Phipps, St. Elias Partnership Produces Derby Winner

There are many factors that go into producing a Kentucky Derby (G1) winner, and one of the most important factors that led to the triumphant moment of Golden Tempo sailing past 17 horses to win the Run for the Roses May 2 was the partnership of Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable. The alliance between two of the most recognizable stables in America kicked off with another Kentucky Derby horse, Dynamic One, who finished 17th in the 2021 edition. The grade 2-winning son of Union Rags was bred by the Phipps and offered at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale where Vinny and Teresa Viola's St. Elias partnered with Repole Stable on a $725,000 bid. Vinny Viola then offered a piece of his share of Dynamic One back to the Phipps family, not knowing that decision would lead the two to sharing the Kentucky Derby winner's circle five years later. Daisy Phipps Pulito, racing manager of Phipps Stable, said at the time the family didn't have a lot of horses in training and about 20 broodmares, leading to them being interested in the offer to partner. Pulito and Viola established a great relationship and were soon looking for more opportunities together. "We were talking about partnering on the colts out of Phipps Stable mares," Pulito said on the May 4 episode of BloodHorse Monday. "Golden Tempo's year was the first full year that we did that with the colts and it's worked out really well for all of us." Golden Tempo's family has been in the Phipps family dating back to the mare Lady Pitt, whose lineage includes grade 1 winners Dancing Forever, Dancing Spree, Fantastic Find, Furlough, Heavenly Prize, Oh What a Windfall, The Liberal Member, and now Golden Tempo. In 1976, Lady Pitt produced a daughter of 1972 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Riva Ridge named Blitey. That multiple graded stakes winner would then produce an unraced daughter of Nijinsky II named Oh What a Dance, who produced grade 1-placed Dancinginmydreams (Seeking the Gold). Dancinginmydreams then produced Castanet, a daughter of El Prado who is Golden Tempo's granddam. His dam Carrumba, a daughter of Bernardini, was a grade 3 winner and grade 1-placed. "Phipps Stable always believed (Carrumba) was one of our better (mares)," Pulito said. Golden Tempo breaking through on the Derby stage was representative of years of hard work and dedication by the Phipps family. This year marked 100 years since Pulito's great-grandmother, Gladys Mills Phipps, founded Wheatley Stable alongside her brother, Ogden Livingston Mills, and began one of the game's greatest breeding programs. "It's my grandfather (Ogden Phipps), my father (Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps), and my great-grandmother," Pulito said. "They really cultivated these families and we're reaping the benefits right now. It is special, and that weighs heavy on me." That breeding program is one that the Violas greatly respect. "It's not lost on Teresa and I, the whole family, that the Phipps family have allowed us to participate in this sport with them," Viola said at the post-Derby press conference Saturday night. "We deeply, deeply appreciate the opportunity to do special things like this." "There is a true love and respect for each other," St. Elias executive director of racehorse operations Monique Delk said about the Phipps and Viola families on BloodHorse Monday. "Mr. Viola loves the breeding and loves the dynamic of that. How could you not love the Phipps family foundation program? It's all there. The partnership came very organically. I think it's going to be very successful, there's a great mutual respect on both sides." By partnering with the Violas, Pulito said that it also opened the door for breeding to top stallions. In the post-Derby press conference, Viola gave credit to St. Elias bloodstock advisor John Sparkman for pushing the mating of Carrumba with Curlin. "He's a remarkable stallion and matched with that mare," Pulito said. "When they're born, what do you do? You say, 'Oh this could be the one.' He's a colt, he looks like this, this could be your Kentucky Derby winner. Then you spend the next three years of your life wondering if that's going to happen, and it did." Those early dreams did not always appear as if they would be justified, with both Pulito and Delk not seeing Golden Tempo as the standout when initially going through the crop. However, the two recognized that he would do well with added time and attention. "Typically, we send our 2-year-olds out right around this time of year, but we waited until October with him," Delk said. "We knew he needed a little bit more time to get everything going in the right direction; he was growing. You want to give them the best chance to succeed. Giving him those extra few months was very good in his development and Cherie's done a phenomenal job with him." The partnership had sent a couple of horses to trainer Cherie DeVaux the prior year and felt her skills would properly suit what the horse needed. "We thought she would pay very close attention to detail with this horse and just be patient with him," Delk said. "I think that's all we really wanted: someone to be patient, someone to pay very close attention to him." That close attention from DeVaux carefully crafted Golden Tempo into the cream of the crop by the first Saturday in May of his 3-year-old season, rewarding both the Phipps and Viola families with their second Derby winners. Viola and his wife, Teresa, were co-owners of 2017 Derby winner Always Dreaming alongside MeB Racing Stable, Brooklyn Boyz Stables, Siena Farm, and West Point Thoroughbreds. "To do it once you think is once in a lifetime," Delk said. "To do it twice, that's pretty amazing." Pulito's father, Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps led the family to a Derby victory with Orb in 2013, who he co-bred and co-owned with his cousin, Stuart Janney III. Ogden Phipps II, who took over the operation along with Pulito following their father's death in 2016, remarked at the post-Derby press conference about how not all the family members were able to make it for Orb's Derby, giving a little extra joy this time around. "For our family, this is something we have done together for many generations," Phipps said. "I have five sisters and all of my sisters are here, and my nieces and nephews are here, my three kids are here. And I'm not sure I have ever seen them so excited as today. My kids and my nieces and nephews weren't able to be here for Orb, but everybody is here today. We always maybe thought what this feeling would be like to be together and do it. It far surpasses it." The only person who was missing was their mother, Andrea, who watched the race from Florida. Pulito said they all had the opportunity to call her on the walk to the winner's circle and that she was "over the moon." Pulito also took time to reflect on her own connection to some of the great Phipps horses when she was a kid, and how Golden Tempo will impact the lives of the family's children going forward. "When we were our kids' ages and we were racing Easy Goer, Seeking the Gold, and Personal Ensign, they gave us those thrills that made us love our broodmares, love our horses, and love the sport," Pulito said. "The fact we were now able to do that for our children and Vinny's children and grandchildren and they all get to share in this experience; they are now all lovers of horse racing for the rest of their lives, too. "I think that's probably the most important thing for us. St. Elias has a huge fanbase in their family to root for and, Phipps Stable, our children are now fully invested. Saturday, they will all say, is the greatest day of our lives."