Twitter Gold: Golden Tempo’s Amazing Kentucky Derby Finish
What a run by this year’s Derby winner
LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 02: Golden Tempo ridden by Jose Ortiz wins the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs Race Track on May 2, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Horsephotos) | Getty Images A couple of days ago, we linked to Secretariat’s stunning Triple Crown victories from 1973. He set a record in the Kentucky Derby which still stands.
In fact, he set records for the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes too, and no horse has ever broken any of them. This year’s Derby was Saturday, and Golden Tempo had one of the more remarkable races in recent memory, coming from dead last fairly late to win . In our article about Secretariat, we mentioned that he still casts a long shadow over the entire sport, but we didn’t realize just how literal that was: last year’s field was entirely descended from Big Red and of this year’s field, the only horse that isn’t descended from Secretariat is Emerging Market.
Secretariat is the direct ancestor now of 663 thoroughbreds, so his mark on the sport will continue for a very long time. Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions || Drop us a line