Owing to the equine talent in her barn, trainer Cherie DeVaux said earlier this week that she would be a "little disappointed" if she did not have a strong contender in both this spring's Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs.
Three and a half months out, she seems on her way.
On Jan. 17 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, DeVaux watched her two lightly raced 3-year-old colts, Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable's Golden Tempo and LBD Stable's Mesquite, uncork powerful finishes to run 1-2 in the $250,000 Lecomte Stakes (G3) at the New Orleans oval.
"So excited for both horses. Elated for the owners," DeVaux said.
She also had a filly, Atropa, run third in a Road to the Kentucky Oaks prep, the $145,500 Silverbulletday Stakes, earlier Saturday at Fair Grounds.
Both newly turned 3-year-old colts ran well, with the outcome decided in part from their respective trips. Golden Tempo, who broke slowly, was able to save ground under a patient ride from Jose Ortiz, while Mesquite raced around a wider path under Flavien Prat.
In the final sixteenth of the 1 1/16-mile race, they ran down stretch leader Carson Street, who had been a part of the pace with Crown the Buckeye through fractions of :23.72, :47.11, and 1:11.89. Golden Tempo, with a last-to-first rally in his second career start after a debut win going 6 furlongs last month at Fair Grounds, hit the wire in a time of 1:44.98 on a fast track with Ortiz pumping his fist in jubilation at the finish.
"I followed Mesquite until the three-eighths pole; he went outside and I went inside," Ortiz said. "Luckily, I got an opening and the horse did the rest.
"I'm very impressed. I was a little bit worried because you never know how a horse is going to react going two turns for the first time, and he was facing stakes horses for the first time."
Golden Tempo was bet down to favoritism in the field of 10 and paid $7.40 for a $2 win wager.
Mesquite, making his third start after a route maiden victory at Churchill Downs in his second career outing in November, finished three-quarters of a length behind Golden Tempo at the finish.
Carson Street faded to third, a neck behind the runner-up, and was followed across the finish line by Gun Runner Stakes winner Chip Honcho in fourth. The latter was off slowly and keen through the first turn and backstretch with a wide trip. Quality Mischief was fifth.
With Saturday's victory, Golden Tempo earns 20 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby, vaulting him into second place on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard behind early Kentucky Derby favorite Ted Noffey with 40 points.
The Lecomte was the first domestic prep race of 2025 for 3-year-olds to offer 42 qualifying points toward the Derby, distributed on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis to its top five finishers. Churchill Downs officials use qualifying points to publicize the 1 1/4-mile first leg of the Triple Crown and as a preference system when the race lures more than its capacity field size of 20 starters.
Points increase further for Derby preps later this winter and spring.
Two Kentucky Derby winners have exited the Lecomte this century, though neither was victorious in the Lecomte. The 2002 Kentucky Derby winner, War Emblem, ran fifth in the Lecomte, and the Brad Cox-trained Mandaloun , elevated from second to first in the 2021 Derby upon the disqualification of Medina Spirit for a medication violation, ran third in the Lecomte.
Golden Tempo is a bay homebred son of elite classic-winning sire Curlin out of the grade 1-placed, graded stakes winner Carrumba. The colt is the second starter and first winner for Carrumba, a daughter of Bernardini, bred and raced by Phipps Stable.
Curlin stands for $225,000 at Hill 'n' Dale Farms near Paris, Ky.
Video: Lecomte S. (G3)
Taken by The Wind Goes From Vet's List to Winner's Circle
In the Silverbulletday Stakes, Taken by the Wind improved to 3-for-3 in proving uncatchable in the race over a mile and 70 yards. Taken by the Wind, under jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., was able to set an easy pace with fractions of :25.69, :50.24, and 1:14.49, which left her with plenty in the stretch when several rivals offered bids. She prevailed by a neck, timed in 1:43.58 for the distance.
Runner-up Luv Your Neighbor chased the winner down the center of the track, ahead of the inside-rallying Atropa. Pashmina was fourth, and Dancin in Old Town was fifth.
"When Luv Your Neighbor came to her at the head of the lane, she was able to fend her off with how easily she was able to go early on," Hernandez said.
The Silverbulletday, like the Lecomte, distributed qualifying points on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale to its first five finishers, though toward the May 1 Kentucky Oaks for 3-year-old fillies.
Taken by the Wind is now unbeaten in three starts. This marked her first start since winning the Pocahontas Stakes (G3) in September at Churchill Downs—after which she was placed on the veterinarian's list of ineligible-to-start horses by the Kentucky state veterinarian. She remained there for months, a restriction trainer Kenny McPeek considered unwarranted. So he ultimately shipped her to Louisiana, where she was able to race.
A 3-year-old daughter of Rock Your World out of the First Samurai mare Up for Grabs, Taken by the Wind races for owners Magdalena Racing, NFL football legend Terry Bradshaw, Graham Leveston, and Raasi Stable. She is third on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard with 30 points, having picked up 10 points earlier in capturing the Pocahontas.
The Courtney Meagher-bred filly was a $20,000 purchase by McPeek out of the Gainesway consignment to the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.
