Cherie DeVaux admits her initial years of training were filled with a degree of anxiety as she sought to establish her stable. She recalls how she did not win her first race until late March of 2019, nearly a year after she embarked on her career.
These days, the wins are coming regularly, topped by three victories in graded stakes races this year, as her Kentucky-based stable has expanded from the ground up to currently number 85 horses. And she is eyeing even more growth.
On Sept. 14 at Keeneland, DeVaux, as agent, acquired six horses through 6 p.m. ET for Belladonna Racing, a partnership of owners she heads with her husband, renowned bloodstock agent David Ingordo. The purchases include fillies by Street Sense (Hip 786—$260,000), Not This Time (Hip 885—$200,000), City of Light (Hip 906—$400,000), and Maclean's Music (Hip 938—$300,000), plus a Vekoma colt (Hip 896—$87,000) and a Constitution colt (Hip 1040—$450,000).
Following five earlier buys over the first three days of the sale, Belladonna Racing's acquisitions at the sale stand at 11, making the partnership among the most active buyers.
Belladonna Racing was originally formed, as DeVaux said, to "get horses in the barn" and "to recruit new owners." Now, it is a growing sales power player.
"So it just takes a while to get going and to build the momentum," DeVaux said. "The momentum is there and hopefully, you try to keep that going."
After purchasing almost exclusively fillies in the first years with Belladonna Racing—wanting to provide owners with young prospects that could have residual value as broodmares—Belladonna Racing has branched out to add colts the past couple of years. Athleticism is coveted in the males, but also with enough pedigree that if they connect as upper-level stakes horses, they would have the potential to become commercially attractive stallions.
Her racehorse owners include those involved in Belladonna Racing, which has eight different groups, as well as other clients, such as Victory Racing Partners and Omar Aldabbagh and Jeff Ganje, respective owners of Manila Stakes (G3T) winner More Than Looks and Molly Pitcher Stakes (G3) winner Shotgun Hottie.
A large partnership co-owns Vahva, her Aug. 25 Charles Town Oaks (G3) winner, who races for Belladonna Racing, Edward J. Hudson Jr., West Point Thoroughbreds, LBD Stable, Nice Guys Stables, Manganaro Bloodstock, Runnels Racing, Steve Hornstock, and Twin Brook Stables.
The talented Gun Runner 3-year-old filly is pointed to the Oct. 21 Raven Run Stakes (G2) at Keeneland, where DeVaux bases her stable for much of the year. Most of her horses are currently at Ellis Park due to the September Yearling Sale at Keeneland limiting stabling availability.
Belladonna's most expensive female buy Thursday was Vahva's half sister, Hip 906, out of the Harlan's Holiday mare Holiday Soiree. Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds bred the Warrendale Sales-consigned yearling.
As for Shotgun Hottie, another Gun Runner filly, DeVaux is eyeing 2024 opportunities, such as the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) at Oaklawn Park. She said Shotgun Hottie needed time off after the Molly Pitcher, taking the 4-year-old filly out of the mix for major races this fall.
Aside from missing those late-year opportunities, DeVaux still has much to relish from 2023. She is enjoying a career-best year with 40 winners from 210 starts for stable earnings of $3,550,818 through Sept. 13.
"It's been really wonderful how things have just fallen together—not just the horses, the clients, also our team and our infrastructure," she said.
