Golden Tempo Records Final Belmont Breeze at Keeneland

Winning the Kentucky Derby (G1) is a one-way ticket to becoming horse racing royalty, and Keeneland rolled out the red carpet for Golden Tempo May 30. The son of Curlin found himself in a unique scenario Saturday morning when the track reopened after the renovation break at 7:30 a.m. and he had the track to himself. Golden Tempo wasn't completely alone as he joined by workmate So Sandy and one of trainer Cherie DeVaux's ponies. Still, the remainder of the horses waiting to use the fresh surface had to wait for the Derby winner to complete his final breeze for the June 6 Belmont Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. With the track to themselves, Golden Tempo and So Sandy, a 4-year-old stakes-placed son of Omaha Beach, eased into their half-mile breeze together under the watchful eye of DeVaux and the ownership teams of Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable. They moved in tandem down the stretch, completing the work in :48 1/5 and galloping out 5 furlongs in 1:01 and 6 furlongs in 1:14 4/5. The work was Golden Tempo's third since going last to first beneath the twin spires May 2, and followed a more serious 5-furlong move in 1:00 1/5 May 23. Saturday's work, which he performed inside So Sandy with Jose Ortiz aboard, was the final bit of maintenance needed and went to plan. "He's been full of himself," DeVaux said about the colt in the weeks since the Derby. "He's always really quiet, just touting himself with some confidence. I'm really pleased with how he's acting, he seems like he's taken another step forward." Seeking to become the second consecutive Derby winner to also take the Belmont, Golden Tempo leaves May 31 for Saratoga. A 23-1 longshot in the Derby, Golden Tempo will have nowhere to hide in the $2 million Belmont as one of the clear targets for his competitors. Racing fans were treated to a thrill of his deep-closing kick as he soared past 17 rivals, but he will likely find himself a bit closer in this 1 1/4-mile test with an apparent lack of pacesetters signed up so far. DeVaux is confident he should be able to produce the same run in a slower setup, and that the key will be for Ortiz to time the ride properly. "I think he can be a little bit closer if the pace is slower, but I'm not trying to change his style," Ortiz said. "I'm not going to rush him into any position. Hopefully let him get into a good stride and develop into a good rhythm." Since winning the Kentucky Derby, Ortiz said he has felt Golden Tempo grow mentally, especially during the morning. "He's starting to work a lot better in the morning. Before, you really had to make him work," Ortiz said. "He started getting into that beautiful stride, he's got a nice gear. He galloped out good. We were very happy with him today." Should Golden Tempo emerge from the Belmont in good order, DeVaux said the main targets for the second half of the season will be the $1.25 million Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga and the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at his home track of Keeneland. Although she keeps a barn at Saratoga during the summer, DeVaux said Golden Tempo will return to Keeneland after the Belmont. He would remain there until the Travers unless they opt to prep in the $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) Aug. 1 at Saratoga. If he does run in the Jim Dandy, he would ship in days before the race and then remain at Saratoga through the Travers. Commandment, BRown TriO Complete Final Works That same pace setup that could cause concern for Golden Tempo could be good news for Wathnan Racing's Commandment, who recorded his final pre-Belmont breeze Saturday morning at Churchill Downs. In the Kentucky Derby, the Florida Derby (G1) winner was much closer to the pace than Golden Tempo. After a half-mile in :46.44, Commandment was 6 1/4 lengths off the lead compared to Golden Tempo's 17 3/4 lengths. The Into Mischief colt eventually finished seventh, beaten 5 1/4 lengths. In three breezes since, trainer Brad Cox has kept the typically laid-back work horse inside of a partner to "keep him honest." On Saturday, while working inside of an unraced maiden with regular breeze rider Jonathan Santiago aboard, he recorded 5 furlongs in 1:00 2/5. "His works have been really good since (the Derby)," Cox said. "I like what I've seen. I'm hoping we can be on the right side of the setup this time as opposed to where we were in the Derby. He ran a decent race, I thought he ran well in the Derby." Also aiming to bounce back from the Derby is Klaravich Stables' Emerging Market. The Louisiana Derby (G2) winner was just 2 3/4 lengths off that Kentucky Derby pace through the opening half-mile and eventually finished 10th beaten 7 3/4 lengths. Leaving for New York soon after, the Candy Ride (ARG) colt recorded his third and final work Saturday at Saratoga ahead of the Belmont Stakes, completing a half-mile in :48.40 on the Oklahoma training track. Emerging Market is trained by Chad Brown, who also breezed Klaravich's Peter Pan Stakes (G3) winner Growth Equity and Three Chimneys Farm's Blue Grass Stakes (G1) runner-up Ottinho for the Belmont over the Belmont Park training track. Both horses covered a half-mile in :48.44.