Cherie DeVaux Stable Tour

Cherie DeVaux is enjoying her best year as a trainer since going out on her own in 2018, following several years as an assistant to Chad Brown.

DeVaux has won two Grade 1 races this year and her stable has amassed a personal-best $8.35 million in earnings. She is winless with four starters in the Breeders’ Cup but is bringing five to this year’s event at Del Mar, live on Sky Sports Racing.

VAHVA (PNC Bank Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, 19.00 Saturday)

This daughter of Gun Runner gave DeVaux her first US Grade 1 victory, winning the Derby City Distaff on Kentucky Derby Day. She followed that with a Grade 3 victory in the Chicago Stakes, also at Churchill Downs.

Sent off the favorite in the Grade 1 Ballerina on August 24 at Saratoga, she could finish no better than third behind Society and Scylla, two of her opponents in Saturday's contest.

“She really hasn’t done anything wrong this year, she just doesn’t have an affinity for the Saratoga track,” DeVaux said. “She had every right to give it up and she at least tried. She’s one that we’ve run many times fresh and pointed for races and she’s always show up. Same here, she’s trained really well since Saratoga.”

PYRENEES (Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, 21.41 Saturday)

A four-year-old son of Into Mischief, Pyrenees won the Grade 3 Pimlico Special in May and has finished runner-up in two Grade 1s, the  Stephen Foster and the Jockey Club Gold Cup.

“All year he keeps improving and I think the trend is still going that way,” DeVaux said. “So, we got a good post, and the race should set up where he gets a stalking position before the turn and there should be a lot of speed so he should come with his run.”

MORE THAN LOOKS (Fanduel Breeders' Cup Mile Presented By PDJF, 23.45 Saturday)

This four-year-old son of More Than Ready was beaten two lengths when sixth in this race last year. An injury in March has limited him to just two starts this year, both runner-up finishes to Carl Spackler in the Grade 1 Fourstardave and Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile.

“Hopefully, if the third start off a layoff (is best race) is true, that’s where we’re at; that’s how we set the year up when we were hoping to make this our target,” DeVaux said. “We knew we weren’t going to have a lot of racing, but we wanted to make sure each race counted for something and the end goal was the Breeders” Cup.”

When DeVaux saw the 20-1 odds, she said: “I’d take that if I were a betting person.”

“It’s obviously an extremely tough race, but in the last race there wasn’t a lot separating him and Carl Spackler and he’s in great form but we were coming late and just did not get there in the Coolmore Mile,” DeVaux added.

CAGLIOSTRO (Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, 00.25 Saturday)

This four-year-old son of Upstart has some dirtied-up form after stumbling badly at the start of the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga where he finished fourth and then finished third in the Grade 3 Ack Ack run over a sloppy Churchill Downs surface.

“He hasn’t really run a bad race this year but he’s got to continue improving and I think it’s in his wheelhouse and he’s training like he could,” DeVaux said.

PIPELINE (Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, 00.25 Saturday)

This six-year-old son of Speightstown is 0 for 10 in stakes competition but is coming off a solid allowance wins at Churchill Downs on September 19. He hit his head somewhere along the way in shipping from Kentucky to California and was in need of stitches. DeVaux said the horse is improving but his ability to run will likely be up to the local veterinarians who examine the horses each day.

“He’s training great, he looked awesome out here, it’s just going to be how the vets comfort level is with how he looks a couple of days before,” DeVaux said Tuesday. “Right now, he’s doing great and we’ll just have to see how it progresses.”