#5 | Golden Tempo
#5 Golden TempoThe Derby and Belmont Winner Who Needs a Pace Collapse
Two Grade 1 wins at 1¼ miles, a trainer based at Keeneland, and the late kick to run down older horses. The question is whether his speed figures are good enough.
Two Classics at the Classic Distance
Golden Tempo has done something no other 3-year-old in this year's Classic picture has done. He has won twice at 1¼ miles in Grade 1 company, first in the Kentucky Derby and then in the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga.
His 2026 record is 6 starts, 3 wins and 3 thirds. He has never finished worse than third.
- Dec. 20, 2025 · Fair Grounds Maiden Special Weight, 6 furlongs WON Won his debut by 1½ lengths.
- Jan. 17 · Fair Grounds Grade 3 Lecomte, 1 1/16 miles WON First graded stakes win, by three-quarters of a length as the favorite.
- Feb. 14 · Fair Grounds Grade 2 Risen Star, 1⅛ miles 3RD Beaten 6 lengths by Paladin.
- March 21 · Fair Grounds Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, 1 3/16 miles 3RD Beaten 1 length by Emerging Market.
- May 2 · Churchill Downs Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, 1¼ miles WON Last early, 13th at the top of the stretch, swung outside and won by a neck over Renegade at 23-1. 95 Beyer.
- June 6 · Saratoga Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, 1¼ miles WON Rallied from the back down the center of the track and beat Commandment by 1¼ lengths at 6-1. Career-best 98 Beyer.
- Aug. 29 · Saratoga Grade 1 Travers, 1¼ miles 3RD Favorite. Stuck on the inside, lost momentum between horses, beaten 2¼ lengths by Leading Change.
The Speed-Figure Gap
This is the main reason he's #5 and not higher. His two big wins were real, but the Beyers were modest by Classic standards. The older horses ranked above him have all run faster.
Golden Tempo vs. the Top Four
Beyer Speed Figures only
Bars start at a baseline of 90 to make the gaps easier to see. Beyer and Equibase figures are different scales and are never mixed here.
The good news is the trend. He went from 95 in the Derby to 98 in the Belmont, and DeVaux said after the Belmont that he was "improving incrementally." A 3-year-old in the fall can take another step forward. He probably needs to run a figure in the 100s to beat this field.
He has the résumé of a Classic winner. He doesn't yet have the speed figure of one.
What Happened in the Travers
The Travers was his only loss since April, and it came with real excuses.
- A missed prep. An illness after the Belmont kept him out of training for about 10 days, and he skipped the Jim Dandy. The Travers was his first start in 12 weeks.
- A bad trip. He sat second-to-last, about 16 lengths off the pace, with the leader going a moderate half in :47.95. When Jose Ortiz tried an inside run between horses, DeVaux said the colt "got a little shy" and lost his momentum.
- Still beaten only 2¼ lengths. Leading Change won, and Napoleon Solo, who set the pace, held on for second.
DeVaux called it "the trip he got" and said he "ran a better race than he's been running." The handicapping takeaway is clear. In both of his Grade 1 wins he swung outside and had clear running. Inside, in traffic, he wasn't the same horse.
How the Pace Could Help or Hurt Him
Golden Tempo is a true closer, so the pace matters more for him than for anyone else in the top five. His Derby win came behind a fast pace: 22.68 for the quarter, 46.44 for the half and 1:10.90 for three-quarters.
A contested pace
- Magnitude and Forged Steel both want the lead
- Knightsbridge adds more speed if he runs in the Classic
- The leaders tire, and Golden Tempo's late run comes into play, as it did in the Derby
An easy lead
- One speed horse gets loose on soft fractions
- Forever Young and Sovereignty sit close to the pace
- Golden Tempo is too far back turning for home, as he was in the Travers
With Baeza retired on Oct. 6, Golden Tempo is now the clearest deep closer among the main Classic contenders. If the speed horses go after each other, he's the one most likely to pick up the pieces. Watch the post position draw on Oct. 26. An outside post gives him the clear path he has needed to win.
The 3-Year-Old Angle at Keeneland
Three-year-olds have a strong record in the Classic at Keeneland. Two of the three Classics run there went to 3-year-olds.
The difference is that American Pharoah and Authentic were both pace horses who controlled their races. Golden Tempo has to win from behind against older, faster horses. That's a harder way to win a Classic.
Connections and the Keeneland Edge
| Role | Who | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Trainer | Cherie DeVaux | First woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner. Based at Keeneland, and she sees the home track as an advantage. |
| Jockey | Jose Ortiz | Has ridden him in every start, including his first Derby win. |
| Owners | Phipps Stable & St. Elias Stable | Phipps also bred him, from one of its long-running families. |
He shipped back to Keeneland after the Travers and has trained there since. He worked 5 furlongs in :59.80 on Sept. 25, then 4 furlongs in :48.40 on Oct. 2, the 25th-fastest of 85 at the distance that morning. Those are steady, on-schedule works, with no sign of a setback.
A Classic-Winning Sire
His pedigree says 1¼ miles is right in his range, and he has already proven it twice.
What Has to Go Right
For Golden Tempo to win, these three things need to happen at Keeneland:
✔ The Case For
- Won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont, both at 1¼ miles
- Never worse than third in seven career starts
- Trains at Keeneland for a trainer who calls it home
- Clearest deep closer left in the field now that Baeza is retired
- A clear excuse for the Travers loss
- Sired by a Breeders' Cup Classic winner
✖ The Concerns
- Career-best 98 Beyer trails all four horses ranked above him
- Needs pace help and a clean outside trip to win
- Lost momentum when asked to go between horses
- Faces older horses for the first time
- Was beaten by two 3-year-olds in his last start
The Bottom Line
Golden Tempo has won the two races that look the most like this one: 1¼ miles in Grade 1 company, both times from behind. If the Classic pace is fast and he gets an outside run, he's a dangerous price.
He needs both a fast pace and a career-best figure. That's why I have him fifth, and why he can't be left off the exotics.
Watch: Golden Tempo's Kentucky Derby Win
Here's the 2026 Kentucky Derby. Watch where he is in the first turn, then watch him swing outside at the top of the stretch.
Last early, 13th at the top of the stretch, first at the wire by a neck. That's the run he'll need at Keeneland.
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Reserve Yours → Breeders' Cup Saturday · Delivered by email during race weekGolden Tempo: Quick Answers
Where does Golden Tempo rank in the Breeders' Cup Classic Power Rankings?
#5. He won the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes at 1¼ miles, but his career-best 98 Beyer trails the four older horses ranked above him.
Is Golden Tempo running in the Breeders' Cup Classic?
That's the plan. Trainer Cherie DeVaux said after the Travers that he would point to the Oct. 31 Classic at Keeneland, where he is based.
What is Golden Tempo's best Beyer Speed Figure?
98, earned winning the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga on June 6, 2026. He earned a 95 winning the Kentucky Derby.
Why did Golden Tempo lose the Travers?
He missed his planned prep with an illness, then got stuck on the inside and lost momentum between horses. He still finished third, beaten 2¼ lengths.
Who trains and rides Golden Tempo?
Cherie DeVaux trains him, and Jose Ortiz has ridden him in every start. He's owned by Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable.
