{"id":25058,"date":"2026-05-18T06:21:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T06:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=25058"},"modified":"2026-05-18T06:21:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T06:21:54","slug":"a-horse-isnt-a-trophy-people-can-rent-for-entertainment-trainer-cherie-devaux-has-sparked-major-backlash-after-defending-the-decision-surrounding-golden-tempo-and","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=25058","title":{"rendered":"\u2018A HORSE ISN\u2019T A TROPHY PEOPLE CAN RENT FOR ENTERTAINMENT.\u2019\u201d Trainer Cherie DeVaux has sparked major backlash after defending the decision surrounding Golden Tempo and the horse\u2019s controversial Preakness Stakes absence \u2014 and now racing fans are completely divided."},"content":{"rendered":"<p dir=\"auto\">Trainer\u00a0<strong>Cherie DeVaux<\/strong>\u00a0has hit back hard at the wave of criticism surrounding her handling of\u00a0<strong>Golden Tempo<\/strong>\u00a0in the lead-up to the Preakness Stakes.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">In an emotional and defiant interview, DeVaux defended her controversial decision, telling critics:\u00a0<strong>\u201cThe horse is not a machine.\u201d<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cherie-devaux-churchill-downs-fox-news-001.jpeg\" alt=\"Golden Tempo trainer Cherie DeVaux calls criticism of Preakness decision  unfair: 'The horse is not a machine'\" \/><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-4\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-4\"><\/div>\n<p dir=\"auto\">The statement comes after intense backlash from racing fans and pundits who questioned her strategy with the talented colt. Many accused her of mismanaging the horse\u2019s preparation and campaign, especially following Golden Tempo\u2019s performance (or lack thereof) in the Preakness.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thespun.com\/.image\/MzM6MDAwMDAwMDAwNDUyMTgw\/syndication-the-indianapolis-star.jpg?profile=w2560&amp;ar=4-3\" alt=\"Golden Tempo Trainer Cherie DeVaux Not Happy With Criticism - The Spun\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">DeVaux, clearly frustrated by the mounting pressure, emphasized that horses are living, breathing athletes with limits \u2014 not machines that can be pushed endlessly without consequence. She stressed the importance of prioritizing the horse\u2019s welfare over public expectations and the intense demands of the Triple Crown trail.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-5\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com\/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQGpK1Zr2ZUGgVaANDHUTSYUntq0_lR1htWVA&amp;s\" alt=\"First female trainer to win Kentucky Derby has Florida roots\" \/><\/div>\n<p dir=\"auto\">Her passionate defense has divided the racing community, with some praising her for standing up for animal welfare while others continue to argue she cost Golden Tempo a shot at glory.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.courier-journal.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/05\/03\/PIND\/89919515007-golden-tempo-cherie-de-vaux-gh-05022026-030.jpg?width=1200&amp;disable=upscale&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Golden Tempo trainer Cherie DeVaux on Preakness 2026 after Kentucky Derby\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\">This fiery response has only added more fuel to the already heated debate surrounding one of the most talked-about horses of the season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trainer\u00a0Cherie DeVaux\u00a0has hit back hard at the wave of criticism surrounding her handling of\u00a0Golden Tempo\u00a0in the lead-up to the Preakness Stakes. In an emotional and defiant interview,&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25059,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25058"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25058\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25060,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25058\/revisions\/25060"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}