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2026 Stakes Wins for Phipps Bloodlines, Nov 9, 2026
Coastal Conflict Seeks Maiden Win on Sunday at Belmont, Nov 6, 2026
Golden Tempo Aiming to Become the Phipps Family’s First Breeders’ Cup Classic Winner, Oct 30, 2026
Pentathlon Sets Sights on First Graded Win in Belmont’s Forty Niner Stakes (G3), Oct 29, 2026
Pentathlon Faces Stakes Winners in Sunday Test at Belmont, Oct 4, 2026
Coastal Conflict Switching to Turf for Second Start, Oct 3, 2026
Buckpasser’s 1966 Jockey Club Gold Cup Win, Sep 18, 2026
Quiet Power Making Stakes Debut in the G3 Old Dominion, Sep 6, 2026
Stakes Winner Pentathlon Set for Return at Saratoga, Sep 2, 2026
Coastal Conflict Entered for Career Debut, Aug 20, 2026
Phipps Bloodlines Average Over $1 Million for Second Straight Year at the Saratoga Sale, Aug 12, 2026
Phipps Female Families Well Represented in the Saratoga Sale, Aug 5, 2026
Quiet Power Graduates at the Big A, Jun 11, 2026
Golden Tempo Makes History for the Phippses with Belmont Stakes Victory, Jun 7, 2026
Dark Assault Chasing Maiden Score at Saratoga, Jun 3, 2026
Golden Tempo Delivers the Phippses a Second Derby Win and 12th Classic Win, May 4, 2026
Kentucky Derby Contender Golden Tempo Carries on the Phipps Legacy, May 2, 2026
Pentathlon Steps Back Up to Graded Company for the Westchester Stakes, May 1
Pentathlon Earns First Stakes Victory in the Army Mule, Mar 28
Pentathlon Returning to Stakes Company for the Army Mule, Mar 25
Golden Tempo Chasing Kentucky Derby Berth in Louisiana Derby, Mar 20, 2026
Golden Tempo Taking Next Step on the Kentucky Derby Trail in the Risen Star, Feb 14, 2026
2025 Graded Stakes Winners from Phipps Families, Jan 1, 2026
Phipps and St. Elias’s Golden Tempo Shines in Debut; Declared a TDN Rising Star, Dec 22, 2025
Mare Monday: In Foal to Flightline, Phipps Stable’s Wayfaring is Selling Tuesday in Keeneland Book 1, Nov 3, 2025
Mare Monday: Dance Club Carries on the Elite Family of Personal Ensign, Oct 6, 2025
Mare Monday: Fly So High, Sep 29, 2025
Phipps Bloodlines Represented by $3.3 Million Keeneland Session 1 Sale Topper, Sep 9, 2025
The Family of Phipps-bred Maxfield Colt in the Keeneland September Sale, Sep 8, 2025
Saratoga Sale Yearlings from Phipps Families Average More Than $1 Million, Aug 20, 2025
Fly So High’s Peak Performer Takes A Small Step Forward, Aug 10, 2025
Janney & Phipps’s Tom Collins Entered for Saratoga Maiden, Jul 4, 2025
2024 Graded Stakes Winners from Phipps Families, Dec 21, 2024
2024 Stakes Winners by Phipps Stallions, Nov 16, 2024
Phipps Colt Pentathlon Chasing Allowance Victory, Oct 11, 2024
Self Confident Entered for Keeneland Opening Day, Oct 1, 2024
Update on Dynamic One, Sep 26, 2024
Pentathlon the Favorite for his Allowance Debut, Sep 20, 2024
A Deep Dive Into the Family of Cover Model’s Munnings Colt in the Keeneland September Sale, Sep 7, 2024
Self Confident on a Two-Race Win Streak for Saratoga Start, Sep 1, 2024
Mystifying Moving to the Turf to End Six-Month Layoff, Sep 1, 2024
Dynamic One Adopted and Beginning Second Career in Eventing, Aug 21, 2024
Pentathlon Closes Strongly in Saratoga Maiden Win, Aug 15, 2024
Promising Phipps Colt Pentathlon Chasing First Score, Aug 14, 2024
Saratoga Sale Features 17 Yearlings from Phipps Families, Aug 3, 2024
Perform Returns to Saratoga in Search of Victory, Aug 1, 2024
Tom Collins Making Sophomore Debut, Jul 11, 2024
Blue-Blooded Phipps Colt Pentathlon Moves Forward with Runner-Up Maiden Effort, Jun 30, 2024
Constitution’s Half-Brother Juan Valdez Seeking Maiden Win, Jun 19, 2024
Phipps Homebred Now and Later Ending Layoff at Churchill, Jun 14, 2024
“Rising Star” Signator Stepping Up for Suburban Stakes, Jun 8, 2024
Pentathlon Takes Show Honors in 3-Year-Old Debut, Jun 7, 2024
Perform Progresses With Runner-Up Effort at Saratoga, Jun 7, 2024
Phipps-bred Pentathlon Looks to Graduate, Jun 6, 2024
Stakes Winner Perform Returns to Action at Saratoga, Jun 6, 2024
Self Confident Breaks Through With Maiden Win, May 18, 2024
Well-Bred Self Confident Seeks Her Maiden Win on Saturday, Apr 6, 2024
Phipps Filly Mystifying Wins At First Asking, Jan 14, 2024
Phipps-bred Stallions Represented by 10 Graded or Group Stakes Wins in 2023, Jan 2, 2024
Final 2023 Graded & Group Stakes Wins by Horses From Phipps Families, Jan 1, 2024
Saratoga Sale Sees Fillies from Phipps Families Fetch Top Dollars, Aug 9, 2023
15 Yearlings in The Saratoga Sale From Phipps Families, Aug 4, 2023
Dreams of Tomorrow Goes North for the G2 Connaught Cup, Jul 23, 2023
Surprisingly Seeking Another Graded Stakes Win in the Matchmaker, Jul 21, 2023
Perform in Saratoga’s Travers-prep Curlin Stakes, Jul 21, 2023
Shug Seeking Eatontown Three-Peat With Surprisingly, Jun 16, 2023
Dreams of Tomorrow Returns to Graded Stakes in G3 Poker, Jun 10, 2023
Bakers Bay Returns to Stakes Company, This Time as a Turf Sprinter, Apr 7, 2023
Phipps Female Families Finish 2022 With 40 Graded Stakes Victories, Jan 5, 2023
Phipps Stable 2022 Year in Review, Jan 2, 2023
Phipps Bloodlines Have Major Influence at the 2022 Breeders’ Cup, Nov 4, 2022
Fasig November Sale Features 14 Broodmares from Phipps Families, Nov 1, 2022
Signator Earns TND “Rising Star” Recognition, Oct 15, 2022
Eric Mitchell on Flightline’s Phipps Family, Sep 13, 2022
Keeneland September Book 1 Highlights 22 Yearlings from Phipps Families, Sep 11, 2022
An Update on “The Phipps Influence”, Sep 6, 2022
Vigilantes Way Notches Her Fourth Stakes Win in the Violet, Sep 4, 2022
Strong Saratoga Sale Results for Yearlings from Phipps Families, Aug 8, 2022
Phipps Stable 2022 Juvenile Roster, Jul 30, 2022
Saratoga Sale to Feature 17 Yearlings from Phipps Families, Jul 17, 2022
Dynamic One Wins the G2 Suburban, Jul 9, 2022
Sid Fernando on “The Phipps Influence”, Jul 6, 2022
Dynamic One Scores Second Stakes Win in the Blame, Jun 4, 2022
Phipps Foals of 2022, May 15, 2022
Phipps Stable 2021 Year in Review, Jan 3, 2022
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Coastal Conflict Entered for Career Debut
By B. Jason Brooks
Phipps Stable’s homebred juvenile filly Coastal Conflict is entered to make her career debut on Saturday, August 22, in a 6½-furlong maiden special weight on the dirt at Saratoga Race Course.
The daughter of Violence drew post 2 in a field of 11 and will have jockey Tyler Gaffalione aboard for Hall of Fame trainer Claude R. “Shug” McGaughey. Gaffalione has enjoyed success riding for Phipps Stable, having guided the stable’s co-owned Kentucky Derby (G1) starter and Suburban Stakes (G2) winner Dynamic One (Union Rags) to victory in the 2022 Blame Stakes.
Coastal Conflict is the second foal out of the Blame mare Seaside Retreat and is a half-sister to Phipps-bred winner Poppy Woppy (Mitole), who was sold at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Coastal Conflict’s pedigree is rated A+ by TrueNicks, and she is bred on the same cross as multiple grade 1-winning sire Forte.
Her second and third dams, Boca Grande (A.P. Indy) and Country Hideaway (Seeking the Gold), were both multiple graded stakes winners trained by Shug McGaughey. Her fourth dam is Phipps foundation mare Our Country Place (Pleasant Colony), whom Ogden Phipps purchased privately as a yearling in 1993. The distinguished female family has also produced grade 1 winners Guarana, Point of Entry, Pine Island, and Pleasant Home.
B. Jason Brooks is a Thoroughbred racing and pedigree researcher, writer, and social media manager residing in Saratoga Springs, New York. He can be followed on X at @bjbrooksNY.
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Phipps Bloodlines Average Over $1 Million for Second Straight Year at the Saratoga Sale
By B. Jason Brooks
The 2026 Saratoga Sale demonstrated continued strong demand for Phipps bloodlines at the top end of the Thoroughbred yearling market, with eight yearlings grossing $8,900,000 and averaging $1,112,500. This is the second consecutive year in which yearlings from Phipps female families have averaged more than $1 million.
The average sale price for yearlings sold from Phipps female families exceeded the average for those sold from non-Phipps families by $353,368, or 46.5 percent. The 144 yearlings sold from non-Phipps families averaged $759,132.
The average price for yearlings sold from Phipps families also increased, with this year’s average rising 9.9 percent from 2025. Last year, eight yearlings from Phipps families grossed $8,095,000 and averaged $1,011,875 (see the August 2025 story “Saratoga Sale Yearlings from Phipps Families Average More Than $1 Million“).
Five of the eight yearlings from Phipps families sold for seven figures.
$2.3 million was the most expensive yearling sold from Phipps families. The Into Mischief colt (Hip 91) out of Tapit mare Stellar Sound was purchased by Flying Dutchmen from the Hill ‘n’ Dale consignment. The colt’s second through fourth dams are Phipps mares from the Versailles Treaty branch of Phipps foundation mare Ten Cents a Dance.
(Photo: Hip 91, colt, Into Mischief – Stellar Sound, by Tapit)
$1.7 million was paid by Spendthrift Farm and Delta Squad Racing for a Taylor Made Sales-consigned colt (Hip 129) by Not This Time out of Pioneerof the Nile mare Way too Pretty. The colt’s second through tenth dams are Phipps mares from the successful Get Lucky branch of Baby League.
$1.55 million was realized for a Justify colt (Hip 212) out of Smart Strike mare Good Omen. Speedway Stables purchased him from the Warrendale Sales consignment. His eighth dam Hopefully and ninth dam White Favor are Phipps mares.
$1.2 million was the final price for a Life Is Good colt (Hip 201) out of Street Sense mare From the Hood. She was purchased by Amo Racing from the consignment of Taylor Made Sales. The colt’s fifth through eighth dams are Phipps mares from the Bases Full branch of Baby League.
$1.075 million secured a Candy Ride (ARG) filly (Hip 40) out of Street Sense mare Off Topic. She was purchased by Andrew Hudson’s Hoolie Racing and an unnamed partner, from the consignment of Scott Mallory. The filly’s third through seventh dams are Phipps mares from the Educated Risk branch of Grey Flight.
The other three yearlings sold from Phipps families were:
$450,000 for an Uncle Mo colt (Hip 77) out of Gone Astray mare Shifty She, purchased by Repole Stable from the VanMeter Sales consignment. The colt’s third through seventh dams are Phipps mares from the Educated Risk branch of Grey Flight.
$425,000 for another Uncle Mo colt (Hip 161) out of Candy Ride (ARG) mare Canteen, purchased by Tom Durant from the Gainesway consignment. The colt’s fourth through seventh dams are Phipps mares from the Marking Time branch of Big Hurry.
$200,000 for an Arabian Lion colt (Hip 151) out of Arch mare Battle Bridge, purchased by III Beauty’s Thoroughbreds and Murry Smith from the Vinery Sales consignment. The colt’s second through ninth dams are Phipps mares from the Narrative branch of Belle Histoire.
In addition to those sold, bidding reached $1.95 million for a Not This Time colt (Hip 65) out of Phipps-bred Medaglia d’Oro mare Sabbatical, but he did not meet his reserve. The colt’s first nine dams are Phipps mares from the Get Lucky branch of Baby League.
The success of Saratoga Sale yearlings from Phipps female families creates strong momentum for these bloodlines in the upcoming Keeneland September Sale.
B. Jason Brooks is a Thoroughbred racing and pedigree researcher, writer, and social media manager based in Saratoga Springs, New York. He can be followed on X at @bjbrooksNY.
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Phipps Female Families Well Represented in the Saratoga Sale
By B. Jason Brooks
A deep dive into the pedigrees of the yearlings selected for the 2026 Saratoga Sale identifies a dozen descending from Phipps female families – an impressive number given Fasig-Tipton’s highly selective standards based on conformation and pedigrees.
The group comprises nine colts and three fillies representing nine different Phipps female families: three from the family of Baby League; two from the family of Dorine (ARG); and one each from the families of Belle Histoire, Big Hurry, Erin, Grey Flight, Minstress, Ten Cents a Dance, and White Favor.
The yearlings are also by some of the industry’s most sought-after stallions. Four are by Not This Time, two by Uncle Mo, and one each by Justify, Into Mischief, Candy Ride (ARG), Quality Road, Life Is Good, and Arabian Lion.
The Phipps family’s century-long breeding program continues to exert an extraordinary influence throughout the Thoroughbred stud book. The occasional sale of Phipps-bred mares has allowed other breeders to develop successful branches of these attractive families, producing classic winners and champions. One recent example is 2022 Horse of the Year and exciting freshman sire Flightline, whose second through sixth dams are Phipps mares.
The Phipps influence was particularly evident at last year’s Saratoga Sale, where eight yearlings from Phipps female families sold for a combined $8,095,000 and averaged $1,011,875. Three of them brought seven figures, led by the sale-topping $4.1 million Into Mischief colt. (For more details sale, see “Saratoga Sale Yearlings from Phipps Families Average More Than $1 Million,” Aug. 20, 2025.)
Phipps bloodlines have received even greater attention following Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable homebred Golden Tempo’s victories in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1), making him the first Phipps homebred to capture two Triple Crown races. This success will likely enhance the support for Saratoga Sale yearlings from Phipps families this year.
Among those to watch is Hip 65, a Not This Time colt out of Phipps-bred three-time winner Sabbatical, by Medaglia d’Oro. Bred by D. J. Stable and consigned by Taylor Made Sales, the colt is a half-brother to Phipps homebred Dreams of Tomorrow, by Speightstown, who placed in the 2021 Henry S. Clark Stakes.
From the successful Get Lucky branch of Phipps foundation mare Baby League, Sabbatical is a half-sister to Browse, by Medaglia d’Oro, the dam of Six Speed, by Not This Time, winner of this year’s U.A.E. Two Thousand Guineas (G3) and a Kentucky Derby (G1) alumnus. Sabbatical is a half-sister to Imagining, by Giant’s Causeway, winner of the 2014 Man o’ War Stakes (G1), who placed in four other grade 1 races. Another half-sister, Snooze, by Forestry, is the granddam of Chocolate Gelato, by Practical Joke, winner of the 2022 Frizette Stakes (G1). This family also includes 2010 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Super Saver, by Maria’s Mon, and juvenile champion Rhythm, by Mr. Prospector, among numerous other grade 1 winners.
Another attractive Not This Time colt from the Phipps family of Baby League is Hip 129, bred by Stonestreet Farm and consigned by Taylor Made Sales. The colt is out of Way Too Pretty, by Pioneer of the Nile, a half-sister to Spendthrift Farm’s Callback, by Street Sense, winner of the 2015 Las Virgenes Stakes (G1).
Way Too Pretty is also a half-sister to Defy Gravity, by Bandini, winner of the 2011 Smart Halo Stakes and granddam of Solitude Dude, by Yaupon. An eight-length winner of last year’s Inaugural Stakes, Solitude Dude followed it up this year with a 3¾-length victory in the Swale Stakes and a two-length victory in the Bay Shore Stakes. He also placed in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) and Amsterdam Stakes (G2).
A third yearling generating considerable buzz is Hip 91, a colt by Into Mischief out of multiple graded stakes-placed Stellar Sound, by Tapit. The colt shares the same Into Mischief–Tapit cross with six stakes winners, four of them graded, including Godolphin homebred Pretty Mischievous, who won the 2023 Kentucky Oaks (G1), Acorn Stakes (G1), and Cotillion Stakes (G1) in succession.
Bred by Don Alberto Corp. and consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms, the colt is from the Versailles Treaty branch of Phipps foundation mare Ten Cents A Dance. He is a full brother to the 2025 Saratoga Sale topper, purchased for $4.1 million by the Coolmore partners and White Birch Farm.
The first dam is three-time winner, Stellar Sound, by Tapit, who placed in the Las Virgenes Stakes (G2) and Bayakoa Stakes (G3) in 2020 and the Rancho Bernardo Handicap (G3) in 2021.
The second dam, Siren Serenade, by Unbridled’s Song, is a half-sister to the Coolmore partners’ George Vancouver, by Henrythenavigator, winner of the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1). Siren Serenade is also a three-quarter sister to Phipps homebred Saarland, by Unbridled, winner of the 2001 Remsen Stakes (G2) and runner-up by a neck in the 2003 Metropolitan Handicap (G1). Another half-sister, Rhineland, by Mr. Prospector, is the granddam of Calumet Farm-bred Mongolian Groom, by Hightail, who won the 2019 Awesome Again Stakes (G1) by 2¼ lengths.
The third dam is Shug McGaughey-trained Phipps homebred Versailles Treaty, by Danzig, who earned four grade 1 victories. In 1991, she won the Test Stakes (G1) by 2¾ lengths, the Alabama Stakes (G1) by 4½ lengths, and the Gazelle Handicap (G1) by a half-length in succession. She added the Ruffian Handicap (G1) the following year and twice finished runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1).
The yearlings listed below represent those in the Saratoga Sale from prominent Phipps female families. The list includes the Phipps-bred dams tracing back to the foundation mares acquired by the Phipps family.
2026 SARATOGA SALE YEARLINGS FROM PHIPPS FEMALE FAMILIES
Hip 38, colt (KY), Not This Time – Not Sure, by Lonhro (AUS); 2nd – 5th dams: Possibility / Personal Ensign / Grecian Banner / Dorine (ARG). Consignor Claiborne Farm, Barn 8.
Hip 40, filly (KY), Candy Ride (ARG) – Off Topic, by Street Sense; 3rd – 7th dams: Swinging / Pennant Champion / Personal Ensign / Grecian Banner / Dorine (ARG). Consignor Scott Mallory, Barn 5.
Hip 65, colt (KY), Not This Time – Sabbatical, by Medaglia d’Oro; 1st – 9th dams: Sabbatical / Daydreaming / Get Lucky / Dance Number / Numbered Account / Intriguing / Glamour / Striking / Baby League. Consignor Taylor Made Sales, Barn 10.
Hip 77, filly (KY), Uncle Mo – Shifty She, by Gone Astray; 3rd – 7th dams: Perilous / Educated Risk / Pure Profit / Clear Ceiling / Grey Flight. The broodmare sire, Gone Astray, is also Phipps-bred. Consignor VanMeter Sales, Barn 8.
Hip 91, colt (KY), Into Mischief – Stellar Sound, by Tapit; 2nd – 4th dams: Siren Serenade / Versailles Treaty / Ten Cents a Dance. Consignor Hill ‘n’ Dale, Barn 2.
Hip 129, colt (KY), Not This Time – Way too Pretty, by Pioneer of the Nile; 2nd – 10th dams: Quickest / Supercharger / Get Lucky / Dance Number / Numbered Account / Intriguing / Glamour / Striking / Baby League. Consignor Taylor Made Sales, Barn 7B.
Hip 151, colt (KY), Arabian Lion – Battle Bridge, by Arch; 2nd – 9th dams: Board Battle / Proxy Statement / Deputation / Wedding Party / Betrothed / Vowed / Narrative / Belle Histoire. Consignor Vinery Sales, Agent, Barn 3.
Hip 161, colt (KY), Uncle Mo – Canteen, by Candy Ride (ARG); 4th – 7th dams: A Pretty Smile / Marking Time / Allemande / Big Hurry. Consignor Gainesway, Barn 6.
Hip 189, filly (KY), Not This Time – Earth Strike (IRE), by Zoffany (IRE); 3rd – 5th dams: Storm Song / Hum Along / Minstress. Consignor Taylor Made Sales, Barn 10.
Hip 201, colt (KY), Life Is Good – From the Hood, by Street Sense; 5th – 8th dams: Stolen Base / Bases Full / Striking / Baby League. Consignor Taylor Made Sales, Barn 7B.
Hip 212, colt (KY), Justify – Good Omen, by Smart Strike); 8th – 9th dams: Hopefully / White Favor. Consignor Warrendale Sales, Barn 1.
Hip 223, colt (KY), Quality Road – Inlovewithlove, by Bernstein; 5th – 7th dams: Leix / Bold Irish / Erin. Consignor Gainesway, Barn 6.
B. Jason Brooks is a Thoroughbred racing and pedigree researcher, writer, and social media manager residing in Saratoga Springs, New York. He can be followed on X at @bjbrooksNY.
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Quiet Power Graduates at the Big A
By B. Jason Brooks
Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable’s homebred 3-year-old colt Quiet Power broke through for a well-deserved graduation on Thursday afternoon, scoring by a length and a quarter going a mile on the turf at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Breaking from the inside post with jockey Jose Lezcano aboard, Quiet Power tracked along the inside within striking distance before swinging four wide into the stretch and unleashing a rally to win going away, covering the turf mile in 1:34.88. (Replay below.)
The victory came in Quiet Power’s sixth career start following four previous placings. He finished runner-up in consecutive turf races in September and October at Aqueduct before placing third in March at Gulfstream Park and again in April at Aqueduct.
Trained by Hall of Famer Claude R. “Shug” McGaughey, Quiet Power is by Gainesway Farm’s three-time leading sire Tapit and is the second winner out of Phipps-bred Medaglia d’Oro mare Sabbatical. The dam is a half-sister to Phipps Stable’s Man o’ War Stakes (G1)-winning millionaire Imagining (Giant’s Causeway).
Hailing from the illustrious Get Lucky branch of Phipps foundation mare Baby League, Quiet Power’s second dam is Phipps homebred Daydreaming (A.P. Indy), winner of three graded stakes. His third dam is graded winner Get Lucky (Mr. Prospector), a full sister to Travers Stakes (G1) winner Rhythm. Get Lucky’s grade 1-winning descendants include Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver (Marias Mon), Chocolate Gelato (Practical Joke), Callback (Street Sense), Girolamo (A.P. Indy), Got Lucky (A.P. Indy), and Bluegrass Cat (Storm Cat).
The victory continues an exceptional year for the Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable partnership, which also bred and campaigns Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Golden Tempo.
B. Jason Brooks is a Thoroughbred racing and pedigree researcher, writer, and social media manager residing in Saratoga Springs, New York. He can be followed on X at @bjbrooksNY.
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Golden Tempo Makes History for the Phippses with Belmont Stakes Victory
Story by B. Jason Brooks / Photo courtesy of Janet Napolitano
In the centennial year of the Phipps family’s illustrious Thoroughbred breeding and racing dynasty, the iconic stable celebrated its first homebred dual classic winner as Golden Tempo captured the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.
The sixth-generation Phipps-bred colt broke sharply from the outside post 9 but veered outward and bobbled after making contact with the gate. Jockey Jose Ortiz guided him toward the inside to save ground, settling Golden Tempo at the rear of the nine-horse field before launching his bid around the far turn.
Unlike the Kentucky Derby, in which a fast early pace helped set the stage for Golden Tempo’s last-to-first rally, the Belmont unfolded through moderate fractions of 23.96, 48.29 and 1:12.38. The slower tempo presented a much different challenge for the deep-closing colt, but the result was the same.
Ortiz brought Golden Tempo outside approaching the stretch, and the colt again produced his powerful, sustained rally. Splitting rivals in the lane, he drew clear to defeat Wathnan Racing’s Commandment (Into Mischief) by a length and a quarter, clocking in at 2:03.49 for the mile and a quarter race.
Due to the reconstruction of Belmont Park, the race was held at Saratoga where going the traditional mile and a half for the “Test of the Champion” wasn’t possible based on the layout and distance of the track. Golden Tempo’s margin of victory may very well have been even larger had the race been ran going the traditional mile and a half at Belmont. His pedigree also supports the notion that he could excel at longer distances.
Becoming a dual Classic winner is an extraordinary achievement in itself. Becoming the first to carry that distinction for the Phipps family is even more significant when one considers the legendary horses produced and campaigned by the family over the past century. They include Hall of Famers Seabiscuit and Buckpasser, 1957 Preakness Stakes winner Bold Ruler, 1989 Belmont Stakes winner Easy Goer, and 2013 Kentucky Derby winner Orb. Golden Tempo’s Kentucky Derby and Belmont victories bring the Phipps family’s total number of U.S. male classics to five.
When the family’s victories by fillies and the European classics are included, Golden Tempo’s Belmont triumph represents the Phippses’ 13th classic victory. For the complete list, see the Phipps Stable Blog story, “Golden Tempo Delivers the Phippses a Second Derby Win and 12th Classic Win.”
Golden Tempo’s victory also returned the Phipps family to the Belmont winner’s circle for the first time in 37 years, since Easy Goer’s memorable victory in 1989.
For Golden Tempo’s co-breeders and co-owners, Vinnie and Teresa Viola’s St. Elias Stable, the Belmont represented a third classic victory. St. Elias previously campaigned 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) in partnership and shared in Golden Tempo’s victories in this year’s Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.
Golden Tempo became the second consecutive non–Triple Crown winner to capture both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont, following Godolphin’s Sovereignty (Into Mischief). Sovereignty completed the Derby-Belmont double in 2025, added the grade 1 Travers Stakes, and went on to be named Eclipse champion 3-year-old male and Horse of the Year.
Including the 13 Triple Crown champions, Golden Tempo is the 26th horse in history to win both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. And, he is the 13th to accomplish the double without sweeping all three Triple Crown races.
Much was made of the connections’ decision to rest Golden Tempo rather than go for the Triple Crown. Despite the temptation to join the legends who have accomplished racing’s most coveted feat, Golden Tempo’s connections determined that the two-week turnaround between the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes was in the colt’s best interest. Also, trainer Cherie DeVaux has noted that she had never brought a horse back on such short rest during her career. Not surprisingly, the results of this year’s Preakness offered support for that cautious approach: none of the three horses returning from the Kentucky Derby finished among the first three in the Preakness.
Golden Tempo became the third Derby winner in five years to bypass the Preakness, following Rich Strike in 2022 and Sovereignty in 2025. More importantly, he arrived at Saratoga ready to reproduce his Derby-winning performance—and to erase any suggestion that his victory at Churchill Downs had resulted merely from a favorable pace scenario.
The Belmont also extended DeVaux’s place in racing history. After becoming the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner, the Saratoga Springs native became the first woman to train the winner of two American Triple Crown races.
Golden Tempo will now return to Keeneland to begin preparing for the grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes, scheduled for August 1 at Saratoga. Beyond that awaits the grade 1 Travers Stakes over the same track and distance as his Belmont triumph—and another opportunity for the Phipps family’s first dual classic winner to add to his historic season.
B. Jason Brooks is a Thoroughbred racing and pedigree researcher, writer, and social media manager residing in Saratoga Springs, New York, and can be followed on X at @bjbrooksNY.
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Dark Assault Chasing Maiden Score at Saratoga
By B. Jason Brooks
Phipps Stable’s homebred 3-year-old colt Dark Assault will look to graduate on Friday, June 5, going a mile and an eighth over the main track at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by Hall of Famer Claude R. “Shug” McGaughey III, Dark Assault has been knocking on the door of graduating, finishing second or third in four of his last five starts.
Most recently, he was runner-up going one mile over the Aqueduct dirt on May 14. Returning from a 75-day layoff with jockey Manny Franco in the irons, Dark Assault broke sharply from the inside post and pressed the leader from the three path. He took a narrow lead near the three-sixteenths pole before being brushed slightly by the eventual winner, but held on gamely for second.
He also showed promise early on in his career as a juvenile, coming up a neck short in his second career start in early October for a maiden special weight at Aqueduct going six furlongs (replay below). Breaking from the inside post with Samuel Marin up, he went to the lead where he showed the way until being caught in the final sixteenth by My World (Essential Quality) to take runner-up honors. The winner, My World, went on to win the Nashua Stakes next time in November, followed by the Jerome Stakes in January.
Dark Assault is a fourth-generation Phipps homebred by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms’ Violence (Medaglia d’Oro) and is the third foal out of the More Than Ready mare Power Move, a debut winner who finished second in the one-mile Tempted Stakes in her second start. Dark Assault’s half-brother Four Beach Friends (Speightstown) was sold as a yearling and recently won the Sprint Into Summer Cup Stakes on May 31.
Dark Assault’s third dam is Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) winner Pleasant Home (Seeking the Gold), the granddam of three-time grade 1 winner Guarana (Ghostzapper) and multiple graded stakes winner Cornucopian (Into Mischief). His fourth dam is Phipps foundation mare Our Country Place (Pleasant Colony), a daughter of multiple grade 1 winner Maplejinsky (Nijinsky II {CAN}). Other notable descendants of Our Country Place include two-time grade 1 winner Pine Island (Arch) and five-time grade 1-winning sire Point of Entry (Dynaformer).
B. Jason Brooks is a Thoroughbred racing and pedigree researcher, writer, and social media manager residing in Saratoga Springs, New York, and can be followed on X at @bjbrooksNY.
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Golden Tempo Delivers the Phippses a Second Derby Win and 12th Classic Win
The 2026 Kentucky Derby is a storybook win for the Phipps family who are celebrating 100 years of success in Thoroughbred racing and breeding
by B. Jason Brooks
“First Lady of the Turf” Gladys Mills Phipps began the Phipps family’s Thoroughbred racing dynasty in 1926. Her Wheatley Stable’s first winner came quickly, with James E. “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons-trained Sturdy Stella winning a quarter-mile dash on February 2nd of that year at Miami’s fabled Hialeah Park. A century later, the Phippses remain U.S. racing royalty, winning the Kentucky Derby this past Saturday with homebred Golden Tempo – bred and owned in partnership with Vinnie and Teresa Viola’s St. Elias Stable.
As recently noted on this blog, the Phipps’s accomplishments over the last century are staggering, having bred more than 300 stakes winners, 7 Breeders’ Cup winners, 29 champions, and 8 Hall of Famers, including Seabiscuit, Searching, Bold Ruler, Buckpasser, Personal Ensign, Easy Goer, Inside Information, and Heavenly Prize.
Each successive generation has been a part of a homebred male classic winner, starting with Glady Mill Phipps’s Wheatley Stable colt Bold Ruler in the 1957 Preakness Stakes, Ogden Phipps’s Easy Goer in the 1989 Belmont Stakes, and Phipps Stable – led by family patriarch Ogden Mills “Dinny” Phipps – with Orb in the 2013 Kentucky Derby (bred and owned by the Phipps family in partnership with Dinny’s cousin Stuart S. Janney III, also a grandson of Glady Mills Phipps). Bold Ruler was trained by James E. “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons and Easy Goer and Orb were trained by Claude R. “Shug” McGaughey, both of whom are Hall of Famers. And, each of the Phipps family’s classic winners were born and raised at the Hancock family’s legendary Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky.
Since Dinny’s passing in 2016, breeding and racing has remained a family affair for the Phippses, with Daisy Phipps Pulito as their racing manager, supported by her siblings and their mother Ande. Trained by Cherie DeVaux, Golden Tempo’s Kentucky Derby win represents a remarkable fourth successive generation leading the family stable to a victory in a Triple Crown race.
Besides their successful colts in Triple Crown races, the Phippses have won six of the two undisputed fillies classics: the Kentucky Oaks with Dispute in 1993 and the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) with Edelweiss in 1933, High Voltage in 1955, Christmas Past in the 1982, My Flag in the 1996, and Smuggler in 2005. (This does not include 9 wins of the Acorn Stakes (G1), 6 wins of the Alabama Stakes (G1), 2 wins of the Mother Goose Stakes (G1), and 4 wins of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2), each significant a race of which was considered a part of the New York or National “Triple Tiara” at some point.)
Adding to their success in the U.S., Ogden Phipps’s European stable won the St. Leger Stakes (G1), the final leg of the English Triple Crown, with Boucher in 1972 and the One Thousand Guineas, an English fillies classic, with Quick As Lightning in 1980.
In summary, Golden Tempo became the fourth Phipps colt to win a U.S. classic. When adding six Phipps fillies who won the Kentucky Oaks or Coaching Club American Oaks, as well as two English classic winners, that’s an ultra-impressive dozen classic wins for the Phipps family!
While the family stable is not as large as it used to be when Ogden Phipps had 40 or more horses in training, Phipps Stable currently has 17 horses in training and a broodmare band that typically ranges from 15 to 20 mares.
Their recent success has included more than a dozen stakes wins over the last five years (see a list of these stakes winners in the recent blog story “Kentucky Derby Contender Golden Tempo Carries on the Phipps Legacy”.) No stranger to recent Triple Crown races, they were represented by grade 2-winner Dynamic One in the 2021 Kentucky Derby (G1) and stakes winner Perform in the 2023 Preakness Stakes (G1), both co-owned in partnerships and finished off of the board in their classics.
The next step for Golden Tempo is still to be finalized. His trainer Cherie DeVaux indicated on NBC’s TODAY Show on Monday that a final decision is expected by the end of the week on whether to point him to the Preakness Stakes (G1) at Laurel Park on May 16th or the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on June 6th. Notably, Golden Tempo has the opportunity to become the Phipps family’s first horse to win multiple classics, an impressive feat when considering the greats noted above whom they have bred and raced.
THE PHIPPS FAMILY’s DOZEN CLASSIC WINNERS
Edelweiss – 1933 Coaching Club American Oaks
High Voltage – 1955 Coaching Club American Oaks
Bold Ruler – 1957 Preakness Stakes
Boucher – 1972 St. Leger Stakes (ENG)
Quick as Lightning – 1980 One Thousand Guineas (ENG)
Christmas Past – 1982 Coaching Club American Oaks
Easy Goer – 1989 Belmont Stakes
Dispute – 1993 Kentucky Oaks
My Flag – 1996 Coaching Club American Oaks
Smuggler – 2005 Coaching Club American Oaks
Orb – 2013 Kentucky Derby (with Stuart S. Janney III)
Golden Tempo – 2026 Kentucky Derby (with St. Elias Stable)B. Jason Brooks (𝕏 at @bjbrooksNY) is a Thoroughbred racing and pedigree researcher, writer, and social media manager residing in Saratoga Springs, New York.
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Kentucky Derby Contender Golden Tempo Carries on the Phipps Legacy
By B. Jason Brooks
After kicking off his promising career and progressing well over the winter and spring, Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable’s homebred Golden Tempo is in primed for his grade 1 debut among racing’s most elite in the 152nd Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 2nd.
In his four career starts, all at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans with jockey Jose L. Ortiz aboard, Golden Tempo has demonstrated a strong ability as a closer. This has occurred while progressively stretching out in distance and increasing his Beyer speed figures while winning or placing in all of his races.
(Photo: Trainer Cherie DeVaux and Golden Tempo at Keeneland, April 2026)
Golden Tempo won his December 20th career debut going six furlongs, hitting the stretch in fourth-place before blazing home to win by a length and a half with a Beyer of 78. He came back on January 17th for the 1 ¹⁄₁₆-mile Lecomte Stakes (G3), impressively inhaling the field in the stretch to win by three-quarters of a length with a Beyer of 81. Stepping up in class and stretching out for the 1 ⅛-mile Risen Star Stakes (G2) on February 14th, he hit the top of the stretch in fifth-place and continued advancing, finishing third behind winner Paladin and runner-up Chip Honcho, earning an 84 Beyer. And, most recently in the 1 ³⁄₁₆-mile Louisiana Derby (G2) on March 21st, he advanced in the far turn to third and chased dueling Emerging Market and Pavlovian to the wire, taking show honors with an 88 Beyer.
Despite the third-place showing in the Louisiana Derby, Golden Tempo’s fractions show select hallmarks of the top Kentucky Derby contenders. In examining the need for speed and stamina to win the Derby, racing analyst Dick Downey wrote in his recent BloodHorse story (here) that 8 of 10 recent Derby winners “ran within one second of averaging :12 [seconds] per furlong during at least four of the five calls of their final Derby prep” and that “all but one of those eight finished the last 3 furlongs of their respective final preps in the well-known :38 [seconds] or less.” Downey goes on to highlight that Golden Tempo is one of only four Derby entries (after the scratch of Fulleffort) meeting the criteria. According to Downey, in the Louisiana Derby, Golden Tempo put up “four 12s of the first five calls” and went “from the 6 ½ furlong marker to the finish line” in 37.19 seconds. This angle shines a light on Golden Tempo’s closing speed that will serve him well in the “Run for the Roses”.
Following the Louisiana Derby, Golden Tempo shipped to Keeneland where he has been thriving. Trainer Cherie DeVaux recently stated, “He has matured both physically and mentally a lot… He was always a heavier horse and took a while for him to really shape up physically, and we’re there now. He has really improved in that respect.”
Golden Tempo’s recent Keeneland workouts demonstrate his continued progress, breezing five furlongs on April 10th in 1:00.8 (the third-fastest of 20), and four furlongs on April 17th in :47.0 (the second-fastest of 58).
Given the potential for an early hot pace, Golden Tempo breaking from the outside, and his running style of settling off the pace early on and closing like a freight train, he may be on the cusp of experiencing Kentucky Derby glory.
Significance in History
A Golden Tempo victory in the Kentucky Derby would be groundbreaking for multiple reasons. First, his trainer Cherie DeVaux would become the first woman to condition a Kentucky Derby winner. Second, although he has won the classic Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, it would be the first Kentucky Derby win for Eclipse Award-winning jockey Jose Ortiz. And third, despite Curlin being an all-time great sire, Golden Tempo would be his first Kentucky Derby winner.
Since entering Thoroughbred racing and breeding in 1926, each successive generation of the Phipps family has won a Triple Crown race. Starting with Gladys Mills Phipps’s Wheatley Stable colt Bold Ruler, by Nasrullah (IRE), in the 1957 Preakness Stakes, followed by Ogden Phipps’ colt Easy Goer, by Alydar, in the 1989 Belmont Stakes, and, most recently, Ogden Mills “Dinny” Phipps and family’s Phipps Stable colt Orb, by Malibu Moon, in the 2013 Kentucky Derby (bred and owned in partnership with Stuart S. Janney III, Dinny’s cousin). Bold Ruler was trained by James E. “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons and Easy Goer and Orb by Claude R. “Shug” McGaughey, both Hall of Fame trainers.
(Photo: Ogden Phipps, Bull Hancock and Dinny Phipps, 1966. Keeneland Library/Morgan Photographic Collection)
Over the last century, the Phippses have bred more than 300 stakes winners, 29 champions, and 8 Hall of Famers, including Seabiscuit, Bold Ruler, Buckpasser, Easy Goer, Personal Ensign, Heavenly Prize, Inside Information, and Searching.
Today, Phipps Stable has 17 horses in training and a broodmare band of around 20 mares. They continue their winning ways, with more than a dozen stakes wins over the last five years. In addition to Golden Tempo, their recent top performers include the following:
- Pentathlon, by Speightstown, winner of the 2026 Army Mule Stakes. He is owned in partnership by Phipps Stable, St. Elias Stable, and Woodford Racing;
- Signator, by Tapit, winner of the 2025 Henry S. Clark Stakes. His owner partnership included West Point Thoroughbreds, Woodford Racing, Gainesway, Ken Langone, Lynne and Edward Hudson Jr., and Lane’s End.
- Surprisingly, by Mastery, winner of the 2023 Endeavour Stakes (G3);
- Perform, by Good Magic, winner of the 2023 Federico Tesio Stakes and a Preakness Stakes (G1) contender that year. Phipps Stable owned him in partnership with Woodford Racing, Lane’s End, Ken Langone, and Lynne and Edward Hudson Jr.;
- Dynamic One, by Union Rags, winner of the 2022 Suburban Stakes (G2) and a 2021 Kentucky Derby (G1) contender. Phipps Stable owned him in partnership with Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable;
- Vigilantes Way, by Medaglia d’Oro, winner of the 2021 Eatontown Stakes (G3); and,
- Performer, by Speightstown, winner of the 2019 Discovery Stakes (G3) and 2021 Fred W. Hooper Stakes (G3), as well as placed in the 2020 Cigar Mile Handicap (G1). He was co-owned with Claiborne Farm.
Seeing the legendary black and cherry Phipps silks in the 2026 Kentucky Derby winners’ circle would be a fitting accomplishment following the family’s century of excellence in Thoroughbred racing and breeding.
B. Jason Brooks is a Thoroughbred racing and pedigree researcher, writer, and social media manager residing in Saratoga Springs, New York.
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Pentathlon Steps Back Up to Graded Company for the Westchester Stakes
By B. Jason Brooks
After opening his 5-year-old campaign with back-to-back victories, Phipps Stable homebred Pentathlon is seeking his first career graded stakes win on Sunday in the $175,000 Westchester Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Race Course.
The one-mile dirt race for ages four years and older includes a field of five, with a scheduled post time of 4:16 p.m. Eastern. Pentathlon drew the rail and retains the services of jockey Dylan Davis for Hall of Fame trainer Claude R. “Shug” McGaughey.
The Speightstown horse is coming off of a determined victory in the Army Mule Stakes on March 28th at Gulfstream Park in which he rallied from off the pace to win by a half-length. The stakes victory followed an impressive February 15th allowance optional claiming score at Tampa Bay Downs in which Pentathlon rallied win by three and a quarter lengths.
Pentathlon enters the Westchester after winning three of his last four starts, dating back to October 24th. His only loss during this span came against a deep field in the Cigar Mile Handicap (G2) at Aqueduct in December in which he finished fifth.
Sunday’s race represents a step back up to graded stakes competition and will also stretch Pentathlon back out to a mile, the same distance he broke his maiden by three and a half lengths at Saratoga.
The accomplished field for the Westchester Stakes includes grade 1 winner Antiquarian (Preservationist), multiple graded stakes winner Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo), and multiple stakes winners Quint’s Brew (Mosler) and Rated by Merit (Battalion Runner).
Bred by Phipps Stable, Pentathlon is owned by his breeder in partnership with Vinnie and Teresa Viola’s St. Elias Stable and the Farish family’s Woodford Racing partnership.
A victory in the Westchester would give Pentathlon his third consecutive win and first graded stakes victory.
B. Jason Brooks is a Thoroughbred racing and pedigree researcher, writer, and social media manager residing in Saratoga Springs, New York. He can be followed on X at @bjbrooksNY.
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Pentathlon Earns First Stakes Victory in the Army Mule
By B. Jason Brooks
Phipps Stable’s co-owned Pentathlon produced a powerful late run to earn his first stakes victory in Gulfstream Park’s $175,000 Army Mule Stakes on Saturday.
Ridden by Dylan Davis for Hall of Fame trainer Claude R. “Shug” McGaughey, the 5-year-old Speightstown horse rallied from off the pace to win by a half-length, completing seven furlongs over the fast main track in 1:23.11.
Breaking from post 2, Pentathlon settled along the rail as the leaders established quick opening fractions of 22.71 and 45.14 seconds. Mr. Davis guided him off the inside approaching the five-sixteenths pole and he began advancing three wide around the far turn. He swung five wide entering the stretch before a sustained rally down the center of the track for the win. Pentathlon earned a 95 Beyer speed figure for the performance.
The victory was his second in as many starts this year after opening 2026 campaign with a dominant 5-length allowance optional claiming score at Tampa Bay Downs on February 15.
The Army Mule Stakes marked a breakthrough stakes success for Pentathlon, who finished fifth when making his graded stakes debut in the Cigar Mile Handicap (G2) at Aqueduct in December.
The Phipps-bred is owned in partnership by Phipps Stable, St. Elias Stable, and Woodford Racing.
The victory was especially fitting for the ownership partnership since grade 1 winner Army Mule was owned by St. Elias Stable.
B. Jason Brooks is a Thoroughbred racing and pedigree researcher, writer, and social media manager residing in Saratoga Springs, New York. He can be followed on X at @bjbrooksNY.
