SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Cherie DeVaux knows Saratoga well. She was born in the upstate New York town, and after growing up in Florida, she returned to study at the University of Albany, just a 30-minute drive away.
After two years, DeVaux stopped pursuing a degree and took a chance on her passion for horse racing, where she started as a hot walker for late trainer Chuck Simon. She set her sights on one day being an exercise rider.
On Saturday, DeVaux won’t be crossing Union Avenue as a hot walker, or riding and working them out on the Oklahoma Training Track. Five weeks after becoming the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner, she'll watch Golden Tempo run in the 158th Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course to close out the Triple Crown.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to get to spend with my family in the build-up and the week of,” DeVaux said. “Getting to spend time with my family, the young ones that don’t get to come to the races — my nieces and nephews — so I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to share what I do with them.”
DeVaux's Derby celebration went viral as she celebrated with her family. But she was more excited about the victory than the history.
“I just see myself as a horse trainer,” DeVaux said. “I thought winning the Kentucky Derby was an achievable goal at some point in my career. It’s an honor to be the one that is the first female. But that’s not really what my focus is on.”
DeVaux could become the second female trainer to win the Belmont in four years, following Jena Antonucci with Arcangelo in 2023.
Janet Elliot, the only woman to be inducted into the National Horse Racing Hall of Fame as a trainer for her success in steeplechase, watched the Derby and was excited for DeVaux but shared the same sentiment.
“I’m just a trainer,” Elliot said. “I didn’t feel like I was a woman in a man’s sport. I’m just doing my job, and that’s how I came about it.”
After DeVaux worked for Simon, she transferred to work with Chad Brown as an assistant trainer. She said that time gave her valuable experience working with top-level horses.
DeVaux opened her own stable in 2018 based in Lexington, Kentucky, and has won some big races with horses like She Feels Pretty and Vahva. But, nothing beat the feeling of the Derby, when Golden Tempo made a surge from the back of the pack to win as a 23-1 long shot.
Even though she is based in Kentucky and grew up in southwest Florida, Saratoga locals have shown a lot of support for DeVaux because of her ties to the area.
“Having a local connection always just amps up everything around here and the interest level,” Saratoga Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus said. “Cherie, this year, is the rock star coming back to Saratoga, where she’s got family and friends and a community that has totally embraced the historic success she’s had, especially this year.”
The Belmont taking place at Saratoga for the third and final time before returning to Belmont Park next year gives DeVaux a chance to celebrate in the winner's circle at the place she started her career.
“It’s a beautiful track,” DeVaux said. “It’s all about horse racing. The whole town, that is their highlight and focus. It’s really exciting to be a part of that.”
AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing
Trainer Cherie DeVaux watches Kentucky Derby winner and Belmont Stakes entrant Golden Tempo ahead of the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race Course, Thursday, June 4, 2026, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Cherie DeVaux, trainer of Kentucky Derby winner and Belmont Stakes entrant Golden Tempo, rides on a horse ahead of the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race Course, Thursday, June 4, 2026, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — More rain and thunderstorms were possible Monday at the Grand Canyon following a major flash flood that left one person dead and about 15 others missing or unaccounted for, with scores of visitors evacuated and the only water pipeline for tourists and residents destroyed.
Emergency water restrictions that began Monday prevented tourists from staying overnight at lodges and hotels within the park. Year-round residents were asked to conserve water.
A flood watch was in effect. Visiting the Grand Canyon — a crown jewel of the national park system — can be particularly dangerous in the summer because of the risk of flash flooding that accompanies the monsoon, or rainy season. Clear days can give way quickly to thunderstorms and downpours.
“With deep monsoonal moisture in place and already saturated soils in some locations, an elevated risk of flash flooding will be in place through Monday,” the National Weather Service said early Monday.
The body of a 46-year-old man was recovered Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River, the National Park Service said without providing additional details.
The flooding Saturday in Bright Angel Creek, which flows into the river, led to more than 60 people being airlifted from the depths of the canyon. The park service asked anyone with details about hikers or campers still unaccounted for to get in touch. The Arizona Department of Public Safety helped with additional evacuations Sunday.
“These measures are crucial for ensuring the safety and sustainability of water resources,” the park said in a statement.
Parth Desai was hiking through a narrow passage in Bright Angel Canyon with fellow physicians and a park ranger when heavy rain started falling Saturday.
“We saw the creek flood, waterfalls coming up out of nowhere, boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere,” he said.
Later, as they made their way toward Phantom Ranch, a colleague shouted “Up, Up, Up, Up!” as a 4-foot (1-meter) debris wall headed toward them and they ran up into a patch of cacti, he said. They were rescued by helicopter late Saturday after making it to the Phantom Ranch area, he said.
Torrents of water wiped out footbridges over the creek and altered the landscape, widening the creek bed and extending an existing river rapid or creating a new one. The flood was a major blow to an enduring effort to modernize the pipeline that serves 6 million visitors a year and roughly 1,600 residents of Grand Canyon Village.
“Heaven help us if the whole thing down there at the bottom has to be reconstructed,” said Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University. “Where are they going to get the money?”
Halting overnight stays at the park because of a lack of water is rare, although the pipeline frequently has failed over the years. While the Grand Canyon has large storage tanks for potable water on the South Rim, they won’t be refilled while the pipeline is out of service.
A $208 million rehabilitation of the pipeline and upgrades to the associated water delivery system started in 2023, with the park service calling it a crucial investment to ensure the park can meet the needs of residents and visitors. The project was expected to be completed next year.
Stengle reported from Dallas. Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles also contributed.
This photo shows Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, after it was hit by heavy flooding a day earlier. (Craig Sanderson via AP)
This photo shows Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, after it was hit by heavy flooding a day earlier. (Craig Sanderson via AP)
Bright Angel Creek near the Phantom Ranger Station in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, is seen after flash flooding from storms, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (Parth Desai via AP)
