With Saturday’s win with Golden Tempo in the Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs, jockey Jose Ortiz completed a personal sweep of Triple Crown races, having won the 2022 Preakness (G1) aboard Early Voting and the 2017 Belmont Stakes (G1) with Tapwrit.
Ortiz gave Golden Tempo a masterful ride in the Derby, getting over to save ground from Post 16 in the 18-horse field soon after breaking from the gate. Last by as many as 18 lengths off the torrid pace, he picked up horses around the far turn to be 13th — just five lengths off the lead — at the top of the stretch as Ortiz swung him to the outside to make his run into the history books. They would pass 11 horses in the final eighth of a mile to outfinish Renegade, ridden by his brother, Irad.
“Jose, it was almost as if he could script it,” DeVaux said. “There was a lot of talk about him having an outside position, which we didn’t think was a big deal because there are crowds at the beginning of the race, and it’s a long stretch just to get position on the rail. Golden Tempo doesn’t really give Jose any help by just falling back so far. Jose gets all the credit for the win in the race. He got him in position around the turn and moved him out and got a clear path.”
Golden Tempo was bred by and races for the iconic Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable of Vinnie and Teresa Viola. The Derby winner has Preakness winners on both sides of his pedigree, being a son of 2007 Preakness winner, two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Hall of Famer Curlin. Golden Tempo is out of the broodmare Carrumba, a daughter of 2006 Preakness winner and 3-year-old champion Bernardini.
Source – The Paulick Report
