Golden Tempo Rallies to Victory in 2026 Lecomte
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New Orleans, LA – Making his second career start, going two-turns for the first time, Golden Tempo started slow but finished fastest in a last-to-first rally to capture the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes on Saturday, at Fair Grounds. His victory in the $250,000 Lecomte Stakes, contested at the 1 1/16 miles distance on a fast track, propelled the obviously talented son of Curlin to a prominent position on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 20 points. The Lecomte, which awards Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale to the top five finishers, is the first of the races at Fair Grounds for three-year-olds that offer Kentucky Derby points.
The Cherie DeVaux-trained son of Curlin, owned by Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable, broke sluggishly under jockey Jose L. Ortiz and settled at the rear in the field of 10. Stablemate Mesquite, ridden by Flavien Prat, raced wide throughout to finish strongly for second, a neck ahead of third-place Carson Street.
Ortiz reflected on the ride, noted the track’s speed-favoring bias and praising Golden Tempo’s adaptability to overcome the slow pace in only his second start after breaking his maiden sprinting around one turn.
Lecomte Stakes 2026 Official Order of Finish
1st – Golden Tempo (#5)
2nd – Mesquite (#7)
3rd – Carson Street (#2)
4th – Chip Honcho (#11)
5th – Quality Mischief (#1)
6th – Exosome (#4)
7th – Stop the Car (#10)
8th – Crown the Buckeye (#3)
9th – White Tiger (#8)
10th – Thunder Buck (#6)
Note: #9 Ocelli was scratched
Lecomte Stakes 2026 Payoffs
| 2026 Lecomte Stakes (G3) – Fair Grounds – January 17 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bet Type | Combination | Base Amount | Payout |
| Win / Place / Show | Golden Tempo (#5) – Win | $2 | $7.40 |
| Golden Tempo (#5) – Place | $2 | $4.20 | |
| Golden Tempo (#5) – Show | $2 | $3.40 | |
| Place / Show | Mesquite (#7) – Place | $2 | $4.80 |
| Show | Mesquite (#7) – Show | $2 | $3.80 |
| Show | Carson Street (#2) – Show | $2 | $6.80 |
| Exacta | 5-7 (Golden Tempo over Mesquite) | $1 | $13.30 |
| Trifecta | 5-7-2 (Golden Tempo – Mesquite – Carson Street) | $0.50 | $55.40 |
| Superfecta | 5-7-2-11 (Golden Tempo – Mesquite – Carson Street – Chip Honcho) | $0.10 | $79.20 |
For their parts, Mesquite earned 10 points, Carson Street 6, Chip Honcho added 4 points to move him up on the leaderboard with 14 total, and Quality Mischief earned 2. The result underscores DeVaux’s rising stable as a force in the 3-year-old division, with eyes now on the next Fair Grounds prep, the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes on February 15.
