Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Hantavirus-Stricken Cruise Ship To Arrive At Canary Islands Tomorrow; CDC Team To Assess Americans On Cruise Ship Hit By Hantavirus; U.S. Waiting On Response To Proposal To End War; Russia Holds Scaled-Back WWII Victory Day Parade; Pentagon Releases "Never- Before-Seen" Files Detailing UFOs; Signs Of Human Remains Found At Home Linked To Kristin Smart's Killer; Golden Tempo Makes History With Kentucky Derby Victory. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired May 09, 2026 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:01:34]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. On the series finale of the CNN Original Series, "EVA LONGORIA SEARCHING FOR FRANCE," Eva finds out why the best butter in the world comes from Brittany. Sign me up. I'm going. Back to back final episodes air tomorrow night at 9:00 on CNN and the next day on the CNN app.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

WHITFIELD: Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

The Canary Islands are preparing for the arrival of a cruise ship at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak. At the moment, officials say none of the 87 passengers on board, including 17 Americans, is experiencing symptoms. Health officials are scrambling to contain the hantavirus outbreak after six confirmed cases and two probable cases of the only strain that can transfer from person to person.

The virus is usually spread via rodents. So far, three people have died and multiple others have been evacuated from the ship for medical treatment. The boat is slated to anchor in the port early tomorrow morning.

CNN's Melissa Bell is in the Canary Islands for us.

So, Melissa, walk us through how the anchoring and disembarking process is expected to play out.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, this is going to be such a delicate operation. The ship is going to be kept away from the shore. We're not actually anchored first off. And this zone, a perimeter around the ship, once it enters Spanish territorial waters, will be in place about one nautical mile around the ship, then begins this very delicate operation.

First of all, another screening of the passengers on board to try and figure out how they're feeling, what their temperature is, what their medical progress has been over the course of the last few weeks while they've been on the ship. And then the removal of the passengers from the ship on these little speedboats. They'll then be taken to busses, they'll then be taken to planes that will be waiting for them on the tarmac, so that they can be taken home back to their home countries.

Seven different countries even now have these plans and these planes in place and ready to go to bring their citizens home. Amongst them, of course, the United States, but six European countries as well. Then begins this fairly long quarantine period for all of these passengers and several countries are looking at keeping them in special facilities, including the United States, that facility in Nebraska, so that they can be monitored and kept away from the general population.

Essentially, you've had two groups of passengers from this ship, Fredricka. The ones that got off before the virus was identified and its potential spread really a concern and they had left in Saint Helena. And that's why you're seeing all these contact cases from the United States through to Spain, the United Kingdom, Singapore. This time now that the potential contagious quality of this virus is known. no care, a great deal of care is going to be taken. No detail will be left to chance.

We've been hearing that again from Dr. Tedros, the head of the World Health Organization, who is here in Spain even tonight and on his way to Tenerife with the Spanish interior minister and the Spanish defense minister. They're going to be overseeing this operation. And he's also spoken in this very unusual message directly to the people of Tenerife, acknowledging their fear in these post-COVID days, reinforcing the WHO message of the last few days that there is no danger to the general population and everything is being done that this outbreak be contained.

[15:05:12]

But also really praising their humanity, Fredricka, and acknowledging that what they've done here, what is going to be done here tomorrow, is being done in the name of solidarity for all of those people on board for whom at last, this ordeal, at least the part of it, they had to be stuck on that ship, appears to be coming to an end -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Melissa Bell, thank you so much.

All right. Meantime, the CDC is sending a team of specialists to meet the ship when it arrives to do a risk assessment for each of the 17 American passengers. An HHS official said the agency has, quote, "deep expertise" of the Andes variant behind this current outbreak.

CNN national correspondent Rafael Romo is joining me right now from outside the CDC in Atlanta.

So, Rafael, walk us through what potentially happens next for these American passengers.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Fredricka. Well, let's first remember that the MV Hondius is carrying 147 people all together, including 87 passengers and 60 crew members, according to Oceanwide Expeditions, the cruise ship operator. It says those on board represent 24 nationalities, including 17 Americans. A spokesperson confirmed the U.S. State Department is arranging the repatriation flight in coordination with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention here behind me, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and government -- the government of Spain of course.

According to sources familiar with the plan, Fred, to bring those Americans back home the first step involves CDC staffers meeting the cruise ship when it arrives in the Canary Islands, and then escorting the American passengers back to the United States aboard a charter flight. A separate team will meet the passengers in Nebraska, the CDC says. There passengers are expected to be evaluated at the National Quarantine Unit to ensure the virus doesn't spread.

Former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden told CNN it's important for health officials to act swiftly to prevent the spread of the disease.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. TOM FRIEDEN, FORMER CDC DIRECTOR: You really have to recognize that there are other people who have gotten off the ship earlier, and the key here really is to make sure that people have rapid access to good care if they get very sick, because there's no vaccine, there's no specific treatment, but supportive care in an intensive care unit can save someone's life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Fred, five states, including Arizona, California, Georgia, Texas, and Virginia, are already monitoring seven passengers who previously disembarked from the ship, although health officials told CNN that none are experiencing symptoms. New Jersey is monitoring two people who possibly, possibly were exposed to an infected passenger.

Here in the United States, hantavirus is relatively rare. According to data from the CDC from 1993 to 2023, 890 cases of hantavirus disease were reported in the country, most of them in Western states.

Fred, now back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Rafael Romo, thank you so much.

All right. Joining me right now to talk more about this hantavirus outbreak is Dr. Amesh Adalja. He is a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security.

Doctor, great to see you.

DR. AMESH ADALJA, SENIOR SCHOLAR, JOHNS HOPKINS CENTER FOR HEALTH SECURITY: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: So what do you think about these plans to bring the American passengers to a quarantine facility in Nebraska, where they would be assessed and then undergo a potentially home-based monitoring? ADALJA: I think that's the right way to do it. What you want to make

sure is that nobody develops symptoms in transit. And if they do develop symptoms, that they can be rapidly tested and linked to care at a place that's highly competent. Remember, Nebraska is where many of the Ebola patients in the 2013, 2014 West Africa outbreak were taken care of. So this is an expert unit at Nebraska.

And then I think if people are deemed to be low risk and you can link them to local public health and teach them about home monitoring, I think that's a reasonable way to do it. So I think this is exactly by the book or how I would recommend it be done.

WHITFIELD: So home monitoring is going to take a lot of discipline, right, for any of those individuals. So I'm wondering, you know, what kind of risk overall does this virus or even those potential -- those people potentially pose to the general public?

ADALJA: Very little. Remember, this is a virus that is very constrained in its ability to spread from person to person. It's not like COVID or influenza, and certainly not like measles or Ebola, for that matter. And remember, back in 2014, we had many health care workers returning from West Africa that were being monitored in a similar manner at their houses.

[15:10:02]

And that was a higher consequence disease and much more high intensity with Ebola. So this is something that local public health has dealt with before, and I think can do this 17 or 18 patients that they're going to be doing that, too. It's not as big of a task as it was with Ebola.

WHITFIELD: So what is it about this strain of the hantavirus that makes this one so much more deadly or dangerous?

ADALJA: It's not more deadly. It is more dangerous in the sense that it's able to spread from person to person. Usually hantaviruses are all rodent to human and then basically dead end. It doesn't go anywhere else. The Andes version probably has more virus in your blood, in your secretions, so it's able to spread from person to person in limited circumstances. And there have been outbreaks.

So that's whats kind of raised the stakes for this outbreak, because it is the version, the one that's dominant in Argentina is the Andes variant. And that variant is the one that spreads from person to person. And we've already seen person-to-person spread occur on that ship. That's obviously a special consideration on a ship, but that's why there is this monitoring. That's why there is this this quarantine station being involved.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there for now.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, thank you so much for your expertise. Appreciate it.

ADALJA: Thanks for having me. WHITFIELD: All right. We're also continuing to follow this breaking

news. A person was struck and killed on the runway of Denver International Airport by a Frontier Airlines jet during takeoff. Officials say the person jumped over a perimeter fence and was crossing the runway before being hit by the plane just two minutes later. The incident triggered an engine fire, causing smoke to fill the cabin and forcing the pilots to abort takeoff and evacuate the 224 passengers on board.

Here's how one passenger described it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE CERVANTES, PASSENGER: I felt like the plane started to tilt up when out of nowhere it just -- we felt like a thud and heard like an explosion. And I was right on the wing. So I looked to my right and I just see like the right-wing just on fire. And like exploding. And it sounds like horrible, you know? And right away they shut the aircraft off. I thought I was going to, like, burn to death. You know? When I just saw the fire and the smoke, I just thought I was going to burn.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All the passengers were evacuated safely. Only 12 reported minor injuries. The person killed has not yet been identified, but officials do not believe it was an employee. The NTSB and the FAA, airport and local officials are all still investigating.

All right. Straight ahead, the U.S. awaiting Iran's response to a proposal aimed at ending the months' long war. Where are negotiations stand right now? And later, a 30-year-old murder mystery takes investigators to the home of the convicted killer's mother. Details on what has been found.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:17:28]

WHITFIELD: All right. New today, the U.S. is waiting for a response from Iran to its latest proposal to end the war. Both President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that they were expecting a response yesterday. Also today, the U.K. says it is deploying a warship to the Middle East ahead of a potential mission to help protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

CNN correspondent Julia Benbrook is live for us at the White House.

So, Julia, where do things stand?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Those here at the White House, they're still waiting on a response to this proposal to bring the conflict to an end. And as you mentioned, this comes after President Donald Trump and other administration officials predicted that they would hear back from Tehran yesterday. In fact, as Trump was leaving the White House Friday evening, he was pressed on this timing, the lack of a response so far, and if Iran was slow rolling it. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's a letter supposedly tonight. So we'll see how that goes.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you think they're slow rolling it? Do you think they're intentionally slow rolling the process?

TRUMP: I don't know. We'll find out soon enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Now, when if the United States hears back from Iran, this would likely still be a preliminary step toward lasting peace there. In fact, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he alluded to this yesterday when he said that when they received this response, that the team would then evaluate it and see if this puts the United States in a serious process of negotiations. He was pressed on if the United States had given Iran red lines and issued a stark warning. He said, quote, "The red line is clear. If they threaten Americans, they're going to get blown up."

Now, when it comes to the ceasefire, Trump is adamant that that is still in place, despite the fact that Iran and the United States traded fire just a few days ago. Trump said that if the ceasefire ended, he would let reporters know. He then strengthened that language to say that they would just know because Iran would glow, essentially that he would be taking a lot of further action there.

When it comes to this proposal, he says that it is more than just a one-page proposal, that it addresses a lot of things that the administration is looking for, including nuclear weapons, as well as enriched uranium. So where things stand right now, the United States, they've sent over this proposal. They are waiting on a response from Tehran. It is taking longer than they predicted. Trump is in Virginia, at one of his golf courses today. This is where the LIV Golf Tournament is taking place.

[15:20:04]

We are keeping a close eye, though, on his Truth Social because this has been where he's made a lot of big announcements about this conflict. You never know when that crucial update might be coming, but we will keep in close contact with the White House -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let us know as you know. Julia Benbrook at the White House. Thanks so much.

All right. New today, a three-day ceasefire is in effect between Russia and Ukraine. It comes as Russia held a scaled back version of its Victory Day parade. The event marks the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. But this year, there was no usual display of military hardware.

Our Fred Pleitgen explains. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now, some of the things were the same as in other years. You did see those big columns of soldiers marching across Red Square. Also, Vladimir Putin overseeing the parade. So VIPs, including cabinet members as well as veterans of the Second World War, and also of what Russia still calls its special military operation.

But some of the things notably missing from this year's parade was heavy armor, tanks, armored vehicles all the way to intercontinental ballistic missiles that you would normally see paraded across Red Square. Instead, this year, the Russians produced some high end videos showing their military capabilities. That included drones, anti- aircraft systems, radars all the way to more strategic assets like long range aviation and their naval forces, as well as submarines.

Now, of course, May 9th commemorates the sacrifices of Soviet soldiers during World War II and the defeat of Nazi Germany, and Vladimir Putin, in his speech, made a connection between World War II and what Russia calls its special military operation.

(Voice-over): "The great feat of the victorious generation inspires the soldiers carrying out the tasks of the special military operation today," Putin says. "They are standing up to an aggressive force, armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc and yet our heroes march forward."

However, the Russians were extremely concerned that the parade could be disrupted by Ukrainian aerial attacks. At the same time, Russia's special military operation continues. The Russians say there's progress, but progress also is pretty difficult to come by these days. And for many Russians, it's simply unclear when the fighting with Ukraine is actually going to end.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Fred.

All right. Still to come, the Pentagon opens its UFO files, releasing what it calls never-before-seen records, videos and photos spanning decades of mysterious sightings. What's in them and what they still don't explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:27:16]

WHITFIELD: Are we alone in the universe? It's an age old question for mankind. And the answer may now live online. The Defense Department released new, never-before-seen files on unidentified aerial phenomena, also known as UFOs. The first batch includes reports from astronauts on board the Apollo 12 and 17 missions, along with more recent materials from the FBI and the U.S. military. Joining me right now for more perspective is physics and astronomy

professor, Aomawa Shields, at UC Irvine. Great to see you. She's also the author of "A Life on Other Planets: A Memoir of Finding My Place in the Universe."

Isn't that the question we all ask? Where is my place?

OK, Professor, great to see you. So your research specifically investigates whether there is life on other planets. So, you know, what did you take away from these newly released files, this news this week?

PROF. AOMAWA SHIELDS, UC IRVINE, DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY: Well, thank you so much for having me. And these files are intriguing, to say the least. And I've taken a look at some of the photos and some of the testimonies. And it's an example of how we are definitely paying attention to what we see up in the sky and have all of our different perspectives on what we see. And it's important to honor those. And we have to remember that none of these accounts constitute actual proof of extraterrestrial origins.

And so we have to weigh that the testimony with the data. And currently we don't have anything that we could classify as proof and quantifiable data that there is an extraterrestrial origin.

WHITFIELD: OK. So you're not feeling any more so one way or the other about whether we're alone or we, you know, are in the company of others out there.

SHIELDS: Well, I certainly have my beliefs. And as a kid, I had that poster that said, I want to believe, with the UFO on it up in my room. And I certainly -- I certainly subscribe to the idea, as it's been said in the movie "Contact," that if it's just us, it would be an awful waste of space.

WHITFIELD: Yes. How boring.

SHIELDS: So many stars out there. So -- and like our curiosity and our imaginations are among our greatest strengths, right? How we got to the moon the first time, or how we just returned last month, and will keep returning and hopefully for the long term and beyond to Mars and elsewhere. And we have to keep imagining.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SHIELDS: And we have to balance that imagination with the facts. And that's --

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SHIELDS: And that's I think the tricky thing here.

[15:30:00]

WHITFIELD: Yes. Don't we always need some motivation out there? You know? Everything can't be so predictable. All right. So let's talk about, you know, NASA with, you know, a

mission to one of Jupiter's moons coming up in 2030, possibly, where there just might be liquid present there. Right? I mean, what are you hoping the Europa Clipper mission might either cement or find or discover -- help discover for us?

SHIELDS: It's so exciting because my work usually focuses on planets beyond our solar system. We call these extrasolar planets or exoplanets. And they're very far away. However, we could discover life right in our own backyard, on Jupiter's moon Europa. There is actually liquid water present underneath the ice on this moon. And we have evidence that suggests that that's the case.

And the Europa Clipper mission is going to get there in 2030 and hopefully allow us to understand what might really be in that water. We know that everywhere on the earth where there's water, there's life. And so that's the hope is that that liquid water underneath that ice might have something in it.

WHITFIELD: OK. And if there is indeed life out there, let's call it that life in lots of different forms. And if that life form were to come visit Earth, if it hasn't already, in your view, do you believe it's as curious as we might be in our exploration? Might it come in peace, in conflict, something else? What do you suppose? What's your imagination telling you and your research?

SHIELDS: Oh, my god. Well, take a positive outlook on this. There's been a lot of popular media and culture, and I love those movies that are super sensational about aliens and what they might be like. And certainly it can lend itself to that fear-based mentality of extraterrestrial life arriving and not treating us well. Right? And there's the other possibility that the extraterrestrial life would be as benevolent as we would hope to be if we were to venture beyond the boundaries of our solar system and encounter such life. Right?

It takes a lot of effort to cross interstellar space. So the hope is that you would do that with an intention of curiosity and connection, rather than any kind of malevolent intention. So I tend to err on the side of, it would be an opportunity for connection for the biggest kind of connection we could even imagine, right across space, rather than any potential harmful effects.

WHITFIELD: I like that idea. I like the optimism in you, and I too, I'm going to lean on the connection that is more about discovery and, you know, congeniality and cooperation, let's say.

SHIELDS: Yes, this is the opportunity here. I mean, we have -- and this is what I love so much about these files being released because it allows us to ask these questions. We were all born curious as children. And sometimes that curiosity and that wonder can get tamped down as we grow. And having this opportunity to see what other people have witnessed and to ask questions about what people have seen to get curious, to let that wonder come out and to start looking up, if you haven't looked up for a while and start looking up and wondering if anything is looking back at you because I believe the day that we truly discover that we are not alone in the universe, that's going to be a day where we can verify this -- these data. That's going to be something we aren't going to have to guess at and interpret. It'll be very clear, made clear to us.

WHITFIELD: Very cool. What's out there. And it's out there.

All right, Professor Aomawa Shields, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

SHIELDS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, we all watched Golden Tempo's incredible Kentucky Derby run coming from last to first to just take it all. And up next we'll speak with his history-making trainer, Cherie DeVaux. She is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:38:43]

WHITFIELD: All right. Investigators continue to search for new clues in the disappearance of Kristin Smart. The California college freshman vanished 30 years ago. And now authorities say new soil testing at the home of her convicted killer's mother revealed some human remains may be located there.

CNN's senior correspondent Josh Campbell walks us through this developing story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Are police any closer to finding the body of Kristin Smart, the 19-year-old California college student who disappeared three decades ago? A new development in the search may be significant. Authorities say there is indication human remains might be located at the home of the mother of Paul Flores, the man convicted of Smart's murder in 2022.

SHERIFF IAN PARKINSON, SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY: We can't call it Kristin, but, you know, we think there's evidence to support human remains there at one time.

CAMPBELL: The renewed search for Smart's body comes as the sheriff says new information has come to light that allowed investigators to get a search warrant for the home of Susan Flores. But as far as what new information led to the renewed search, authorities aren't saying.

PARKINSON: If I let out information that could jeopardize a next step or our next direction, that would be damaging.

CAMPBELL: One thing we do know, according to authorities, is they are currently using advanced technology called ground penetrating radar to scan the Flores property for remnants of human remains.

[15:40:05]

Based on the initial positive findings that human remains might currently or at one point had been on the property, the sheriff said the next possible step for investigators will be to obtain a search warrant to start digging.

CNN has reached out to Susan Flores for comment, but has not heard back. To date, she has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Authorities say her son, Paul Flores, was the last person who saw Kristin Smart alive back in 1996, when they were both returning to their university dorms after a party. After about two months following her disappearance, police began to zero in on Flores, his story began to change, and he eventually stopped cooperating.

At the time, police didn't believe there was enough evidence to charge him with murder because they couldn't locate her remains. But fast- forward more than 20 years later, it was podcaster Chris Lambert who started looking into the case, actually uncovering new witnesses to Smart's disappearance. Flores was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison despite police not knowing the location of Smart's body.

CHRIS LAMBERT, PODCASTER, "YOUR OWN BACKYARD": Every time that they do a search for her is that this is going to be the time they finally find her. Kristin's mom turned 80 just a few days ago. And you know, her parents are still waiting for answers. And this would be -- this would be perfect timing.

CAMPBELL: And while the Smart family holds out hope they will finally learn what happened to Kristin, authorities say the investigation continues with a renewed hope for answers.

Josh Campbell, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Josh.

All right. Still to come here in the CNN NEWSROOM, in just hours, the hantavirus stricken cruise ship will finally return to port. The plan for the ship's passengers straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:46:20]

WHITFIELD: All right. It was a dazzling finish for Golden Tempo in last weekend's Run for the Roses. The thoroughbred was way in the rear heading into the final turn, but then kicked into some serious high gear. Jockey Jose Ortiz expertly weaving him through the traffic, passing 17 horses before charging to an unforgettable victory.

The win also made history for trainer Cherie DeVaux, who became the first female trainer to win a Kentucky Derby. After the dramatic finish, everyone wanted to know will Golden Tempo make a run for the Triple Crown by committing to next weekend's Preakness Stakes? Well, Sheree says the team will skip that race to focus on the final leg, June's Belmont Stakes, and we are so lucky to have Cherie DeVaux right here with us now.

Congratulations. Oh, my gosh, it was an incredible race.

CHERIE DEVAUX, GOLDEN TEMPO'S TRAINER: Thank you. It was definitely exciting.

WHITFIELD: It was. And how are you? Because, I mean, you had you've been trying to manage, I'm sure, a whirlwind week. You look so calm and placid right now. Quite the contrast to, you know, race day last weekend. But tell me what this week has been like.

DEVAUX: Oh, it's been a whirlwind. Number one, I wasn't expecting to win the race because the Kentucky Derby is a hard race to get to, much less win on your first try. And then we still have a full stable to run. So, just trying to juggle everything, but it's been good. You're catching me right after we just raced another horse, so doing everything in between regular work.

WHITFIELD: You are juggling a lot. I mean, and again, as we're talking, we're also looking at that video of you. As you know, we were kind of -- many of us were just watching the race, right? And seeing, you know, how Golden Tempo was making a move from being at the end and how the jockey just so strategically was weaving him through, but then later we got to see your reaction and what you were going through.

I mean, just kind of take me back to that moment, if you will, because it's like our hearts were pounding for you even though we knew the outcome of the race. But then to watch the replay and see you. So tell me what you were experiencing.

DEVAUX: So the way that Golden Tempo runs, he's what's called a deep closer. So most of the race is boring until the very end of the race. And, again, confident that he would run well. But the nature of his running style, he has to have a lot of things go in his favor and Jose has to work the trip out. So when you see me starting to celebrate and yell, that's when he pulled him out. And then he has to make up all that ground.

And, you know, I'm thinking, you know, I'm riding the horse, too. So if I yell loud and I, you know, maybe he'll just run faster. But then when he came by where I was standing, there was still a little bit of the race he was coming up to getting right to renegade. And then he passed him and then I kind of blacked out. I just was overcome. I actually could not believe that that happened. And you're kind of like pinching yourself like, OK, you got to breathe and people want to talk to you.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Oh, it was a beautiful moment really. Congratulations. So excited. And of course, after the win of the Kentucky Derby, then people start asking the question, OK, is it going to be the Preakness? You know, is this horse going to go for the Triple Crown? We know the answer now. He's not going to go for the Preakness. But tell me, you know, about that decision-making. You know, why you, maybe not singularly, but you are, you know, one of those who made the decision that maybe not, you know, it's not right for Golden Tempo to be at Preakness in Baltimore or you tell me. What's up?

DEVAUX: Right, right.

[15:50:01] So normally Golden Tempo is racing every four weeks. And then his last race was six weeks from his previous race. And I think it takes a really special horse to win the Triple Crown. And I'm not saying Golden Tempo is not special. It's just -- it's taxing on a horse. And when you have a horse you have a duty and a responsibility to do what's best for him. And the conversation with the team, the ownership group, myself, Jose part of it, is we want to focus on his whole career, not just the Triple Crown.

So, that's when we decided, you know, he ran a big race. He's going to be tired and it's not doing Golden Tempo any service if we just run him -- just to run him to compete in the Triple Crown. So we -- it's our duty to advocate for the horse. And although we love the history of the Triple Crown and the tradition of it, ultimately, you know, we just thought it would be best in his best interest to just wait until the Belmont.

WHITFIELD: That really is a very compassionate decision. You know, that you all made. And I feel like watching just the replay, watching Jose, he displayed another level of compassion, too. I mean, just looking at the way he would use the crop instead of, you know, really using it at the rear of the horse. He was waving it. And it seems like Golden Tempo might be motivated about that.

DEVAUX: Right.

WHITFIELD: I mean, tell me a little bit about that kind of psychology of the horse and why that was motivation enough for Golden Tempo.

DEVAUX: Well, we have had a lot of change in our rules here in racing. All for the better and the betterment of the horses and there's a limit of how many times they can strike the horse and he was at his limit and you get in -- you get big fines and everything, and that's not it. It's that the riders have now had to learn how to use their body, be stronger, be smarter about how they run and not just depend on coaxing the horse.

The crops that we use. They're padded. It's not -- we've come a long way. I'm just saying that because I don't want to say they need the crop to go, but it's more of a cue just to cue them on instead of using that to coax them forward.

WHITFIELD: OK. OK. Not Preakness, Belmont?

DEVAUX: Correct.

WHITFIELD: You're going to do that one?

DEVAUX: We are definitely pointing towards the Belmont.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right. And then what kind of, I guess, decision- making do you need to make or calculating as you prepare for Belmont, you know, different track, different climate, all of that. How do you prepare for it?

DEVAUX: Well, we're going to get him -- all of the horses have about two weeks of just easy training and then we ease them back into speed works and we'll see how he moves forward. He's usually quite relaxed and laid back and kind of takes everything in when he trains. He's been a lot more forward. So we're going to monitor when he comes back and has that first work. It's a maintenance work, but really what we're seeing is how is he doing that? Is he doing that easier? Is he doing that more willing? Is he going to have to be asked along? And then we taper our training accordingly.

So, you know, we'll -- Saratoga track in general is a bit more taxing on the horses. The surface is different. So we'll probably put some more stamina works, speed works on him. But really we kind of see how he comes back and has, you know, we're watching him every day closely and monitoring any soundness issues or his attitude or, and how he's doing. And, you know, but then when we breeze them, we call it a maintenance work, but really just trying to see where we have to go in his training from there.

WHITFIELD: OK. Hey, we spent a lot of time on Golden Tempo deservingly. But what about you? I mean, you are the history maker, too. The first female trainer. I mean, Kentucky Derby win. I mean, how are you handling, you know, this? What does it feel like? And I mean, dare I ask, like, what's next? I mean, you're here at the pinnacle. What's life like for Cherie DeVaux right now?

DEVAUX: Well, it's been exciting. It's been exciting. You know, it's been a really busy week and what I've really tried to do in my off time is just kind of think about like, where does this take me myself. Now I'm career motivated and training the horses is what is most important to me. But also I feel like I have a duty to use what I, you know, a newfound platform for things that might be better.

One cause that I'm always outspoken about is thoroughbred aftercare. So trying to do more things to like bring attention to that, bring attention to our industry because it has needed an overhaul and were in the -- we're taking steps in the right direction. But I do think that, you know, we can bring the public in a little bit more and just be more educational about that.

WHITFIELD: Yes. OK. You said racing has come a long way. You exemplify that big time.

Cherie DeVaux, congratulations. So glad you're able to stop for a minute and talk to us.

[15:55:03]

DEVAUX: Well, thank you for having me on. I really appreciate it.

WHITFIELD: Wonderful. Congrats. We're going to continue to watch you.

All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Kara Swisher travels to South Korea to uncover their secret to longevity. Is it universal health care, smarter diet, or cutting edge technology? Find out in the next episode of "KARA SWISHER WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER." It airs tonight at 9:00 right here on CNN and the next day on the CNN app.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "THE ARENA SATURDAY" starts right now.