Sports
Golden Tempo heads to Keeneland seeking rare Derby-Classic double
The Kentucky Derby winner will try to become the fifth horse to win the Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic in the same year when the $7 million race runs Oct. 31 at Keeneland. Trainer Cherie DeVaux says the colt is still improving after finishing third in the Travers.
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Golden Tempo will try to add a Breeders’ Cup Classic title to his Kentucky Derby victory Saturday, Oct. 31, at Keeneland. A win would make the 3-year-old the fifth horse to capture both races in the same year.
The $7 million Classic is scheduled for 6:16 p.m. The field’s post positions are set to be drawn Monday, Oct. 26. Golden Tempo will be ridden by Jose Ortiz and trained by Cherie DeVaux, who made history as the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner.
Golden Tempo comes into the race after placing third in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 29. He has four wins and three third-place finishes in seven starts, with career earnings of $4.783 million. The Kentucky-bred colt is a homebred owned by Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable.
DeVaux said Golden Tempo has continued to progress, including in the Travers, where she said his speed figures did not decline. She believes he has not yet reached his peak and will need to keep improving as he gains racing experience and fitness.
The Classic will be Golden Tempo’s first race at Keeneland, though the Lexington track is his home base. He has trained there regularly since Sept. 18. As a closer, he typically settles behind the early leaders before making a late run.
Only four horses have previously won the Derby and Classic in one season: Sunday Silence in 1989, Unbridled in 1990, American Pharoah in 2015 and Authentic in 2020. DeVaux also has a chance to become the second woman to train a Classic winner; Kathy Ritvo won the race with Mucho Macho Man in 2013.