Head Trainer

Trainer Cherie DeVaux began her career as a trainer in the spring of 2018 after spending nearly eight years as the number one assistant to Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, and prior to that as an assistant to trainer Chuck Simon. A Saratoga-area native, Cherie grew up in racing and her family is heavily involved with Standardbred horses. After studying pre-med in college, she decided to pursue a life with horses. Cherie was instrumental in champion LADY ELI’s return to racing after a serious foot injury sidelined the filly for over a year, as well as the daily training of many of Brown’s top horses, including ZIVO (G2), BEACH PATROL (G1), ZAGORA (G1), GOOD MAGIC (G1), LAST GUNFIGHTER (G3) and WAVELL AVENUE (G1).

As her solo training career is rapidly taking its own form, Cherie is well deserving of her growing reputation for developing young horses. She had her first starter in a “Classic Race” with BAYERNESS finishing 6th in the 2020 Kentucky Oaks (G1). In the spring of 2021, Cherie won her 1st Graded Stakes race as a trainer, the Regret S. (G3) at Churchill Downs, with GAM’S MISSION. “Gam Gam” as she is affectionately called around the barn, is a filly Cherie received as an unraced 2yo prospect, and Team DeVaux developed her into one of the top U.S.-based turf fillies in the country.

For Belladonna Racing, Cherie produced our first stakes winner when BAYERNESS won the Shine Again S. (L) on August 4th, 2021, at Saratoga. In 2022 for Belladonna, BAYERNESS again won a listed stakes, the Roxelana S. at Churchill Downs, and our filly BOUT TIME followed up with a listed stakes win at Monmouth Park. Belladonna Racing and Cherie DeVaux continued to find success in 2023. DeVaux campaigned LEGALIZE, a tremendous son of Constitution, to a win in the Sugar Bowl Stakes at Fair
Grounds and back-to-back graded wins for VAHVA in the Charles Town Oaks (G3) and the Lexus Raven Run Stakes (G2) at Keeneland.

Recent stakes results for Cherie include a victory by MORE THAN LOOKS in the Manila Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park and a Clarksville Handicap win by LOVE AND MONEY at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Additional stars shined in the latter part of 2023 with NORTHERN INVADER winning the Gio Ponti Stakes at Belmont Park and SHE FEELS PRETTY capturing Cherie’s first G1 win in the Johnnie Walker Natalma Stakes at Woodbine and a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).

Cherie is married to David Ingordo and is a role model and stepmother to future Hall of Fame trainer Reagan Ingordo, and their dogs, Rupert and Reggie.