Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Four from Fair Grounds, Turfway
Thailand breaking his maiden at Turfway Park (Photo by Coady Media)
December 22nd, 2025
On Saturday at Fair Grounds, unraced two-year-old Golden Tempo debuted with an eye-catching performance, suggesting he could be any sort of talent.
True, his winning time was ordinary. But it was the manner in which Golden Tempo prevailed—in complete defiance of his pedigree, no less—that immediately stamped the colt as a 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1) contender.
Golden Tempo
A homebred racing for Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stables, Golden Tempo debuted in a six-furlong maiden special weight over the Fair Grounds main track. His pedigree suggested the distance was shorter than ideal; he’s a son of two-time Horse of the Year and stamina influence Curlin out of Carrumba, winner of the 1 1/8-mile Top Flight H. (G3), and a daughter of champion and Preakness (G1) winner Bernardini.
This pedigree is strongly geared toward late maturity and success over classic distances. And yet, somehow, Golden Tempo found a way to win his debut sprinting as a two-year-old.
Unsurprisingly, Golden Tempo was outsprinted during the early stages of the race, trailing a 10-horse field through fractions of :22.18 and :45.90. He was still seven lengths behind turning for home. But showing no signs of tiring, Golden Tempo blazed his final quarter-mile in :23.67 (even while shifting around a drifting rival) and stormed past the entire field to win by 1 1/2 lengths.
Golden Tempo reached the finish line in 1:10.66, a respectable time, though one that would be bettered by Sockdolager (see below) later in the afternoon. But Golden Tempo finished substantially faster than Sockdolager, suggesting he’ll live up to his lofty pedigree and relish stretching out around two turns. Golden Tempo is a highly exciting prospect for trainer Cherie DeVaux.
Sockdolager
Another impressive winner on Saturday at Fair Grounds was Sockdolager, a second-time starter who ran 0.61 faster than Golden Tempo in a different six-furlong maiden special weight.
When Sockdolager debuted on Nov. 14 at Churchill Downs, he failed to factor at any point. Bumping with another horse at the start of the six-furlong maiden special weight didn’t help his chances, but the son of Gun Runner never raced closer than seventh place at any call and tired down the homestretch to finish 10th, beaten 8 1/4 lengths.
Trainer Joe Sharp subsequently shipped Sockdolager to Fair Grounds, where the colt ran like a completely different horse in his second start. Facing half a dozen rivals, Sockdolager broke sharply, secured the lead through splits of :22.18 and :45.65, and clocked his final quarter-mile in :24.40 to power clear and win by 5 3/4 lengths.
Sockdolager reached the finish line in the respectable time of 1:10.05. Gun Runner has sired elite sprinters and route racers alike, so it’s too early to say if Sockdolager will successfully stretch out in distance. But if he does handle racing around two turns, he’ll be a name to know on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Thunder Buck
Sockdolager wasn’t the only second-time starter to strike at Fair Grounds on Saturday. Thunder Buck, another son of Gun Runner, likewise found his second outing far more productive than his first.
A Calumet Farm homebred, Thunder Buck debuted in a deep seven-furlong maiden special weight on Oct. 16 at Keeneland. After trailing by 9 1/2 lengths, the Brad Cox trainee passed a few rivals to finish fourth by 10 1/4 lengths. He finished behind Chip Honcho, who won the Gun Runner S. on Saturday at Fair Grounds, but came home ahead of Liberty National, the Gun Runner second-place finisher.
Suffice to say, Thunder Buck performed much better when stretching out over 1 1/16 miles for his second start. Favored at 3-1 to conquer 11 rivals in a maiden special weight, Thunder Buck rated in fifth place through fractions of :24.00, :47.72, and 1:12.80 before launching a wide rally to prevail by 1 3/4 lengths.
Thunder Buck’s winning time of 1:44.83 was only 0.07 slower than the 1:44.76 clocking posted by Chip Honcho in the Gun Runner. This promising performance suggests Thunder Buck is ready to join the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Thailand
At Turfway Park, Thailand appreciated switching from turf to Tapeta for a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on Sunday.
Thailand performed respectably in his first two starts on grass, finishing third by margins of one length and three-quarters of a length. But Tapeta unlocked a winning performance. The Wesley Ward-trained son of Not This Time raced in second through splits of :23.63, :48.50, and 1:13.48 before getting up in the final strides to prevail by a nose in 1:44.80.
Jockey Flavien Prat scores his 4th win on the night aboard 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗔𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗 in the Sunday nightcap @TurfwayPark.
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) December 22, 2025
The 2-year-old colt by Not This Time is trained by Wesley Ward.#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/rWFhmbWLSv
Thailand is a son of Not This Time, a versatile stallion who sires graded stakes winners on dirt, turf, and synthetic alike. One of his best dirt runners, 2022 champion three-year-old male Epicenter, finished second in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, so Thailand may warrant a try on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
