It was another Kentucky Derby (G1) winner for Claiborne on Saturday when the Claiborne born and raised Golden Tempo made history as the first horse trained by a female trainer to win the race.
Trained by Cherie DeVaux and bred by Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stables, the Curlin colt was retained by his breeders and spent his early years at the farm. As a racehorse he came out running last December and has impressed every step of the way.
Breaking his maiden in a Fair Grounds Maiden Special Weight in his debut, the colt was stepped up to stakes company in his next start. That proved to be just the right move with Golden Tempo winning the Lecomte S. (G3) in only his second start.
Racing through the Road to the Kentucky Derby series at Fair Grounds, Golden Tempo was third in both the Risen Star S. (G2) and the Louisiana Derby (G2) in his final preps.
Drawing one of the outside posts in the Kentucky Derby, Golden Tempo didn’t have an easy time of it and spent much of the race in last. Over 15 lengths stood between him and the front runners, but he wasn’t going to let that deter him.
Racing behind a wall of horses at the top of the stretch, he was switched all the way to the outside by Jose Ortiz and found another gear. Hooking up with Renegade in the last few strides, Golden Tempo used that motivation to find more and won by a neck in the end.
VICTORY FOR GOLDEN TEMPO IN THE 152ND KENTUCKY DERBY! 🐎🌹
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 2, 2026
📺: The 152nd Kentucky Derby on NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/bWevY504eH
With his jockey wearing the historic Phipps silks, Golden Tempo passed every single horse in the field to earn to the win.
“This is everything to anybody in horse racing, really,” said Daisy Phipps Pulito. “This is (why) we breed to race. This is why you do it, to be on stages like this.”
The victory took his record to three wins in five starts with two other top three finishes for $3,433,000 in earnings.
The colt is out of fifth generation Phipps-bred and Claiborne resident Carrumba, who was celebrated by Claiborne Farm staff after the victory.
💛🍬@KentuckyDerby winner 𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗗𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗣𝗢'𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝗺 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗕𝗔 got some extra love and peppermints last night at her home at @ClaiborneFarm. pic.twitter.com/nd4YM9GxGe
— Phipps Stable Fan (@PhippsStableFan) May 3, 2026
The morning after the Kentucky Derby, DeVaux wasn’t yet committing to the Preakness S. (G1), saying the horse will let her know what is next.
“We’ll get him back there. We’ll assess how he’s doing, and as long as he’s in tip-top shape, we’ll talk about it. It’s on the table, but it’s really up to him,” she said.