| Golden Tempo | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Curlin |
| Grandsire | Smart Strike |
| Dam | Carrumba |
| Damsire | Bernardini |
| Sex | Colt |
| Foaled | February 7, 2023[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Color | Bay |
| Breeder | Phipps Stable |
| Owner | Phipps Stable (Daisy Phipps Pulito), St. Elias Stable (Vincent Viola) |
| Trainer | Cherie DeVaux |
| Record | 5: 3–0–2 |
| Earnings | US$3,433,000[2] |
| Major wins | |
| Lecomte Stakes (2026) American Triple Crown wins: Kentucky Derby (2026) |
|
| Last updated on May 4, 2026 | |
Golden Tempo (foaled February 7, 2023) is an American thoroughbred racehorse. In May 2026, Golden Tempo won the Grade I Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Background
Golden Tempo is a bay colt who was bred in Kentucky by Phipps Stable out of a Grade I-placed, graded stakes winner Carrumba.[3] Carrumba is out of the Bernardini (by A.P. Indy), whose tail-female line goes back four generations with the Phipps family to Blitey.[4] Carrumba did her best running at one mile or longer, highlighted by a victory in the 2016 Grade III Top Flight Invitational Handicap at 1+1⁄8 miles. She also broke her maiden at the same distance.[5]
Golden Tempo's sire is Curlin, the 2007 and 2008 American Horse of the Year who stood earlier in 2026 at Hill 'n' Dale Farms for $225,000 but due to declining fertility was relieved of stud duty.[3]
Golden Tempo is owned in partnership by the Phipps Stable and Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stable.[6]
Golden Tempo is trained by Cherie DeVaux, the first woman trainer to win the Kentucky Derby.[7][8]
Career
Golden Tempo won the 2026 Kentucky Derby, ridden by José Ortiz.[6] Before the race, Golden Tempo's odds were given at 23-1. Early in the race, the horse was in last place. Deep into the race, Golden Tempo was far behind the leader, but moved forward from 13th place to take the lead coming down the outside in the final stretch.[9][10] Kyle Feldscher of CNN summarized the horse's performance at the end of the race, writing:
But when the time came to make history, Golden Tempo kicked into gear and – guided by Ortiz – weaved through the field before eventually overtaking Renegade and the rest of the pack in the final moments of the race. He won, officially, by a neck – a finish that will go down in Derby lore as one of the most thrilling in race history.[11]
Statistics
| Date | Distance | Race | Grade | Track | Odds | Field | Finish | Winning time |
Winning (losing) margin |
Jockey | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 – Two-year-old season | |||||||||||
| Dec 20, 2025 | 6 furlongs | Maiden Special Weight | Fair Grounds | 2.80 | 10 | 1 | 1:10.66 | 1+1⁄2 lengths | José Ortiz | [12] | |
| 2026 – Three-year-old season | |||||||||||
| Jan 17, 2026 | 1+1⁄16 miles | Lecomte Stakes | III | Fair Grounds | 2.70* | 10 | 1 | 1:44.98 | 3⁄4 length | José Ortiz | [13] |
| Feb 14, 2026 | 1+1⁄8 miles | Risen Star Stakes | II | Fair Grounds | 3.90 | 8 | 3 | 1:49.14 | (6 lengths) | José Ortiz | [14] |
| Mar 21, 2026 | 1+3⁄16 miles | Louisiana Derby | II | Fair Grounds | 3.10 | 9 | 3 | 1:55.18 | (1 length) | José Ortiz | [15] |
| May 2, 2026 | 1+1⁄4 miles | Kentucky Derby | I | Churchill Downs | 23.12 | 18 | 1 | 2:02.27 | neck | José Ortiz | [16] |
Notes:
An (*) asterisk after the odds means Golden Tempo was the post-time favorite.
Pedigree
| Sire Curlin (2004) |
Smart Strike (1992) |
Mr. Prospector (1970) |
Raise a Native (1961) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Digger (1962) | |||
| Classy 'n Smart (1981) |
Smarten (1976) | ||
| No Class (1967) | |||
| Sheriff's Deputy (1994) |
Deputy Minister (1979) |
Vice Regent (1967) | |
| Mint Copy (1970) | |||
| Barbarika (1985) |
Bates Motel (1979) | ||
| War Exchange (1972) | |||
| Dam Carrumba (2012) |
Bernardini (2003) |
A.P. Indy (1989) |
Seattle Slew (1974) |
| Weekend Surprise (1980) | |||
| Cara Rafaela (1993) |
Quiet American (1986) | ||
| Oil Fable (1986) | |||
| Castanet (2006) |
El Prado (IRE) (1989) |
Sadler's Wells (1981) | |
| Lady Capulet (1974) | |||
| Dancinginmydreams (1998) |
Seeking The Gold (1985) | ||
| Oh What a Dance (1987; family 20-b)[18] |
References
- ^ "Golden Tempo | Kentucky Derby Odds".
- ^ "Golden Tempo profile". Equibase. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ a b King, Byron (May 2, 2026). "History in the Making: Golden Tempo Upsets Derby Field; "I'm going to have to do this again," winning trainer Cherie DeVaux said". bloodhorse.com. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
- ^ Mitchell, Eric (May 3, 2026). "Curlin Perseveres to Sire First Kentucky Derby Winner; The son of Smart Strike had sired three runners-up in the American classic". bloodhorse.com. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
- ^ Nevills, Joe (April 30, 2026). "Kentucky Derby Pedigree Corner Presented By FanDuel Racing: Pavlovian, Six Speed, Further Ado, Golden Tempo, Fulleffort; Analyzing the Kentucky Derby field by the class and distance capabilities of their sires and dams, both on the track and at stud". paulickreport.com. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
- ^ a b Titus, Payton (May 2, 2026). "Jose Ortiz rode Golden Tempo to Kentucky Derby win". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ^ Hamelback, Hannah (May 2, 2026). "Cherie DeVaux chases history to become the first female Kentucky Derby-winning trainer". LEX 18 News. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ^ Posner, Jay (May 2, 2026). "Golden Tempo rallies to win historic Kentucky Derby". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ^ Ohman, Emily; Santaromita, Dan (May 3, 2026). "Golden Tempo wins Kentucky Derby, giving trainer Cherie DeVaux historic victory". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
- ^
"Golden Tempo makes DeVaux first woman trainer to win Kentucky Derby". ESPN. Associated Press. May 2, 2026. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
At the top of the stretch, Golden Tempo was still 13th with 12 more horses to pass. He chose the outside lane, going around the field rather than inside.
- ^ Feldscher, Kyle (May 2, 2026). "Golden Tempo's Kentucky Derby win is full of incredible storylines that will echo in race lore". CNN. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ^ "FAIR GROUNDS - December 20, 2025 - Race 3 - Maiden Special Weight" (PDF). equibase. December 20, 2025. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ^ "FAIR GROUNDS - January 17, 2026 - Race 13 - Lacomte Stakes" (PDF). Equibase. January 17, 2026. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ^ "FAIR GROUNDS - February 14, 2026 - Race 12 - Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes" (PDF). Equibase. February 14, 2026. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ^ "FAIR GROUNDS - March 21, 2026 - Race 12 - Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby" (PDF). Equibase. March 21, 2026. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ^ "CHURCHILL DOWNS - May 2, 2026 - Race 12 - Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve" (PDF). Equibase. May 2, 2026. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ^ "Golden Tempo". equineline. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
- ^ "Thoroughbred Bloodlines – Toxophilite Mare – Family 9-f". www.bloodlines.net. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2025.