2026. (Charlie Riedel/AP Photo)

Golden Tempo’s running style is described as a deep closer, which means that he comes up to the pack from way out of it. DeVaux said they have tried to use blinkers to get him more engaged in the beginning of the race, but it’s just not his style.

Golden Tempo stayed true to form during the Kentucky Derby, as he surged from the back and into the lead late. DeVaux was making sure he didn’t dig himself too deep of a hole with a slow start.

“Most of the race, I was just keeping an eye on him, seeing how the race is unfolding in front of him. And there was a fast pace and a lot of those horses have not shown the propensity to want to go a mile and a quarter. Golden Tempo came closing at a mile and 3/16 in the Louisiana Derby. So, we were very confident in his ability to handle that distance,” DeVaux said.

“When I picked him up, I had a feeling that he was going to make a really good run and have a good showing of himself, but had given himself so much to do. So, as he’s picking them off, and he’s coming, and he’s coming and then when he got to Renegade is when it was like, ‘Oh my goodness, this might be happening’ to he got his head in front, and you know, the rest is history as they say.”

“I blacked out the last part of it when he won because I just couldn’t believe that he won the race. Like it was just disbelief of I can’t believe that really just happened.”

THE SURPRISING COST OF RENTING A HORSE STALL AT CHURCHILL DOWNS DURING THE KENTUCKY DERBY

Jockey Jose L. Ortiz celebrates after riding Golden Tempo to victory in the 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on May 2, 2026. (Abbie Parr/AP Photo)

Amid the chaos after winning, DeVaux said she hasn’t sat down and truly reflected on it all but has spent some time thinking about her journey into history.

“In brief moments, I find myself thinking about things that have happened in my life where I questioned my path, and it’s not just the path to me being a trainer. I was talking about something that happened in my late 20s with a relationship that went really badly, and I was telling my assistant actually about it. I thought if I could survive that, I can survive anything,” DeVaux said.

“I’ve had these moments along the way that I could have been discouraged, I could have left, and instead I just had the fortitude to push forward.”

The fortitude to push forward has indirectly led to her Instagram messages being flooded with congratulations.

“There have been a lot and still muddling through the inbox,” DeVaux said. “I didn’t realize how many messages you can really get on Instagram.  Flavor Flav is the one that was jarring to me a little bit when he saw I was in New York, like ‘hey we have an event’ which my little ’90s child in me was thinking that was pretty cool.”

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Cherie DeVaux celebrates after becoming the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby during the 152nd running at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 2, 2026. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

For DeVaux, she never thought she would be here.

“I’ve been overwhelmed really with like the reaction videos of just Golden Tempo running, my reaction being a woman and you know that’s just something I never would have thought would have touched anybody,” DeVaux said.

“I’m just doing my thing, cheering my horse on.”

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Just days after NJ Transit reduced 2026 FIFA World Cup train ticket prices after backlash, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced yet another cut. 

Last week, the round-trip tickets from New York Penn Station to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey were cut from the initial cost of $150 to $105. 

Now, Sherrill announced the tickets have gone down to $98 round-trip ahead of them going on sale Tuesday night.

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“Good news: Ahead of NJ TRANSIT World Cup train tickets going on sale tonight, @NJTRANSIT is lowering ticket prices to $98 without New Jersey taxpayer money,” Sherrill wrote on X.

 “Thank you to our partners — DoorDash, Audible, FanDuel, DraftKings, PSE&G, South Jersey Industries, and American Water — for helping make this possible. 

“We’re excited to host a world-class event this summer and showcase New Jersey on a global stage.”

NJ TRANSIT REDUCES WORLD CUP TRAIN TICKET PRICES AFTER BACKLASH, CITING MORE MONETARY SUPPORT: REPORT

NJ Transit and the FIFA New York New Jersey Host Committee caught flak after the originally announced $150 price of the round-trip tickets. Their argument was it would eventually cost taxpayers if they didn’t have that abnormal price set for the influx of those getting to MetLife Stadium from New York City.

Then, NJ Transit announced last week it received monetary support from “sponsors and other sources” in able to get prices lowered. Now we know those sponsors after Sherrill’s statement on social media. 

Sherrill and FIFA got into a spat after the $150 price came out as well. The governor said FIFA should help pay for train tickets, while the governing body criticized Sherrill’s “unprecedented” plan and added that the expensive train tickets would have a “chilling effect” on the fan experience. 

Transit officials are preparing for an unprecedented number of riders during World Cup matches this summer. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)

“Governor Sherrill has been clear that FIFA should contribute to transport its fans to World Cup games. Since it hasn’t, she directed NJ Transit to seek private and non-taxpayer dollars to significantly reduce the fare,” a spokesperson for Sherrill told The Athletic. “The Governor appreciates all the companies that have already stepped up to lower the costs for ticket holders.  She will continue to ensure the World Cup is an experience that benefits fans and all New Jerseyans.”

NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri defended the original price, saying the ultimate cost to the public transportation company shouldn’t burden New Jersey commuters. 

“It is an exciting moment for New Jersey to showcase New Jersey’s diversity as well as its economic standing in the country and in the world. Equally important, (Sherrill) has said that New Jersey commuters cannot and will not subsidize the movement of fans going to the game, because that would not be fair,” Kolluri said, reiterating that the tournament will cost NJ Transit $48 million.

“In order to move 40,000 people and to pay for the cost of $6 million (per game), we have to charge $150.”

The regular train fare from New York Penn Station to MetLife Stadium round-trip is $12.90. 

Commuters move through the NJ Transit section of Penn Station in New York City on May 20, 2025, after NJ Transit resumed operations following a tentative deal to end a three-day strike by train engineers. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

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Meanwhile, parking has been prohibited at MetLife Stadium, and ride-sharing will be limited, ultimately leading to a natural increase in NJ Transit commutes for World Cup matches.

The first game at MetLife Stadium is June 13 with a group stage match between Brazil and Morocco.

Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.

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LOS ANGELES: Lionel Messi remains the highest-paid player in Major League Soccer with an annual base salary of $25 million — more than twice as much as the next-highest paid player Son Heung-min, the MLS Players Association said Tuesday.

The union’s latest list of player salaries reflected the contract extension Messi signed with Inter Miami in October which will keep him with the Florida outfit through the 2028 campaign.

According to the figures, Messi’s base salary has doubled while overall the deal will see him make $28.3 million in guaranteed compensation.

South Korea star Son, the former Tottenham captain who signed with Los Angeles FC last August for a reported MLS record $26 million transfer fee, has a base salary of $10.36 million with total guaranteed compensation of $11.2 million.

The salaries do not include income from endorsement deals, nor does Messi’s compensation reflect his option to acquire a stake in the Florida franchise — co-owned by David Beckham — which he joined in 2023.

The 38-year-old Messi, who is expected to lead Argentina’s World Cup title defence starting next month, has 59 goals in 64 MLS regular-season games with Miami. He led the league with 29 goals last season and was named Most Valuable Player for the second straight season.

Messi’s Inter Miami and Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul is third on the list with $9.7 million in guaranteed compensation.

Mexico’s Hirving “Chucky” Lozano is fourth on the list with $9.3 million despite the fact that he hasn’t featured for San Diego since November.

Atlanta’s Miguel Almiron rounds out the top five with guaranteed compensation of $7.9 million.

Total league compensation was listed at $631 million, with the average guaranteed compensation $688,816 — an 8.9% rise from figures released last October.