Golden Tempo lost the Travers, but his path toward the Classic remains fully intact

Cherie DeVaux remained satisfied with the third-place effort from the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner behind Leading Change, confirming he will stay on course toward the Breeders’ Cup; Englishman, on the other hand, is expected to train straight up to the Sprint

SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York (Special for Turf Diario).— The defeat in the Travers Stakes (G1) did not alter plans for Golden Tempo. The Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1) winner finished third behind Leading Change (Gun Runner) and Napoleon Solo (Liam's Map) on Saturday at Saratoga, but Cherie DeVaux made it clear that she remained satisfied with his performance and that the target continues to be the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) on October 31 at Keeneland.

Sent off as the 2-1 favorite in the Travers, Golden Tempo once again relied on his familiar style of running from far off the pace. He found himself ninth, roughly 16 lengths off the leader, before making steady forward progress.

By the time he turned into the stretch, he had advanced to third, just 2 1/2 lengths off the lead, but from there he was unable to gain further ground, finishing 2 1/4 lengths behind Leading Change, who wore down Napoleon Solo in the final 50 meters to preserve his undefeated record.

“None of us are disappointed with his race,” DeVaux stated. “He is a horse that needs a few things to go his way. Not everything, but he does need certain things to happen, and yesterday wasn’t that scenario. Regardless, he ran a great race, we are satisfied and proud of him. We are going to move forward toward the Breeders’ Cup Classic.”

The remaining question is whether Golden Tempo will race once more before facing the $7,000,000 Classic or train straight into it from the Travers. DeVaux explained that this decision will be made down the road alongside Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable, owners and breeders of the colt.

Golden Tempo had arrived at Saratoga boasting a virtually flawless campaign in the major classics. He first delivered a memorable rally to capture the Kentucky Derby and subsequently proved his distance capacity again over 2,000 meters by capturing the Belmont Stakes, also held at Saratoga.

His third-place finish in the Travers represented a brief bump in the road, but not a performance that raised alarm within his connections—especially considering that his closing style leaves him heavily dependent on race shape and pace.

While Golden Tempo turned in a respectable effort in defeat, DeVaux’s other star 3-year-old put on another exhibition.

Englishman led from wire to wire in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1-1,400 m), cementing his status as the division leader among sprinters of his crop. The son of Maxfield stopped the clock in 1:20.71, just 31 hundredths of a second off the Saratoga track record he had tied when winning the Woody Stephens (G1) on June 6.

“It was another electrifying performance,” DeVaux summarized. “He has been extremely consistent throughout his career, with the exception of when we stretched him out to the mile in the Pat Day Mile. He is an exciting horse. It would be very hard for me to imagine ever having another one like him in my barn again. Once again, he was impressively good.”

Englishman, who now boasts two consecutive G1 victories at Saratoga, is expected to take a racing break now. The intention is to train him straight into the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), also scheduled for October 31 at Keeneland.

In this way, DeVaux emerged from a pivotal card with positive feelings, despite Golden Tempo’s inability to complete his bid for the Derby-Belmont-Travers treble. One was defeated without disappointing and keeps his Classicaspirations intact; the other dominated once again and will head to the Sprint as one of its headliners.

Golden Tempo and Englishman will depart Saratoga this Monday to return to Keeneland, DeVaux’s main home base. There, preparation will begin for the major autumn objective.

Two completely different horses—one a deep-closing stayer and the other possessing crushing early speed—share a common trait: both will head to the Breeders’ Cup as top-tier contenders capped off by an exceptional year for Cherie DeVaux.