Soon after Cherie DeVaux’s wait-and-see answer Sunday morning about her Kentucky Derby winner’s next stop on the Triple Crown trail, an official from the Preakness called to congratulate the history-making trainer and invite Golden Tempo to the series’ middle jewel in Maryland.
Getting an official invitation checked off one detail for DeVaux, who on Saturday became the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner. Golden Tempo’s Preakness fate could be answered later this week as DeVaux monitors the horse’s recovery from a remarkable yet demanding rally from last place that won the 152nd Derby at Churchill Downs by a neck as a 23-1 long shot.
“As long as he’s in tip-top shape, we’ll talk about it,” said DeVaux, who vanned Golden Tempo over to Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, the morning after the race. “It is on the table, but it’s really up to him.”
The usual post-Derby dilemma for trainers and owners is whether their horses are up for the two-week turnaround at the Preakness. This year, the race is at Laurel Park on May 16 while the traditional Pimlico Race Course is rebuilt. The Triple Crown’s middle jewel will go off at a shorter 1 3/16-mile distance with a presumably smaller field.
Some entrants will be rested from skipping the Derby altogether or being scratched in the days leading up to the “Run For The Roses.” In either case, it’s a tough ask of Saturday’s competitors.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday that second-place Renegade “came back in good order” after a “tough beat,” which also involved a rally from the back. He will take the colt and his other Kentucky horses to Saratoga in New York, the site of next month’s Belmont Stakes, on Tuesday.
Whit Beckman said third-place Ocelli, a 70-1 long shot who rallied to lead at the 1/16 pole before finishing 3/4 lengths behind Renegade, was “doing fine,” but offered no indication about the Preakness. Trainer Bill Mott said a trip to Maryland isn’t in the cards for Chief Wallabee, who finished fourth.
“Nobody talks about the Preakness,” the Hall of Famer Mott said. “The Belmont at Saratoga; we need to discuss that. (Co-owner) Kay Kay (Ball) was thrilled with the way he ran (Saturday). He has done a lot since the first of the year.”
The focus nonetheless remains on Golden Tempo and a possible encore to his gutsy Derby run with jockey Jose Ortiz.
Dead last of 18 horses early on and mostly off the radar, the bay colt weaved through traffic to find space outside and then hit overdrive to outrun the field and edge Renegade in a wild finish with just one length separating the top three. Golden Tempo earned his third win in five career starts, (placing third in his two losses), and collected $3.1 million.
Golden Tempo appeared at ease in the Sunday chill, occasionally sticking his head out of his stall to munch on feed. Meanwhile, DeVaux was trying to regain her bearings from a whirlwind 12 hours that involved a celebratory family dinner at a local steakhouse and just a few hours of sleep.
She still has congratulatory phone messages to answer along with fulfilling media requests. As packed as DeVaux’s immediate future will be, her priority is helping determine if Golden Tempo’s sixth start comes sooner or later.
“There is a lot of racing in him,” she said. “I really am grateful that he’s the horse that you can just do what you need to do and he responds well and kind of just does whatever.
“We’re all just absorbing this and we have to have a lot of conversations. … Factors like that are not what’s at the forefront of our minds. We want to do what’s best for the horse.”
READ MORE:Hall of Fame trainer Tom Amoss talks about historic Kentucky Derby for Golden Tempo, Cherie DeVaux
