There was some good news and some bad news this week for rising star trainer Cherie DeVaux.On Saturday, she will send out Reagan's Honor (Honor A.P). in the GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. The horse is coming off a sizzling performance at the allowance level in New Orleans and is expected to run a big race at Keeneland–one that could make him eligible for a start in the GI Kentucky Derby.DeVaux also has 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', Golden Tempo (Curlin) in her barn and he has already earned enough points to land a spot in the Derby field. DeVaux, who has yet to have a Derby starter, could have a pair this year. The bad news was that she had to announce the retirement of her first champion, She's Feels Pretty (Karakontie ({Jpn}).To discuss her Derby hopeful and what it is like to lose a star to retirement, DeVaux joined this week's TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. She was the Gainesway Guest of the Week.With Reagan's Honor having yet to run in a stakes race, let alone a Grade I, DeVaux realizes that her colt will need to raise his game Saturday. She said she thinks that he can.“He has the talent,” she said. “It's been because of his physical that we've given him some time. He was a bit light, but he's grown and he's trained forwardly. In each race that he has run in, he has made steps forward in his training and subsequently on the track. So I do think that it's in him to be a bit faster. But It looks like it's going to be a tough field and he's going to have to have to run another top race and then continue on if he does make it into the Derby.”Golden Tempo is coming off an improving third-place finish in the GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby. He will probably need to improve some more to be a serious factor in the Derby, but there's no reason that can't happen.DeVaux has been training for less than eight years, and it has not been lost on her that she might have a chance to pull off a win in America's greatest horse race so early on in her career.“The Derby is something that you dream about,” she said. “I've always wanted to have a horse in the Derby starting gate and I hope for more opportunities in the future. I know that Reagan's Honor and Golden Tempo have to stay sound and healthy and happy. I want to bring the right horses to the Derby, horses that you know belong there.“I think these two have a good chance to have a good showing,” DeVaux added. “It's very stressful. It's a fun week, but for everybody involved it is stressful and you just want to make sure that the stress is worth it ultimately. But it's super special for me. I had a conversation with someone a few days ago and if you asked me a few years ago if I thought I'd be in this position, I would probably have scoffed because it didn't look like it was in the cards.”She Feels Pretty at the Spa | Sarah AndrewEarlier in the week, DeVaux reported that She Feels Pretty had an issue and would require time. With that meaning her racing opportunities in 2026 might be limited, the decision was made to retire her and breed her this season.“She Feels Pretty's retirement was announced [Monday],” DeVaux said. “It's something that we've been working on. She had some stuff going on, but it was nothing major. She didn't have an injury. We gave her some time off, but sometimes when horses get time off then, and their bones start to settle, you get some regeneration. It was just one of those things where she was going to need more time to where we really couldn't have a year to where we could have a prep and then win the Breeders' Cup. Winning the Breeders' Cup is all that's left on her resume.”There were three “Fastest Horses of the Week,” all of which earned 100 Beyer figures. They were GI Curlin Florida Derby winner Commandment (Into Mischief), Hedge Ratio (Speightstown) and Celtic Contender (Irish War Cry). The Fastest Horse of the Week segment is sponsored by WinStar, which stands the sire Cogburn.Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the PHBA, 1/ST TV and West Point Thoroughbreds, Randy Moss, Bill Finley, and Zoe Cadman discussed the devastating news that FanDuel TV is being phased out and they predicted how it will affect the industry.The group also reviewed last week's major preps for the Derby and looked ahead to a big weekend that will include the Blue Grass, the GI Santa Anita Derby and the GII Wood Memorial.Click here to watch the Writers' Room podcast, and here to listen to the show.The post Cherie DeVaux Joins The TDN Writers’ Room Podcast Presented By Keeneland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.