Golden Tempo Heads to Saratoga With the Travers Stakes in Sight
Golden Tempo has had little time to enjoy his Belmont Stakes success. The Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner is back at Keeneland, where trainer Cherie DeVaux will prepare him for a two-race Saratoga campaign that could settle the three-year-old championship.
The plan is clear. First comes the $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes on 1 August. Four weeks later, the $1.25 million Travers Stakes awaits on 29 August. Both races take place at Saratoga, and the Travers is the one that may define his season.
Keeneland Remains at the Heart of the Plan
DeVaux has chosen to keep Golden Tempo at the training base he knows best. He prepared at Keeneland before each of his earlier races, and his trainer sees no reason to change a routine that has produced two Classic wins.
That choice matters after a break from racing. Golden Tempo will arrive at the Jim Dandy nearly two months after his Belmont victory, so DeVaux wants his preparation to feel familiar. Keeping him at Keeneland cuts out needless changes before he ships to Saratoga.
The Jim Dandy will serve as his return race and his final trial for the Travers. Once that first target is complete, DeVaux plans to keep his work fairly light. The four weeks between the two races will be based on fitness checks and steady exercise, rather than trying to build him up from the start again.
It is a calm plan for a horse whose rise has moved at great speed.
From a December Debut to the Kentucky Derby
Golden Tempo did not race until 20 December 2025, when he appeared in a six-furlong maiden at Fair Grounds. He broke slowest of the field, dropped to the rear and then produced a sharp late run to win.
That closing style soon became the main feature of his races. He was rarely in a hurry through the early stages, yet he had the speed to pass rivals when the pace began to weaken.
Less than five months after his debut, he lined up in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Golden Tempo was sent off at 23-1 in a field of 20 and once again found himself near the back.
The task looked hard turning for home, but he kept finding ground. Golden Tempo reached the leaders late and beat Renegade by a neck, giving DeVaux a place in the record books as the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner.
Some observers felt the result owed much to the way the race was run. Golden Tempo had received the strong early pace that suits a late-finishing horse, and there were questions over whether he could repeat the result.
The Belmont Stakes provided the answer.
A Second Classic Win at Saratoga
Golden Tempo missed the Preakness Stakes and was given five weeks between the Derby and Belmont. This year’s Belmont was staged at Saratoga over a mile and a quarter, and the race offered another meeting with leading members of his age group.
The pattern was familiar. Golden Tempo raced about 12 lengths behind the lead before starting his move. He came through strongly in the closing stages and won by 1¼ lengths in 2:03.49.
Commandment finished second, with Derby runner-up Renegade back in third. Golden Tempo had beaten two Grade 1 winners and had done it in much the same manner as his Churchill Downs success.
His Belmont run earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 98. He was then voted the unanimous number one in the final NTRA three-year-old poll.
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The Derby result could no longer be treated as a one-off. Golden Tempo had won two of the three Triple Crown races and had placed himself well clear of the other leading colts from the spring.
A Strong Position
Golden Tempo became the 13th horse, outside the Triple Crown winners, to take both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.
That double has often led to the three-year-old championship. Six of the last seven horses to complete it, including Sovereignty in 2025, went on to receive the divisional title.
Golden Tempo has more racing ahead, yet he already holds the strongest record in his age group. He has beaten Renegade twice and Commandment in the Belmont, giving him direct form against the two horses most likely to challenge his position.
His background adds further interest. Golden Tempo is a homebred for Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable and is a son of Curlin. His family gave his connections reason to expect him to improve with time, though few could have expected two Classic wins within six months of his debut.
Why the Jim Dandy Still Matters
The Jim Dandy is meant to prepare Golden Tempo for the Travers, but it is far from a free pass. He will be returning from a break, and his late-running style leaves him reliant on the pace set by others.
A slowly run race could leave him with too much ground to recover. The Jim Dandy may test his ability to adapt if the early fractions do not fall in his favour.
DeVaux does not need him at his very best on 1 August. The main aim is to bring him back safely, sharpen his fitness and have him ready for the Travers four weeks later. Still, a strong performance would confirm that his spring form has carried into the summer.
The Travers presents the bigger prize. Victory there would give Golden Tempo three of the most famous races for American three-year-olds and make his claim to the championship hard to oppose.
What Could Follow Saratoga?
No target after the Travers has been confirmed. The Breeders’ Cup Classic in early November would be a clear option, offering Golden Tempo his first test against older horses.
DeVaux has made no public commitment to that race. Much will depend on how Golden Tempo handles the Jim Dandy and Travers, along with how he comes out of each contest.
For now, Saratoga is the full focus. Golden Tempo has already answered the main question raised after his Derby win by proving that he could repeat it at the highest level.
The next question is whether he can stay at the top through the summer.
The campaign has been set. Keeneland will provide the familiar base, the Jim Dandy will bring him back into action, and the Travers will offer his biggest test since the Belmont.
Golden Tempo enters that test as the clear leader of his generation. A Travers victory would leave little doubt about who owns the three-year-old crown and could set up an autumn meeting with the best older horses in America.
