Barn Tour: Cherie DeVaux points 3 to Breeders’ Cup

Cherie DeVaux is having her best year since she went out on her own in 2018.

With $4.6 million in earnings, she’s set to double her previous high set last year. She’s got 85 horses in training, more than ever. She has won five graded stakes with four horses this year. Before, she had won two graded stakes, both with Gam’s Mission.

“We have a great team, great owners,” DeVaux told Horse Racing Nation on Monday. “Couldn't do it without either one of those two. And lots of luck.”

And next week, she could have three chances to win her first Breeders’ Cup event. She’s had one Breeders’ Cup runner in the past, Tarabi, who was third in the 2021 Juvenile Fillies.

DeVaux provided an update on her three Breeders’ Cup hopefuls and others in her stable for the latest in HRN’s Barn Tour series.

She Feels Pretty. This Karakontie filly is undefeated after breaking her maiden in July and winning the Grade 1 Natalma by 4 1/4 lengths in September. She was pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. “She's a filly that's really been developing a lot physically since basically, her whole 2-year-old year,” DeVaux said. “She looks quite a bit different than when she came in from the farm as a 2-year old. There's about double of her than what there was. So it's been something we've kept a close eye on. But she's handled everything really well. And I'm excited to run her because she's training really well.”

Stage Raider. The 5-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile was pre-entered in the Dirt Mile. Formerly trained by Chad Brown, he lost his first two starts for the year before owner John Gunther moved him to DeVaux. Then he won the black-type R.A Cowboy Jones Stakes and was second to Zozos last out in the Ack Ack (G3). “He's a little different, because we just got him in over the summer as a project. He can be a bit quirky. And the owners were just looking to see if a different venue might get his mind a little bit better. And, you know, we're here in Kentucky, at Keeneland, so there's a couple different options for him. And he's really adjusted well.”

More Than Looks. The 3-year-old More Than Ready colt, unraced last year, has a record of 7: 4-1-1-1, with wins in the Manila (G1) and black-type Jefferson Cup last out. He was pre-entered in the Turf Mile, but “we're not sure if he'll get in," DeVaux said. "He's just light on accolades. His last race would put them right there, but it was just an overnight stake – the performance of his last race puts them in there. But he's another one. He's really developed and matured both physically and mentally. And his last race, I think, is what we had hoped to see. He's got a lot of talent, but his mind would get down a little bit. He'd just get a little cheeky, ranging up on horses and lugging in or just kind of idling. And in his last race, he really put his head down and ran through the stretch.” He also is entered in the Bryan Station (G3) at Keeneland on Saturday.

Vahva. The 3-year-old Gun Runner filly has graded-stakes wins in her last two starts, the Charles Town Oaks (G3) and the Raven Run (G2) on Saturday. “She's a fun filly to have. Really blessed to have a horse like her because we kind of just point her to whatever spot we're trying for, and she seems to really just go along with the plan as long as she's feeling OK and she's happy and sound. So we've done this twice already, and we're going to do this again, we just turn her out for two weeks, let her go out in the field and hang out and freshen up, and then we'll point her to the La Brea (G1)” at Santa Anita in December.

Northern Invader. The 3-year-old Collected colt has two wins and two seconds from five starts this year. He won the black-type Gio Ponti on Oct. 6 but was fifth before that in the Secretariat (G2) at Colonial Downs. DeVaux thinks the Secretariat was an aberration. “I don't think that he handled the heat and the ship, because he usually feels really good and he came out of that race quite dull. So I regrouped, and he showed more of his true self in his last race.”

Shotgun Hottie. The 4-year-old daughter of Gun Runner is 3-for-5 this year, winning the Molly Pitcher (G3) last out in July. “Shotgun Hottie needed a little time out of her last of her last race, the Molly Pitcher. So she's been turned out. Nothing major, but by the time what she was dealing with, we got through that, it just really didn't make sense to keep her in training. So we just gave her some time off and will point toward a late-winter, spring return to the races.”

Cagliostro. The 3-year-old Upstart colt has a 7: 1-3-1 record this year, with his win coming when he broke his maiden in January on his second try. “Cagliostro is doing well. He's another one, we're hoping he just puts it together. He runs really well. But he's another one that ranges up and idles. So we've experimented with blinkers. And he does have the allowance condition. He's still a non-winner of two. So we're pointing him toward an allowance race and then giving him some time off to freshen him, same thing, for a late-winter, early-spring campaign.”

Taking Candy. The 3-year-old son of Twirling Candy is 2-for-4 this year and finished second last out in the Saranac (G3). “Taking Candy needed a little time, so he's out and we'll bring him back to the races next spring.”

Gam’s Mission. The 5-year-old daughter of Noble Mission gave DeVaux her first two graded-stakes wins but was only 1-for-5 this year. DeVaux said she has been retired from racing and will be offered for sale at Keeneland next month. “She's healthy. She's been a really fun filly. She's solid, always put in her run. She's never had any problems bleeding, she's run most of her life without lasix. So for what breeders are looking for, to invest in their broodmare band, she would be a nice commodity for them.”

As for upcoming juveniles, DeVaux said her barn has “a bunch that are just getting started. We ran Depiction, whom I really like, in the Bourbon (G2, finished sixth). And it might have been just a little too much, but he came out of that in good order. So hopefully we can see him next year. We had Whimsically, she won and got disqualified and then came back and ran third in the Miss Grillo (G3). So we might just try to get her maiden broken and then some stakes for her in the future. … We've got a bunch of really nice 2-year-olds. And they've either run once and are coming back for a second run or just taking some time, but we still have a lot of 2-year-olds that haven't started that we're excited about.”