She died at 77 on January 1 after a battle with glioblastoma. For her and other female jockeys who broke the glass ceiling in 1969, it was always an uphill battle because so much of this sport relies on connections, and those connections have to set aside prejudices against women. Julie Krone was able to get in the top ranks of the sport through determination and connections who believed in her talent. To this day, she is still a rarity, though long retired.
It is the same thing with female trainers. Cherie DeVaux is a lucky woman because she managed to secure a connection with the Phipps family, which is as high echelon as it gets in this sport. The Phippses have been in thoroughbred racing for at least a century and through at least four generations. They long had an association with Claiborne Farm, one of the greatest breeding farms in the world. The Phippses owned horses like Discovery, Buckpasser, Easy Goer, Personal Ensign, and, most notable of all, Bold Ruler, in my view the greatest thoroughbred sire of all time. Of course, he was the sire of Secretariat and many, many other greats, and his line continues today mainly through A.P. Indy, a horse who is in Golden Tempo's pedigree and the best thoroughbred sire of the 21st century so far. DeVaux hit the big time having the Phipps Stable as a client. I hope we see more and more of her.
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