Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo headlines deep Travers field

Aug 24, 2026 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

Golden Tempo wins the Belmont (G1) at Saratoga.

Golden Tempo wins the Belmont (G1) at Saratoga. (Photo by Coglianese Photos)

Golden Tempo emerged as the leader of the three-year-old division with rousing, last-to-first rallies in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont (G1). Now the Cherie DeVaux trainee will bid to confirm his status in Saturday’s $1.25 million Travers (G1) at Saratoga.

His nine opponents include familiar foes like Renegade, the Derby runner-up and Belmont third-placer. But there are new faces, including Preakness (G1) star Napoleon Solo; Baby Vino, who just upset Napoleon Solo in the Haskell (G1); and up-and-comers Leading Change and Sea Strike.

“This is the deepest Travers we’ve seen in a long time,” Napoleon Solo’s trainer, Chad Summers, told New York Racing Association publicity. “Obviously, Golden Tempo is the favorite for the three-year-old championship, but he’s never run against us before. So, we’ll see what happens in the race.”

Golden Tempo began his career over the winter at Fair Grounds, where he showed promise by winning his first two starts, including the Lecomte (G3). After a distant third in the Risen Star (G2), the son of Hall of Famer Curlin improved with the addition of blinkers to finish a much closer third in the Louisiana Derby (G2).

At Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May, Golden Tempo put it all together when charging home to deny Renegade by a neck. In the process, he put DeVaux in the record book as the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner. Golden Tempo repeated his deep-closing tactics to prevail in the Belmont, contested over the same 1 1/4-mile circuit at Saratoga as the Travers.

“He is so classy, he is so professional,” DeVaux said. “He’s been like that his entire life. He’s a horse who just continues to improve and continues to mature and change. They do a lot of that up until their four-year-old year, and he’s just continuing in that trend. That’s why each race we’re hoping he’s going to continue to improve, which he has done so far.”

Golden Tempo has not raced since the Belmont on June 6. A minor illness prompted him to skip the Jim Dandy (G2), the local prep, and train up to the Travers.

Renegade showed up in the Jim Dandy, uncorking a strong late kick to get up by a half-length. The Todd Pletcher colt was winning for the first time since his convincing victory in the March 28 Arkansas Derby (G1), and he could be peaking in his rematch with Golden Tempo. Renegade is tabbed as the 3-1 second choice on the morning line, not far off Golden Tempo, the 5-2 favorite.

“He’s very professional,” Pletcher said of Renegade, “and he’s good-feeling and always manageable. I think he’s kind of got his running style figured out – settle and make that explosive move late. He’s pretty uncomplicated. He’s been able to do it in all kinds of scenarios, so we’re not looking to change anything. He’s been in peak form the past couple of weeks, and he acts to me like he’s sitting on a big race.”

“He’s shown good energy and his appetite has been great,” Pletcher added. “He’s been training enthusiastically and it seems like he’s thriving. I’m very happy with him.”

DeVaux is well aware that Renegade could pose a stiffer challenge to Golden Tempo at this stage of the season.

“I have great respect for Renegade,” DeVaux said. “I feel like they are all rivals when you are the favorite. Everybody is out to get you, so I think it will be interesting. I have always said this race is a bit different than the other races because horses do a lot of maturing throughout the summer, colts especially, so it will be interesting to see how they both perform. And we have new horses in the race, too, and they weren’t part of the conversation during Belmont week.”

One of those horses entering the conversation is Silent Tactic, who had to scratch from the Kentucky Derby with foot problems. Finally resurfacing in the Jim Dandy, he ran a terrific third despite being short of optimal fitness. A battle-tested veteran of the Road to the Derby at Oaklawn Park, Silent Tactic won the Southwest (G3), just missed in the Rebel (G2), and placed second to Renegade in the Arkansas Derby.

“He’s really happy now,” said Silent Tactic’s trainer, Mark Casse. “He’s doing well. There was no way he could have been 100 percent for the Jim Dandy. I would say he was probably 90 percent. If he can move up five percent or so, it’s going to put him in the mix. I’m excited to watch him run. He breezes like a $25,000 claimer, he always has, but he runs like a Grade 1 horse.”

Casse also commented on the depth of the Travers field.

'It can’t be any tougher,” Casse said. Of course, you're bringing the Kentucky Derby winner in, but they’re all about the same category, give or take a little. And he’s right there with them. We just need a good trip.”

The Puma, the near-misser in the Florida Derby (G1), is in a similar situation. Like Silent Tactic, The Puma was a high-profile Kentucky Derby hopeful who had to scratch with an ill-timed setback. He returned to action in the Haskell, finishing a solid fourth, and remains eligible to move forward for trainer Gustavo Delgado.

Napoleon Solo dazzled in last fall’s Champagne (G1), and the gray cycled back to that top form with a front-running display in the Preakness. Again trying to go wire to wire in the Haskell, Napoleon Solo was worn down late in the slop at Monmouth Park. The upset winner, locally-based Baby Vino, benefited from a rail-skimming ride at his home track. In the process, Baby Vino’s trainer, Lindsay Schultz, became the first female to send out a Haskell winner.

Trainer Brad Cox and Qatari-based Wathnan Racing were prominent on the Triple Crown trail with Commandment, but they rely on another prospect, Leading Change, in the Travers. Although light on experience, the unbeaten colt brings plenty of upside into his first Grade 1 test. Leading Change captured the Indiana Derby (G3) in his stakes and two-turn debut, inspiring his connections to pitch him into the deep end.

“We think he’s a big-time horse,” Cox said of the Gun Runner colt, a half-brother to his 2020 Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner, Shedaresthedevil. “Obviously, he lacks seasoning, but is a very talented horse with a great mind. Big-time pedigree. We are excited about what he’s shown us. He’s always acted like a good horse, and hopefully we can be a player in the Travers.”

Trainer Chad Brown has two entrants with contrasting profiles, the experienced Emerging Market and graded stakes newcomer Sea Strike.

Emerging Market won the Louisiana Derby, beating Golden Tempo, but he has not managed to threaten him since. Only 10th in the Kentucky Derby and fifth in the Belmont, Emerging Market was recently second in a Saratoga allowance versus older horses.

“He was kind of in a slow pace last out,” Brown said. “He was in the back and wide, and it just didn’t really set up for him. He was able to run second and ran a good figure in the race, so I’m going to give him another try.”

Sea Strike raced into the Travers picture with his 8 1/4-length conquest of the Curlin S. at the Spa. Improving markedly on the stretch-out from sprinting, he faces another class and distance question on Saturday.

“He is a lightly-raced horse, and we’ll see if we can get another eighth of a mile out of him at the mile and a quarter and see how he does. On figures, it looks like he fits,” Brown said.

The nation’s most accomplished maiden, Ocelli, again seeks to get on the scoreboard. He’s run well in defeat, especially when third in the Kentucky Derby, fourth in the Preakness, and second in the Ohio Derby (G3). But Ocelli trailed in the Haskell in his latest, and he’ll need to jump up substantially to score his first career win in this spot.

According to NYRA, you have to go back 150 years to find a horse who broke his maiden in the Travers – D’Artagnan in 1875. And he never won again!

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