Golden Tempo’s Historic Win with Cherie DeVaux and Daisy Phipps Pulito: Ep 50
Highlights from the episode:
The signs that showed Golden Tempo was ready
The pressure no one saw before race day
A family legacy 100 years in the making
What Cherie felt when history finally hit
Why waiting was part of the winning
Podcast show notes:
There are wins, and then there are wins that feel like they carry generations with them.
In this episode, I sit down with Daisy Phipps Pulito and Cherie DeVaux to talk about Golden Tempo’s Kentucky Derby victory, a race that made Cherie the first female trainer to win the Derby and gave Daisy’s family a deeply meaningful win in the Phipps Stable silks.
Cherie and Daisy talk about the hours before the race, the signs Golden Tempo was ready, the pressure of stewardship, and the way one horse seemed to grow up right in front of them. They talk about what the future looks like and what future races could hold.
What You’ll Discover:
Golden Tempo starting to blossom (02:08)
A 100-year family legacy (07:50)
The work behind carrying a legacy (12:28)
Support, marriage, and life outside the barn (24:43)
Managing anxiety before the Derby (29:39)
Golden Tempo’s confidence now (48:46)
This episode is about more than a race. It’s about how the pivotal victory moments are built in the barns, in the mornings, in the losses, and in the people who believe before the rest of the world catches up.
Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts, and please subscribe, rate, and review Things No One Tells You.
Connect with our guests
Follow Cherie DeVaux on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reredevaux/
Be sure to subscribe to Things No One Tells You—Lindsay’s podcast all about the real, unfiltered conversations we don’t always have but should. From big names to everyday voices, each episode dives into the moments that shape us. Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Follow along with Lindsay below!
Full Transcript
[00:00:00] Lindsay: Wait, start there. So what?
[00:00:03] Cherie: So I was just saying to Daisy that I really didn't, like, allow myself to think we were gonna win the Derby. I was pretty confident he'd run well. But I went into Daisy's box before the race, and I'm like, "We could win this race."
[00:00:18] Daisy: No, she said, "I think we're gonna win today." Ew.
[00:00:22] And then she got up and left, and I stood there for three more hours.
[00:00:27] Lindsay: Hey, guys, welcome to Things No One Tells You. That was Daisy Phipps Pulito of the legendary Phipps racing family. She is the owner and racing manager of Golden Tempo. And, Daisy was sharing what the moments in the hours before this past Kentucky Derby were like for her.
[00:00:45] And what I love is what happened after that, you heard Cherie. She comes in, feels confident, and sure enough, their horse, Golden Tempo, comes from all the way in the back of the field to the front to win the Kentucky Derby. It was truly incredible. And I love that for Cherie, it made Cherie the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby, which is a huge feat.
[00:01:10] But for Daisy, it also represented something really significant because her family was Thoroughbred breeders, and Golden Tempo was a home-bred horse, so born and bred with them. And by winning this Kentucky Derby, Daisy's family has won one before, but not in her family's silks. So this is the first time that it was like they could see their colors out there on the winning horse.
[00:01:36] for her, this really represented sort of an evolution, like, the way that she has been able to really help steer and guide her family in this current era of horse racing to find success. So anyway, I can't wait for you to hear this conversation. This is Cherie DeVaux, Daisy Phipps Pulito, beginning with Daisy's perception of her thoughts on what this horse could really do.
[00:02:06] And you thought what?
[00:02:10] Daisy: I thought going into the race that I had the benefit of seeing him train here for five weeks leading up to it. And it's really hard to get a horse to peak at the right time. That's really out of your control. And Cherie and I would talk most mornings when I'd be out there, like, "Oh my God, he's doing really well.
[00:02:29] Like, he really seems like he's blossoming." You also don't know what everybody else has in that situation. And, so I was confident that we were gonna run well. Cherie knew that we didn't wanna run unless we had a shot of winning. And so I kind of went into it thinking we were gonna finish in the top five if everything went well.
[00:02:51] Also knowing that none of that has to happen or can happen. Yeah. And
[00:02:55] Lindsay: You thought what?
[00:02:57] Cherie: Well, I was thinking the same thing, but I had this, like, arrogance about the whole situation that we were just gonna win. But, like, it was still in the back of my mind, like it probably isn't gonna happen, but we're just gonna it to the world.
[00:03:10] Like, we're gonna win. But I just, he was giving us signs all week. I was watching the other horses, and I was just thinking, "He's ... I- it's gonna be hard for him to get there, but he's gonna put on a show. He's gonna try to get there."
[00:03:24] Daisy: Yeah, he's an honest horse. Like, he always tried in all of his r- all four races before that.
[00:03:31] Lindsay: What kind of signs was he giving?
[00:03:34] Cherie: Well, physically, he was shaping up. In his work, he was getting a lot more aggressive and going away from him, galloping out away from his company. And that week, leading up to that week, I would send Daisy and Monique pictures of me putting on, like, Mardi Gras flowers on him, and he just kinda, like, let you do whatever he wanted.
[00:03:54] And then that week, he was nickering at the pony. If I went to grab him, he tried to jump on top of the pony. He was kind of just really starting to tout himself, and that was the first time he's really done that.
[00:04:04] Lindsay: You were talking about how you felt like you guys watched him just become.
[00:04:09] Daisy: Blossom in front of us.
[00:04:10] Lindsay: Yeah, go from a boy to a man.
[00:04:12] Daisy: Yeah.
[00:04:12] Lindsay: I love that analogy.
[00:04:13] Daisy: He started, like, getting creases in his rear end, then he started sort of just feeling good, nickering at the pony and stuff like that. So he was showing all those really good signs that going into a race, you want to see.
[00:04:24] Lindsay: For people that don't know, creases in the rear end of a racehorse mean what?
[00:04:28] Cherie: Like, they're getting their muscle defined and st- shaping up. He's physically shaping up and maturing. He was a chunky boy with talent. And you could see he's, he was bred, he kinda looked like he'd always get better with time. And during, in Louisiana, he'd get a little bit better, but he didn't have this big, like, aha for this to come here, and that came from the Louisiana Derby to the Kentucky Derby.
[00:04:58] Daisy: And I would say, we haven't talked about this yet, but I would say that second to last work here at Keeneland was when I kind of said, like, "We got something here. Like, we really got something here."
[00:05:09] Cherie: Yeah, Jose was on him.
[00:05:10] Daisy: Yeah, and I feel like, watching that, I watched that work back the other night after the Kentucky Derby, and watched the Kentucky Derby.
[00:05:16] Like, he was targeting horses on his double gallop out, sort of like he was in the Kentucky Derby.
[00:05:22] Cherie: Yeah. No, same, 'cause he was always a good workhorse, but not great. Like, he'd just kinda hang out with his friends.
[00:05:29] And it was, Jose did exactly what we asked him to do, and he, we had the ... It was a coincidence that he had some targets galloping out.
[00:05:38] Usually, they're decelerating, but we went an unconventional route and let him gallop out longer, and he was passing horses, weaving in and out. So he got, like, a little bit of an ego boost. Yeah. I work out.
[00:05:52] Lindsay: And at that point, you still don't know what everyone else has. Yeah. Right? So that's gotta be, what is that like?
[00:06:00] Cherie: Well, I, and I don't know about Daisy, but I am hyper-focused on what I have. So I can look at the numbers, and we discussed that. He has to get better, and-
[00:06:11] Daisy: And his numbers were getting better.
[00:06:13] Cherie: They were getting better, and he was gonna have to take a big leap forward. That's what we said after he won the Little Cup.
[00:06:17] Listen, we're gonna stick to the plan, as, eh, we know he's aot a project. He's in the process of getting there. And, it never gets scripted where you put a plan on paper, especially with horses, and it works out the way it did. Like, he just responded to everything we did, and didn't have any regression.
[00:06:38] Lindsay: All right. So I wanted to get your take, both of you. What was going through both of your minds at this moment?
[00:06:47] Cherie: I think we were both like, "Oh my God." I, I-
[00:06:51] Daisy: Yeah, I mean, we spent a lot of time, me and Cherie and Monique from St. Elias throughout this whole journey, and it's ... these things normally don't pan out, the, exactly the way you want.
[00:07:03] And these rides usually aren't as smooth as his was. I'm not a hugger, and I was-
[00:07:11] Lindsay: Really?
[00:07:12] Daisy: Yeah.
[00:07:12] Cherie: Yeah, neither am I.
[00:07:13] Lindsay: You're not?
[00:07:16] Cherie: No.
[00:07:16] Lindsay: Like, for real? Not like, not a hugger. Like, let's shake hands instead?
[00:07:19] Daisy: Yeah.
[00:07:19] Lindsay: Or like, just, okay.
[00:07:20] Daisy: Yeah.
[00:07:20] Cherie: Yeah. I'm good here. But I mean, that was, I mean, it's so exciting, and it's a pinnacle win.
[00:07:26] Yeah. And to share it, I mean, eh, again, I'm sure everyone feels this way. It's fun to win those races, but it's even more special when you have a relationship with everyone involved.
[00:07:38] Lindsay: Yeah. Well, so what is the significance of the win? Now that you've had some time, not a lot, but a little bit of time, where does it land with you?
[00:07:50] Daisy: It's the best day of my life. Single-handedly, the best day of my life. I mean, you're gonna, like Barbara Walters, you're gonna make me cry here, but the pinnacle of my family being in horse racing for 100 years, and this is our 100th anniversary right now, and Phipps Stable has won the Derby before with Orb, but it was in my cousin Stuart Janney's silks.
[00:08:13] So to win a race like that with a horse in the Phipps Stable silks with something my great-grandmother started 100 years ago, this was the culmination. Like, we breed to race. We rarely go out and buy horses to run in these kinds of races. We know the parents of the dam of this horse back as far as you can go.
[00:08:35] Lindsay: How rare is that, what Daisy's saying?
[00:08:38] Cherie: It, very. a lot of the industry has gotten away from breeding to race, and if they have a strategy, like, keep fillies to race and sell the colts or... But, to have a full stable founded on just breeding is quite rare. There's probably just a handful these days that's their business model.
[00:08:59] Some keep, they keep some, buy some, but as far as the Phipps business model of keeping that family intact and the integrity of the family and improving the family, that's a foregone concept.
[00:09:14] Lindsay: That gave me chills when I think about, when I thought about it, and when you shared, because your great-grandma, 100 years ago, there seems to be some special significance, your great-grandma, you, Cherie, becoming the first female trainer to win a Derby.
[00:09:29] So I mean, collectively, it's sort of like just these stars are aligned, right? What does it mean to you, Cherie, at this point now that you've had a bit-
[00:09:38] Cherie: Well, and it's still processing 'cause I'm... I still have to wake up at 4:30 and get the barn going and train the horses, but it's starting to set in. it, that's the pinnacle of my career.
[00:09:51] I'll never, ever get to feel that feeling again. God willing, we win other Derbies, but to have that be the first and, just everything surrounding, the story with Golden Tempo and, sharing it with, the Phipps family and Saint Elias, Vinny, Teresa, and Monique. It's just a feeling that, like, as you said, it was the best day of your life.
[00:10:19] It was the single-handedly most profound moment of my life, up to this point, and I would have to say there'd have to be something really big to take that over. So, it's like I-it's hard to say where do we go, where do you go from here, is, and not that I'm wishing and wanting to put this away, but it's just hard 'cause you've worked so hard.
[00:10:43] You have this. What are we gonna do next, or what are we gonna do with this?
[00:10:46] Lindsay: Yeah. Do you feel like you were able to really be in the moment? I love talking to athletes about that, and I know in this case the horse is the athlete. Right. You certainly are a big support for him. Like, what was that piece of it like for both of you guys together?
[00:11:02] Daisy: It's been overwhelming, and we've had to, we've talked about that a little bit, of, you gotta take some time and enjoy this because it's fleeting.
[00:11:12] Cherie: Yeah. Yeah. Well, and it was so surreal. Like, there's that video of me jumping up and down. And it's just kinda, I know the horse is gonna run faster, so I'm screaming, but I can't help it.
[00:11:23] I'm gonna do it and help him to the wire. But there's the moment when he comes up to Renegade, and that's where I was standing, and he put his head in front, and I could not believe it. Like, I just could not believe that was happening, and I just, like, I couldn't breathe. I was, like, fell in a heap, but just, like, can't believe it, and I was just so excited for everything.
[00:11:46] Like it, all of it, the anxiety, the pressure. Jose has stuck with us when he didn't necessarily have to. It all just was, like, a culmination of everything. But, like, and then it's quiet. Like, it's just that moment was surreal. Yeah. And then just quietly watching him finish.
[00:12:08] Lindsay: You said that your kids said that they were proud of you.
[00:12:11] Cherie: I know.
[00:12:13] Daisy: Parents spend a lot of time telling their kids they're, you're proud of them. Yeah. So when your kids say that- God, I don't know.
[00:12:18] Lindsay: What's wrong with me? But, like, when you said that on the phone, bec- Yeah, keep going. Sorry.
[00:12:21] Daisy: Yeah. So when they say it to you, it really means something.
[00:12:25] Lindsay: But what was that moment?
[00:12:26] Why were they saying that? '
[00:12:28] Daisy: Cause they see me get up early, and they see how I care, and they see the effort, and they see the pressure of running Phipps Stable. S- so they're around it. They hear about it. So this was the greatest thing in my career that, I should have, that I could do.
[00:12:46] Lindsay: Wow.
[00:12:47] Daisy: And, because we're a breed to race operation, we don't buy a lot of stuff.
[00:12:55] What we have is what we have. Thankfully, my father, my grandfather, and my great-grandmother before me put in a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication, and we got to reap those rewards with the Violas, a couple of weeks ago. So they see that it's a lot of time away from them, it's a lot of effort.
[00:13:20] Lindsay: And also, it requires someone, meaning you as the racing manager, the owner, being one of the stewards, right, of really that legacy.
[00:13:32] Daisy: Yeah.
[00:13:32] Lindsay: And, and I don't wanna use the word to say relevant, but sort of.
[00:13:36] Daisy: 100%.
[00:13:37] Lindsay: Right?
[00:13:37] Daisy: Yes, absolutely, 100%. And we weren't the last couple of years.
[00:13:42] And, and I would say, "It's gonna be better. We're having better horses. Better horses are coming." A- and sometimes that happens, and sometimes those horses get hurt, and it's, they go on a different path. Golden Tempo has been a very steady, uncomplicated horse since birth, and, you know- We, we, did that mating at Claiborne.
[00:14:07] That was four years in the making.
[00:14:09] Lindsay: That's what I'm getting to.
[00:14:09] Daisy: And you get it right.
[00:14:10] Lindsay: Yeah. Right.
[00:14:11] Daisy: Four years in the making. That's four years in the making. No pressure. And it went right, and it went right on the biggest day in horse racing.
[00:14:19] Lindsay: For you, Cherie, what was your, what was sort of your thought or awareness of Phipps Stables?
[00:14:27] even maybe as if you were becoming a trainer. I know, and by the way, we should mention that you were a bodybuilder. Med student, right? Yeah. And then turned assistant, turned trainer.
[00:14:37] Cherie: Right.
[00:14:37] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:14:38] Cherie: So I mean, just, they are the stable. They are the racing stable. They are the racing family. historic and always well-respected.
[00:14:51] So our relationship didn't start with Golden Tempo. It started with- It started with…
[00:14:55] Daisy: Our kids.
[00:14:56] Cherie: Well, it started with our ki- with your kids, yes. And, we had a personal relationship with my stepdaughter, who is in the same grade as Andrew, Daisy's brother. My oldest. And they, but you sent a filly, Yeah,
[00:15:10] Daisy: Sweet Storm.
[00:15:11] Cherie: Sweet Storm. And I remember having to ask Anthony Shug's assistant, like, "I need, like, can I borrow the Phipps silks for this race?" And I was like, I was so like, so proud to be able to do that 'cause not a lot of other trainers have gotten that opportunity or that honor of doing it.
[00:15:37] So the filly didn't turn out. She actually got loose behind the gate. She was a little bit of a silly one, and she never ran. But Daisy, same thing as you said with your family, she says, "we have more exciting ones we're gonna send you." And the next year, you sent two. Yeah. And one of them is off being a riding horse, and the other one's Golden Tempo.
[00:16:00] Lindsay: So what was your perception of Cherie as a trainer?
[00:16:05] Daisy: Well, I go to the, I'm more of a barn person in the morning than I am a racetrack person in the afternoon. I love seeing people work with horses. I love that whole process of it. I don't say a lot. I like to observe. And so I had been watching Cherie for several years, how she develops a horse.
[00:16:28] and like I said earlier, like we, what we have is what we have. I can't just.
[00:16:34] has somebody who won't take their time and patience with a horse. And, I really like the way she developed a horse and the time that she took. I like that she wasn't a big stable. so with these colts that we, that Saint Elias and I are always 50/50 on now, Mo- I'm here, I live in Lexington, so I get to see them kind of grow up, and then, and Monique comes about once a month also and does that, who works for Saint Elias, and then they go down to Ocala to Barry Ice Man's, and she lives down there, so she sees them all the time down there, and then I come down every once in a while a- and look at those.
[00:17:12] And so for all of those Colts, we kind of decide what trainers we think are best for those, and Cherie got two of those last year. Golden Tempo came in a little later 'cause he was a little pudgy and needed a little more time.
[00:17:28] Lindsay: Also part of his sort of-
[00:17:29] Daisy: Yeah
[00:17:31] Lindsay: But right, like, okay.
[00:17:33] Daisy: Yeah. But it's like he's turning into a man now. Yeah. Like, that's the cool thing about him. Like, even after the Derby, and I go out there and see him, like, he's doing really well. He's still kind of turning into a man.
[00:17:45] Cherie: Oh, yeah. Well, he, we're... This is a little crude, but he is definitely very proud of what he hopes to be his next career.
[00:17:53] Yeah. He is auditioning for all the ladies. Oh,
[00:17:56] Lindsay: Really?
[00:17:56] Cherie: Yeah. Oh, yeah. He stands out there, and there's more than four legs that you can see.
[00:18:01] Lindsay: Okay. Wow. Yep, as it is, right?
[00:18:05] Cherie: I come with the jokes. But,
[00:18:07] Daisy: But again, like all good signs going into these races, like he's, he feels good.
[00:18:11] Cherie: Yeah. they don't do that if they're just kinda like...
[00:18:15] That was never part of his character test.
[00:18:18] Lindsay: Yes.
[00:18:18] Daisy: Two months ago.
[00:18:19] Cherie: Yeah.
[00:18:19] Lindsay: Yeah. So it's showing that, right- as he should be.
[00:18:21] Cherie: Right... he's kind of, he's, he is- He's feeling himself...
[00:18:23] Lindsay: Yes. So how do you describe what, like, what is your style like as a trainer? What do you...
[00:18:28] Cherie: So I'm super patient to a point. We're gonna give all the horses their own time in their development to become the best that they can be.
[00:18:41] So that isn't always a good fit for all clients, though. And if it's not, that's okay. I've had some that are kind of frustrated with the process and just wanted more results early, and that's okay. It's not bad. It's just not my style. It's your style. And, we'll give them every opportunity. But when it becomes apparent that it's a fruitless effort, like if we're having a horse with lameness problems, and I have one right now that she's in her three-year-old year.
[00:19:11] We've given her a couple of opportunities, and it's just not gonna work out. So, then we'll re-transition her either as a broodmare or as a second career riding horse. So I give them all their opportunity, and when they need the time, we give them the time. And when we push, but we, the horse always comes first.
[00:19:31] So we're, I can't be everywhere in my stables. I have wonderful assistant trainers. I have a wonderful team behind me, and they all know there's no rush. And every little thing we wanna find becomes, before it becomes a big thing. So any little deviation from their normal, we address it as if it's bigger.
[00:19:55] So that's why I keep my numbers at the, where they are, so that we can continue having that quality of what we do in the barn, and that shows.
[00:20:04] Lindsay: Yeah, so that you have the time to spend. Right ... to actually... But what would you say, when you look back, what is one of the things that no one tells you about your journeys?
[00:20:17] Yours was a bit more unconventional, right?
[00:20:20] Cherie: Yeah. You have, a- and this is not a woman thing, you have to eat a lot of poo, as they say, and grin your tee- grit your teeth and just take it and move forward. Like, it's not, this is not a man or a woman, it's hard. Like, but life is hard. And, I've had things that could've demoralized a person, and I just chose not to let that define me as a person, define me in my life, and you just move forward.
[00:20:51] And it's hard, like, because if something happens, you still have to show up the next day.
[00:20:57] Daisy: Yeah.
[00:20:57] Cherie: If it's in the morning, the next hour, the next five minutes. You don't get a chance to sit and cry in the bathroom.
[00:21:05] Lindsay: That's hard.
[00:21:06] Cherie: Yeah.
[00:21:06] Lindsay: Right? So specifically with just this career.
[00:21:09] Cherie: With this career. Is that right?
[00:21:10] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:21:10] Daisy: And you're gonna lose more than you win.
[00:21:12] Cherie: Yeah.
[00:21:13] So get used to it. Yeah. Like, you gotta become a really good loser.
[00:21:16] Lindsay: Are there things that you pull from in the different, different types of careers that you had prior?
[00:21:22] Cherie: Well, a lot, I have a medical... I was going to school to be a physical therapist, and even in bodybuilding, some instances are definitely linear- especially from the physiological aspect of the horse to the human body. But I remember one day when I was... I had a knee replacement, and my knee was really bad. And so I finally went and got it injected with a steroid. And, like, a couple of days later, when I was bodybuilding, I could do, like, double the amount of weight.
[00:21:55] Well, that didn't change, except I had a pain tolerance. The pain tolerance- Right ... was different. So that's when I was like, when we inject horses, we need to be really careful about it, because they're gonna feel good, and they might go and do something. So instead, like, the world has changed within our regulations, but back then, you didn't always have to necessarily X-ray before you did something, and you could be masking something that's bigger. So that was my one takeaway. Now, the rules have vastly changed, where you've gotta do more homework before you blindly start treating horses. Yeah.
[00:22:33] Lindsay: And how about you? I mean, some of those things when you're talking about the legacy, what have been some of the most difficult parts of that work?
[00:22:48] Daisy: I mean, I would say expectations, family expectations, industry expectations,
[00:22:57] Lindsay: Pressure ...
[00:22:58] Daisy: and the pressure that comes with it. But I also think pressure is a privilege, and I want that pressure. I wanna be on the big stage. I wanna have good horses. I wanna breed good horses. I wanna see our colors win big races.
[00:23:12] Like, that is extremely important to me.
[00:23:17] Lindsay: In terms of the women, just what this moment really means for women. We saw Jenny Antonucci win the Belmont in 2023. It feels like the sport has changed a bit, too, since then, right? Where do you think we are with women in this sport, and what are you guys excited about moving forward?
[00:24:02] Cherie: There are a lot of women ex-
[00:24:21] No, that's 100%, it is a level playing field. And I think, and piggybacking on what you said, is that a lot of women might just feel intimidated by the whole process. And if just by doing what, what happened with Golden Tempo and them seeing that, they can find the courage in themselves to push themselves forward.
[00:24:43] Lindsay: You're both married to very supportive Davids. Yes. What has that been like? It's funny because I've had this conversation a few times over the past few days about how beneficial I think it is to be married to someone in the same field. And you and your David are not in the same field, but the support is absolutely right?
[00:25:04] What, what has struck you about that piece of that? I mean, I loved, Cheri, how you spoke about your husband right away.
[00:25:13] Cherie: Yeah, so well, David is really the reason we're all sitting here. He believed in me when I didn't dare to believe in myself, especially at that time in my life.
[00:25:26] And for me, this could be a challenge for a lot of couples. I'm on the road. Half the time, I forget to tell him when I'm leaving town. And, he's... Now, we celebrated this week. He's on the way to a horse- He's at a sale right now. So, that understanding of how this business works and the nature of it, I work with a lot of males, and he understands, I've got a full team and not...
[00:25:55] And he's very secure. We never argue about anything of that nature, and business aside, it's that partner who's there at the end of the day when things are wrong, who understands exactly where I'm coming from.
[00:26:11] Daisy: Yeah. And for me, my husband David has been 100% selfless with my career and with our marriage, and I've had breast cancer twice when the kids were little.
[00:26:22] And, he sacrificed his career to help the children and me and keep everything together while I was going through that twice. And then, in my professional life, I'm on the road a lot. It's a lot of early mornings. It's a lot of late dinners. and-
[00:26:43] he's not, doesn't have a horse racing background, and he hears a whole lot about horses and horse racing all day, most days.
[00:26:49] Lindsay: Yeah. Where do you get your toughness?
[00:26:55] Daisy: I wanna do well. I wanna see the horses do well. I want my family to do well. I don't have much of a life outside of my family and horses. It's kinda what I do. That's all I do.
[00:27:09] Lindsay: Cherie, what do you think it was that made you really want to pivot and finally make a decision that like, "Okay, no, this is really what I wanna go for here"?
[00:27:18] Cherie: Well, I was kind of naive in my younger days to a fault, where I was like, "Oh, yeah, I'm just gonna pick up and go to Kentucky without a whim and a prayer." Like, just pack up, let's go, have faith that everything is gonna work out. And up until this, when I became a trainer, I never put pressure on myself.
[00:27:40] I was just enjoying where life took me. I hurt myself early on as an exercise rider. Pushed me one way.
[00:27:47] Lindsay: Broke your leg, right?
[00:27:47] Cherie: Right, yes. And my exercise, my illustrious, secure exercise rider career was, that was it of what my knee could hold. But it made me be more in a management role. And then when I outgrew the first job I was in for Chuck, I started working for Chad, and that was just a summer job.
[00:28:05] I was gonna go back to school and continue with a medical background in some form. And then he asked me to stay and stay in Belmont for the winter, and I was like, "Okay." So I said to myself, "This is gonna be my last assistant..." That day when I decided to do that, I said, "This is my last assistant trainer job.
[00:28:27] I don't know where it's gonna take me, but I'm gonna put everything I have, and when I'm done with this, I'll figure it out." And then I met David, and he asked me, and we were on again, off again, on and off again. And he says, "What are you doing with your life?" And I was kind of really salty about everything, and I was just like, "I don't know.
[00:28:46] I don't know. But I'm not gonna be an assistant trainer for more than a year from this point." And that's when he said, "Well, you should be a trainer." I'm like, "No, I'm good." 'Cause it's, I love the horses, but it's a business. And, I didn't want being a trainer to take away from that love of what I enjoy doing.
[00:29:05] Lindsay: Like being able to actually be around with the horses- Right, and- And have the time to, yeah ...
[00:29:10] Cherie: Instead of going to sales. And he said, "I'll, well, I'll help you with everything." That's what he said. So about an hour into it I said, "Well, I'll do this, but you are gonna have to Dr. Phil me because, And in the first three years when I was really having a tough time, oh, he, we'd get into an argument, and he would end the argument with, "Well, you did tell me I was gonna have to Dr.
[00:29:32] Phil, you." And it's, like, it's just, it's very hard, it's very hard in anything to get started.
[00:29:39] Lindsay: You said that you went to a sports psychologist before the Derby. I think that's awesome. How did that come about?
[00:29:46] Cherie: So I've seen Dr. Karen, I just laugh 'cause she's Karen, for the last seven years.
[00:29:56] And when I was struggling to get my head above water, my life had changed, and I was really having a hard time with expectations of a lot of aspects of my life and my career. And she's helped me, like, she's helped me manage. She's helped me learn to be a better listener. She's helped me manage how to c- communicate with people, interpersonal relationships, and professional relationships.
[00:30:28]Butt yeah, the week before the Derby, I went in there, and I couldn't breathe. I was, like, just full of angst and anxiety, and she's looking at me, and I was like, "I'm really losing it right now. Like, I'm just so, like, there's so much going on." She's got some little doodad she puts on my ear, and she's like, "I would never know that you were, like, you're so stoic."
[00:30:48] Lindsay: It reads like your actual anxiety level.
[00:30:50] Cherie: Right, like, well, your heart rate- Or your, yeah ... and your breathing, and then we do our square breathing.
[00:30:56] Lindsay: Box, the box breath? I love it.
[00:30:57] Cherie: Yeah, it's the box breath.
[00:30:58] Lindsay: Wait, so but what do you like, what do you think was making you... This sounds like a really simple question, but for someone on the outside, what was making you feel all that anxiety?
[00:31:06] Cherie: Oh, it's a lot. It's a lot of pressure and to be fair to Daisy and the Violas, there's never been pressure on me. It's about doing what's right for the horse. But I have the most self-imposed pressure than a- anybody. Like, and I can be my biggest bully as well, so it all rattles around in there.
[00:31:29] And then there's the business of everything going on. We're training horses. We gotta get things ready.
[00:31:34] Daisy: You have other clients besides us.
[00:31:35] Cherie: Other clients, and- trying to manage it all just was, it's a pressure-filled week, and then you get to the Derby, and you think it's gonna be fun.
[00:31:45] But I needed just to, like, get myself centered before I moved on to the next phase.
[00:31:51] Lindsay: What was it like for you, leading up to the race that day? Can you, like, be able to enjoy it? Can you, like, what happens when you're a trainer and owner in that scenario?
[00:32:03] Daisy: I learned to make sourdough that week. And that's a long process.
[00:32:08] It's, like, three days to make a loaf.
[00:32:10] Lindsay: Were you feeling the same anxiety that Cherie's talking about in different ways?
[00:32:14] Daisy: Well, I'm sure Cherie's is much worse. I mean, she's with the horse every day. She sees the horse every day. Like, I mean, I hate to say it, but the pressure is more on her than it is on the owner.
[00:32:22] Sure. Sorry, Karen. You and your Karen pivot. But the pressure, yeah, the pressure's more on her than it is on the owner. We rely on her, and she's very honest with her feedback with us, which is very appreciated. But there's angst. You wanna win the Derby. Everybody wants to win the Derby.
[00:32:44] That's your goal. And- if you're in the sport at any level, if you're a hot walker and you walk that horse when it comes back from the track every day, you want your horse to win, you have a lot of people rooting for you. From the time that horse hit the ground, like, and there's a lot of hands that touch that horse that are all rooting for you, and you, we want it to have a good day.
[00:33:06] Lindsay: What did you do right before the race? Did you have a moment where you could just kind of get away at all?
[00:33:12] Cherie: Or- well, I'm a total goofball, and I just deflect. I- So we're next to Todd, who's very stoic and professional. Yeah. Todd Pletcher. And I've got this, like, yeah, I've got this, well, Enrique, my assistant, and his rider, has this foldout, like a lounge.
[00:33:26] And so we just started singing, like- ... all kinds of random songs, and Todd's over there looking at us like, "These women are..." Well, yeah, it was all women. We're crazy. But I just try to, I really just try to take a deep breath and just be in the moment, not worrying about, we're getting ready for the walk over.
[00:33:44] This is one of the most storied things you can do. And getting, you do the walk over, you go to the paddock, you saddle your horse, and then you walk out to My Old Kentucky Home.
[00:33:56] And then you have to stand there for post parade, and that is the most agonizing-
[00:34:00] Daisy: And it,
[00:34:01] Cherie: yeah ... 10, 15 minutes, and then the horse flips.
[00:34:03] Daisy: Yeah. And they take a long time. Like, the time between the race before the Derby and the Derby is normally 30 minutes. it's an hour and something-
[00:34:12] Cherie: Yeah ...
[00:34:13] Daisy: for the Derby. Yeah, in between. So you have a lot of time.
[00:34:15] Lindsay: It's like a Super Bowl TV timeout.
[00:34:17] Daisy: You have a lot of time to just-
[00:34:19] Lindsay: Yeah
[00:34:19] Daisy: Marinate and, like, just stress.
[00:34:21] Lindsay: I was watching when that race started, and then as it became clear that Golden Tempo was gonna win, I was like, "That horse manufactured the underdog."
[00:34:31] Cherie: Yeah.
[00:34:31] Lindsay: Do you know what I mean? In some sports, especially in Olympic hockey, they'll talk about that. Like, you have to create some sense of, I just thought that was funny. Right? It was...
[00:34:41] Cherie: Well, and I think a lot of people identified with it.
[00:34:43] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:34:44] Cherie: Can't be worried. You start last. Yeah. Can't be worried. Doesn't mean you shouldn't win. And most people do.
[00:34:49] Daisy: Yep, most people aren't winners their entire life.
[00:34:52] Lindsay: Right.
[00:34:52] Daisy: Yeah.
[00:34:53] Lindsay: Was there something big that you took away from it now that you have time to think about it, just in terms of what you've experienced, what it means?
[00:35:03] Daisy: I mean, I wish everyone could experience, 'cause it's really something unlike any other. Yeah. It's life-changing. It's the pinnacle of our sport. Like, I wish people could have that feeling. I wish everyone in horse racing could have that feeling.
[00:35:18] It's, whether you raised that horse, or whether you sold that horse, or whether you broke that horse, or you trained that horse, or you own that horse, like it's something everyone should experience because it is awesome.
[00:35:34] Cherie: Well, we put so much into it. Yeah. Everybody. Yeah. This is your life's work. And to see the culmination and the fruition of it is like, you can't... Like, I joke, like if you could just put it in a candle and, like, smell it and relive it.
[00:35:49] Lindsay: What would we call it?
[00:35:51] Cherie: Victory, yeah.
[00:35:52] Lindsay: My God. Melvin made it.
[00:35:55] Daisy: Melvin made it.
[00:35:56] Melvin should make it.
[00:35:56] Lindsay: My husband makes candles. Oh. This is his side hustle. I don't wanna say side hustle, 'cause it is a real legit business.
[00:36:02] Cherie: Oh, no.
[00:36:03] Lindsay: And maybe we'll have him work on that. Yeah.
[00:36:04] Cherie: I make candles. I like it.
[00:36:05] Daisy: I enjoy all the teachers; all my kids' teachers got them as gifts for Christmas.
[00:36:09] Lindsay: Amazing.
[00:36:09] Yeah. This is like a commercial. Yeah. We should probably get sponsored by them.
[00:36:12] Daisy: Yeah.
[00:36:13] Lindsay: No, but that's awesome, and I love that, 'cause it's, that's actually a very tangible image, the fact that, yes, if you could put it in one place, people don't understand the amount of what you guys do daily, I don't think, like it's very different, right?
[00:36:28] Like, what would you say to people who don't understand the life of a horse trainer? You said you're spending more mornings at the barn versus afternoons at the track. Like, where's our inhale?
[00:36:39] Cherie: It's my life. Like, I wake up at 4:30 in the morning, and I'm going until whenever the races end. Sometimes if there's night racing, it's 10, 11 o'clock, and I live, eat, breathe it.
[00:36:53] It doesn't stop, and I've worked on just taking a few moments to myself to, like, disconnect from it. But that is it. This is my life, and I don't see it changing anytime soon, and I'm okay with that.
[00:37:06] Daisy: And for sure, it's a lot of little things. It's a lot of little details that you need to take care of.
[00:37:12] Because if you don't take care of all those little things, you're not getting to the big thing ever.
[00:37:18] Lindsay: Like what?
[00:37:19] Daisy: Winning a big race like that
[00:37:22] Cherie: Well, yeah. I mean, it's nuances. There are a couple of things here and there where you have to make adjustments right away, and that could change the outcome of what you're doing, both good and bad.
[00:37:36] And for me, like I have learned I have to be very focused, 'cause if I start letting things go around and I get distracted, I might miss a horse misbehaving on the track where they get loose or, trying to instruct... Watching a horse one day, Daisy was with me, and a horse was not jogging on the track, and the rider, sometimes they just don't know, and hey, turn that horse around.
[00:38:02] But you know, he had a little issue, but it could've been a big issue. And it's little things like that I have to be razor focused every moment of the mornings and- Yeah ... most of the day.
[00:38:14] Daisy: She's dealing with athletes that you can't say, "Hey, LeBron, how does your calf feel today?" LeBron,
[00:38:23] Lindsay: You're tired.
[00:38:24] Daisy: Yeah. She doesn't have that luxury.
[00:38:25] Lindsay: Right. It- Right. It's the feel.
[00:38:28] Cherie: Yeah.
[00:38:28] Lindsay: And do you think women have an edge on that, maybe that sounds like a silly question, but just in terms of the-
[00:38:36] Cherie: Yeah ...
[00:38:36] Lindsay: female instinct, the,
[00:38:40] Cherie: I'm not sure if it's male or female. I know I drive my guys crazy and women crazy, 'cause I'm, see things that-
[00:38:47] Daisy: I'm sure you see things that other people would miss.
[00:38:50] I think she is very good. Very read on her horses.
[00:38:57] Cherie: Thanks. But I, and it's not just horses. Like, it can be, I'll see somebody with the wrong equipment on, and it's like, I'll say, "Oh, that's wrong," and I'm in the car, and they're in the barn. And they're like, "How did she see that?" It's just like computers.
[00:39:13] That's not right. That's- Yeah. I'm not looking for it, but that's not normal. That's not right, the way that's put on.
[00:39:20] Lindsay: So you win the Derby, and then you have the chance to run the Preakness. I was. I would love to hear what those conversations were like for you guys, deciding, figuring out.
[00:39:31] Daisy: It's a pretty easy conversation
[00:39:32] Lindsay: How did you do it? What did it look like with-
[00:39:35] Daisy: It was an easy conversation, really, with the St. Elias and Fifth Stable and Cherie. I mean, it didn't take a lot of time.
[00:39:40] Cherie: Yeah, we just talked about what the goals with Golden Tempo were and, coming back in two weeks for a horse that just ran like that and improving.
[00:39:52] It's one thing if a horse is there and has been there, and he continues to move forward. He's a different type of horse. So we just talked about if that would be what was right for h,im and ultimately we all in quick order came up with the same answer, which was to bypass and point towards the Belmont.
[00:40:08] Lindsay: Did it? Was it something that even came on your radar before the Derby?
[00:40:12] Like even thinking about what if or do not?
[00:40:15] Daisy: I didn't think about it.
[00:40:16] Cherie: No, I looked at it like a pleasant surprise.
[00:40:18] Lindsay: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:40:19] Daisy: I was hoping it was gonna be an issue. Those are the good issues to have.
[00:40:25] Lindsay: What is it like having, knowing that people are waiting to hear from you, you know what I mean, on what you guys are deciding with that decision to go for the Triple Crown or not?
[00:40:35] Daisy: We always just said we're gonna do what's best for the horse. I mean, between St. Elias, Fifth Stable, and Cherie, that was, we had that luxury, and always was what's best for the horse, and it's a shorter distance at Laurel, we didn't think that's what was gonna be best for the horse.
[00:40:53] Cherie: Daisy did say I get to be the bad guy when I get to announce it.
[00:40:56] Daisy: Yeah. So I, she was, announcing it, and she was like, "All right, I'll put it out now." And she put it out, and it popped up on her thing, and I was like, "You just went from a hero to a zero."
[00:41:06] Lindsay: No
[00:41:08] Daisy: I did not. Yeah,
[00:41:08] Lindsay: She did.
[00:41:09] Daisy: I did, with an LOL at the end.
[00:41:12] Lindsay: With that being said, there, it is, okay, so this is so much now of the national conversation.
[00:41:18] I found it interesting the amount of media as well, picking up on the Triple Crown conversation in general. What is everyone's opinion? What do you guys think? Do you think that this is something that should be considered to be adjusted, the Triple Crown? The length of it, how it's done? What is your take?
[00:41:37] Daisy: Yeah, I think it should be... It's a conversation in the industry that 100% needs to be had. But the Triple Crown is also supposed to be hard. And it's supposed to be a special horse that wins it.
[00:41:49] Cherie: Yep, and I agree with Daisy. We had that conversation. It doesn't mean Golden Tembo; it doesn't take away from his ability, but it's a special horse to do it.
[00:42:00] And a special type, unique to the situation. To run their life, put their life races on the line in five weeks, three races, and all at these long distances.
[00:42:13] It takes a very special horse. It's a special horse to do. And it's, I, what I don't understand is why part of the conversation is we wanna dilute what the Triple Crown means by trying to make it easier to win.
[00:42:25] Lindsay: So you think it is diluting a bit
[00:42:27] Cherie: If we change it,
[00:42:28] Lindsay: Like adding time between?
[00:42:31] Daisy: Yeah, I mean American Pharaoh and Justified did it not long ago. I mean- Yeah ... and they were special horses to do it.
[00:42:39] Lindsay: So what's the solution?
[00:42:47] Cherie: Well, we, if it were different, we might still be at the same junction and say we weren't running in the race. So, it really is, I mean, like I said, I'm a fan of the historic aspect. It's a hard thing to do. It's a hard feat, and it's a special type of horse to get there, and those who try are admirable.
[00:43:10] But in the past, we're not the first ones to do this. It's becoming, we're more aware of letting the horse dictate the decision than the pressure of the Triple Crown.
[00:43:25] Lindsay: That's the difference.
[00:43:27] Daisy: Yeah. And, if he runs, if he wins the Belmont, I'd love it in my head to haunt me for the rest of my life.
[00:43:34] That'll be great. Thanks ... that'll haunt me for the rest of my life. What if? Great. Perfect. I'll take that.
[00:43:40] Lindsay: Really?
[00:43:40] Daisy: Yeah, 100%. We are doing what's right for the horse.
[00:43:44] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:43:44] Daisy: For this horse.
[00:43:44] Lindsay: Oh, I'm not discrediting that. I think this is actually a very... I'm really glad that we're having that conversation about it, 'cause you're right.
[00:43:50] This is how it's been done. So what is the difference? And if you're going by the horse, you're going by the horse.
[00:43:56] Cherie: Right.
[00:43:57] Lindsay: And so does it mean that there's a horse that shows something different when their time comes? Do you know what I'm saying? Yeah. I think it's a really interesting conversation, for sure.
[00:44:06] We have a segment, Get Ready With Me. So to get ready for your job in the morning, what is one thing you can't live without, Cherie?
[00:44:14] Cherie: Brushing my teeth.
[00:44:16] Lindsay: I hope so.
[00:44:18] Cherie: The one thing I can't, Oh, man, Oh, I'm a big Diet Coke fan. So, like-
[00:44:26] Lindsay: I heard this about you.
[00:44:27] Cherie: Yeah.
[00:44:27] Lindsay: Wait, how many a day?
[00:44:28] Cherie: Oh, no, I only have one or two, but it's like I get up, I get going, and then about 8:00, 9:00, I have a refrigerator full of them in my office, and then that's my like, okay, let's calm down and, what do they call it?
[00:44:43] The fridge shook or something. I just carry it around with me all morning.
[00:44:49] Lindsay: You, Daisy?
[00:44:52] Daisy: I need my coffee every morning.
[00:44:54] Every morning. I have to have one good cup of coffee, and I only have one cup of coffee a day.
[00:44:58] Lindsay: That's
[00:44:58] Daisy: Enough coffee for someone. But I go to bed at night thinking about it.
[00:45:00] Lindsay: For real?
[00:45:01] Daisy: Yeah, I love it. I look forward to it.
[00:45:02] Lindsay: What time do you wake up in the morning?
[00:45:04] Daisy: It just depends. Sometimes early. Usually by 6:30 or 7:00.
[00:45:09] Lindsay: I have started drinking one tall cup of water before I have my coffee to make myself a little more hydrated. Yeah.
[00:45:17] Cherie: Yeah.
[00:45:17] Lindsay: I'm trying to implement that in my life.
[00:45:19] I feel like that's a good thing.
[00:45:20] Cherie: It is a good thing. Yeah. You can never have too much water.
[00:45:23] Lindsay: No. What would it mean to you to win the Belmont?
[00:45:29] Cherie: David?
[00:45:30] Daisy: Well, it's one of them, it's another one of those major races in our industry. I think we have a really nice horse, and it'll prove that he's a really nice, exceptional horse if he wins the Belmont.
[00:45:46] So I would be, for my family, for the Violas at St. Elias, there are a lot of people who have done a lot of hard work, and I would be over the moon if that happens
[00:46:01] Cherie: It's the same. It's another huge race, that is, it's another Triple Crown race, and again, would solidify him as being the top in his division.
[00:46:14] Kind of, we have all made these benchmark races at the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont, and then hopefully we have another conversation of trying to go for maybe the Travers in the summer. Yeah. So it's the... We're on the right... We're continuing on our path of what we set out to do in January after he won the Kentucky Oaks.
[00:46:33] Daisy: Yeah. And it seems very small to say that you accomplished a goal because it's way bigger than that in my head and heart.
[00:46:43] Lindsay: Meaning?
[00:46:43] Daisy: To win the Belmont.
[00:46:44] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:46:45] Daisy: Or any of those races, the Derby, the Belmont, the Travers, the Preakness, the Breeders' Cup races. Yeah. Those are all just, those are the big races in our sport.
[00:46:56] Lindsay: Yeah. I mean, in and of themselves, they're huge. Yeah. But to think about what you've already done, and then that possibility.
[00:47:03] Daisy: and that on top is...
[00:47:05] Lindsay: Is something that hasn't been done. Yeah. By a woman, yeah.
[00:47:09] Daisy: By Golden Tempo. Exactly. By a woman.
[00:47:14] All the connections, these, the horses, when you're around them, I don't care if they're really good or not that good, you develop a relationship with them like your pets, like your dogs, if you have dogs or cats, they kind of turn into that for you. So, it's just like watching your kid win a little league game, like the pride and how happy they are and how happy you are for them, and the work that they put in them.
[00:47:40] It's the same; it's those same feelings at the end of the day.
[00:47:43] Lindsay: So what was that like with him?
[00:47:46] Cherie: He crushed it. Oh, yeah, he crushed it. And I think he knows he crushed it. He's like, "I'm really cool now."
[00:47:51] Lindsay: He's feeling himself.
[00:47:52] Cherie: Yeah.
[00:47:53] Lindsay: But so when, like, when you got to, when you got to see him after, and just had quiet time for the first moment, when you were able to do that, what was that like?
[00:48:00] Daisy: Have you been able to do that?
[00:48:01] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:48:02] Cherie: I do. I actually go back in, in the middle of the day, and I kind of just think, like, he's a testament to my career so far, He's... You sit there, and you look at him, and I just remember when I first saw him, and I was like, "Wow, you are a chunky boy, and you work, and you put all this in."
[00:48:24] And he's one horse. We try to do that with every horse in the stable. He's one. And then, I will always have gratitude for him for giving us that moment. And he's the one, I say we trained him, we got him there.
[00:48:40] Daisy: Jose mastered the ride.
[00:48:41] Cherie: Made it happen, but Golden Tempo won the race
[00:48:46] Lindsay: So what, people don't know about what his personality is like, what would you say?
[00:48:50] Cherie: Oh, he's a... Well, he's, he-
[00:48:52] Daisy: Changing right now.
[00:48:52] Cherie: Yeah. He thinks he's the man. He's very confident in himself. He walks out, you can see him on the track now- ... where he just kinda likes standing out there. I use a protection pony, 'cause we don't get to wrap him in bubble wrap. I think everyone was surprised that he went out and trained with the general population.
[00:49:11] There's no special treatment. So he goes out with his bodyguard, who's, he's tall, but the pony's a whole hand taller than him, and stands out from oncoming, anyone getting in his way. But he stands there, he's got all the confidence, and he goes out, and he's got a nice little bounce and pep in his step.
[00:49:30] Daisy: Yeah, his evolution over the last eight weeks has been, he's turned into a man in front of us. Like, it's
[00:49:38] Lindsay: How did you do that?
[00:49:39] Cherie: He did that. We just trained him, and you want him peaking, so- Daisy
[00:49:44] Lindsay: said you did that. Well,
[00:49:46] Daisy: I didn't do it, I can tell you that.
[00:49:47] Cherie: As a team. He'ss the main, he's the main component, the horse is. But we had a plan, like, they get two weeks of rest, and I said, "We're really gonna have to dial him in."
[00:50:02] Which, when you have four weeks into a race, you have the breeze right before the race, then the breeze right, the breeze right after his last race, the breeze right before. So you don't... You're kinda just maintaining. It's hard to really push on him. And the six weeks were a big draw. For Fair Grounds, we stay down there.
[00:50:20] It's a mile and 3/16ths. Stay on the surface. But it's six weeks, so you have four weeks that you can really dial him in. So first work was maintenance work, then we pushed him a little bit, and then the big work with Jose aboard, and then we had maintenance work. And by the time that maintenance work, he was like, I couldn't find a horse to work with him that he just wasn't gonna outwork.
[00:50:44] He just wanted to go. And it just, the light bulb came on. He got better physically- he matured physically, but he had that aha moment, like, "Oh, okay, I get this now."
[00:50:56] Daisy: Yeah, I mean, he is, he's been speaking at the right time. And, as Cherie said, she can't make him do that. He does that. That's just like your children will go through puberty when they go through puberty, like, and he's doing that right now.
[00:51:13] Lindsay: He's doing it on the world stage.
[00:51:14] Daisy: Yeah.
[00:51:16] Lindsay: You guys, thank you. Is there anything else that you wanted to add? No. Anything at all?
[00:51:21] Daisy: No, it's just been a pleasure. It's been a heck of a ride.
[00:51:24] I, I mean, the way that this horse has been campaigned, and Cherie and her team, it's been, sometimes these things can get very complicated. Sometimes the horse can get complicated and it's just been, it's been awesome. It's been fun. Yeah.
[00:51:39] Cherie: And I have so much gratitude for the faith in Daisy, the Phipps family, and the Violas and Monique and their team.
[00:51:51] It's hard that it's rare that you have a unique group of people that become a team. Everyone has these big personalities, and we want what's best, but can work together without any... There was, there has never been- Yeah ... one bad conversation. There's never been one time we've talked, I can't speak for you, but- No.
[00:52:13] not one interaction where you feel deflated, when he didn't win the Risen Star or the Louisiana Derby. We all still had faith in him, and that's hard to do,
[00:52:22] Daisy: Yeah. And she, and I think that was a big part of it. I think a lot of times when owners would've said, maybe we should just give him a little break, and then get him back going again, when he finished third in those last two races.
[00:52:37] and Cherie and her team were very clear on, these are prep races for a reason. We're prepping him for the first Saturday in May, and we're gonna treat him like pre-practice because she saw that in him every single day. When you go out to the track.
[00:52:53] Lindsay: Were there any similar signs that you've seen from him?
[00:52:56] Just like interesting kinds of things that just, I don't know, seemed out of the ordinary?
[00:53:03] Cherie: He's a really cool dude, and I told them one day some horses are elite. They stamp themselves in their demeanor. So he'll come out, and he'll stand up like a picture. Like, you don't really have a lot of them, you have to get them to stand upright, you have to move them back and forth.
[00:53:23] He'll stand there, and then he looks off into the distance. And so there was one day, it was a really biting cold day, and it was the track in Louisiana, it's busy, it's small, and the horn was going off like every five minutes, meaning a horse was loose and parted ways with their rider. And they come, these gaps that they are, they're like, busy.
[00:53:44] And horses, like, get on, they wanna get off, because they don't want all this around them. He stood there, he jogged, and he stood there so stoic, ears up, just breathing it all in, and just didn't, like, it didn't bother him. And that's special in a horse, 'cause-
[00:54:03] Daisy: Especially a good colt.
[00:54:05] Cherie: Right. And he's still like that, even though he's a little...
[00:54:09] he used to be able to go up and love on him, but now he's kind of, like, nippy and, not bad, but-
[00:54:14] Daisy: He just feels good.
[00:54:15] Cherie: Exactly. But on the track, he doesn't turn a hair. Like, he goes out there, he doesn't care what's going on. He is just so confident in himself.
[00:54:24] Lindsay: That's awesome.
[00:54:25] Daisy: Yeah. It's cool. Really cool.
[00:54:28] It's hard to do. It's really hard.
[00:54:30] Lindsay: And to be a home-bred. Like yeah ... just that whole situation is-
[00:54:34] Daisy: Yeah ...
[00:54:34] Lindsay: Really special.
[00:54:36] Daisy: Good luck. Congratulations. Thank you. I mean, good luck the rest of the way. We can't wait to watch. This is awesome. Thank you.
[00:54:42] Lindsay: There was so much valuable information that I took from that conversation.
[00:54:46] I loved hearing both of them share their thoughts. I really appreciate their time. I love the fact that Cherie really shared about just the need to sometimes just go through the hard stuff, just grit your teeth and bear it, and that's certainly a theme that we have heard come up so many times.
[00:55:07] The thing no one tells you about being the first is that there's no blueprint. You have to keep going after the thing and put one foot in front of the other. And in her case, it was really understanding that she was gonna have the support she needed from her husband, Dr. Phil, but that she could just do it, doing it the way that she knew how, and the training, the patience, leaning on those things that are her character.
[00:55:36] Anyway, I also love the fact, guys, that she's talking about the fact that she was going to med school. She was a bodybuilder. Like, we can pivot. I mean, that is really the greatness. You can pivot, and why not? At any time. Sounds easier than it is, but if we've learned anything from all these guests, that's the real deal.
[00:55:57] All right. Thank you so much for listening. I hope that you will pay attention to Golden Tempo in Belmont and see if they can make more history. Anyway, thanks so much for listening. For all of us here at Things No One Tells You, Ashley, Sarah, Sam, and the crew, thank you, and please like, rate, subscribe, share an episode with a friend, and we will see you very soon.
