The year may be nearly halfway over, but Golden Tempo seems a lot more than halfway to being crowned the champion 3-year-old male.
After adding a win in the June 6 $2 million Belmont Stakes (G1) to a victory five weeks earlier in the Kentucky Derby (G1), the son of Curlin became a dual classic winner, which can be quite swaying with Eclipse Award voters.
There may have been some doubts over his last-to-first charge in the Run for the Roses at 23-1 odds, but after his 1 1/4-length score for trainer Cherie DeVaux in the third and final Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, there was nothing but praise.
"You have to give (Golden Tempo) credit. He validated his Derby," said Todd Pletcher, the trainer of Belmont Stakes favorite Renegade who was second by a neck in the Derby and third in the Belmont, the final jewel in the Triple Crown.
For her part, DeVaux is not focused on early voting for a year-end award.
"We're still early in the year and a lot of (horses) have a lot of maturing to do," DeVaux said June 7. "We'll see a lot of horses who are exciting from now until then. There's a lot that can happen."
DeVaux said she would add Golden Tempo among those 3-year-olds with some room for improvement, a chilling thought for the colt's rivals.
"I think he's improving incrementally, which is good," said the first female trainer to win two Triple Crown races. "There's a big change in him from going into the Derby and coming out of the Derby. He's very laid back, and he's just getting that 'aha!' moment. He's got a lot of confidence and is a lot more forward in his training. He's come a long way physically and has tightened up and looks like a fit racehorse. That's what we have to maintain."
At the moment, with two classic wins over grade 1 winners Commandment and Renegade, who were second and third, respectively, in the Belmont, Golden Tempo has a decided edge over the crew that contested the Triple Crown. With the Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable homebred skipping the Preakness Stakes (G1), that puts Preakness winner Napoleon Solo in the mix. But he and anyone else will need a Travers Stakes (G1) or Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) win to have a chance of surpassing the division leader at the voting booth.
Speaking of the Aug. 29 Travers at Saratoga, DeVaux said that will be the next major target for Golden Tempo, though he will prep for the 1 1/4-mile Mid-Summer Derby Aug. 1 in the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), also at the Spa.
The Jim Dandy could be revealing for Golden Tempo as it will bring him back to a shorter, 1 1/8-mile distance after his two wins at classic 10-furlong distances. In his last two races prior to the Run for the Roses, he was third in both the 1 3/16-mile Louisiana Derby (G2) and the Risen Star Stakes (G2) at 1 1/8 miles.
"He's definitely a classic distance horse," DeVaux said. "It will be interesting when he runs in the Jim Dandy to see how that translates with his maturity and more running experience. Hopefully we can see more versatility."
Though the dual classic winner's next two races will be at the Spa, he will soon return to his familiar stall at Keeneland to get some rest and prepare for his summer campaign.
"I want to take out as many unknowns as we can and follow what has worked so far," DeVaux said about heading back to Kentucky.
As for herself, after five weeks of whirlwind attention after becoming the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby, DeVaux said she could use some rest of her own.
"It's been a lot more busy. Running my stable is number one. Everything else is secondary. There's been a lot more to do, and I need to take some time for myself. Which I am going to do now and for the next few weeks," she said. "I have to take care of myself and spend some time with my family and most importantly, get back to my business."
Englishman targeting Jerkens
Saturday was unforgettable for DeVaux for another reason as she collected two grade 1 wins on the card, thanks to Englishman's dazzling 5 3/4-length triumph in the $500,000 Woody Stephens Stakes (G1) for 3-year-olds at 7 furlongs.
Aside from having the best distance runner in the 3-year-old male division, she also has the group's best sprinter. Best of all, she does not have to worry about them meeting in a showdown at some point this year.
"It does take some pressure off," she said.
Englishman sparkled in sprint maiden and allowance optional claimer wins to start his career, then finished second by 3 3/4 lengths to Crude Velocity in the one-turn Pat Day Mile (G2) on Derby Day at Churchill Downs.
The two met again in the shorter Woody Stephens and it was a mismatch—in Englishman's favor.
The Maxfield colt owned by CRK Stable took the lead coming to the quarter pole and then swatted away a bid by Crude Velocity to draw away to a convincing win while matching the 48-year-old track record of 1:20.40.
"I can't say I am surprised that he ran well. You aren't expecting a track record, but he's a horse that has always had a ton of ability. He's naturally fast," DeVaux said about the colt bred by Fifth Avenue Bloodstock and purchased for $400,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. "Early on we saw how he's built and how he trains, and a lot of people were thinking he was a Derby horse and making that assumption when we felt a mile would be his longest distance. This validated it."
DeVaux said the son of the Speightstown mare In It for the Gold would return to the Spa for the Aug. 29 Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1) at 7 furlongs with the year-end goal being the 6-furlong Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Keeneland.
