Kentucky Derby Roundup: Golden Tempo rallies late in Lecomte

The 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1) is 103 days away. Catch up on the latest news and notes as the Road to the Kentucky Derby unfolds:

Golden Tempo rallies late in Lecomte

Golden Tempo made his Road to the Kentucky Derby debut a winning one in Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile Lecomte (G3) at Fair Grounds.

Coming off a maiden win, dashing six furlongs at Fair Grounds, Golden Tempo relished stretching out around two turns. The stoutly bred son of Curlin trailed a 10-horse field with only five-sixteenths of a mile remaining, but launched an eye-catching rally between and inside rivals to get up and prevail by three-quarters of a length in 1:44.98.

Mesquite, Carson Street, Chip Honcho, and Quality Mischief rounded out the top five.

The Lecomte awarded Kentucky Derby qualification points on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis to the top five finishers, making it twice as valuable as other recent prep races. As a result, Golden Tempo vaulted to second place on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 20 points.

Chip Honcho, who previously earned 10 points via a win in the Gun Runner S. at Fair Grounds, advanced to fourth place on the leaderboard with 14 points.

Knock It Off impresses in Fair Grounds maiden win

Knock It Off could develop into a Kentucky Derby contender after debuting with a big win on Saturday at Fair Grounds.

Overlooked at 8-1 in a six-furlong maiden special weight, Knock It Off led all the way and finished fast down the homestretch to score by 1 1/4 lengths in the quick time of 1:09.47.

Later in the afternoon, Reagan’s Honor got the job done in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight at Fair Grounds. He carved out a modest pace before turning back all challenges to win by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:45.03.

Learn more about Knock It Off and Reagan’s Honor in the latest edition of Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch.

Euro/Mideast Road resumes with UAE 2000 Guineas

Following a three-month hiatus, the European/Middle East Road to the Kentucky Derby resumes on Friday with the running of the UAE 2000 Guineas (G3) at Meydan in Dubai.

The UAE 2000 Guineas is new to the series for 2026. Held over a metric mile, it awards qualifying points on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis to the top five finishers.

Among the expected starters is Raajehh, a son of Complexity who rallied to win a sprint at Meydan on Dec. 19.

Golden Tempo, Jackson Hole join Kentucky Derby Power Rankings

Golden Tempo’s win in the Lecomte was sufficient to earn a spot in the latest Kentucky Derby Power Rankings on KentuckyDerby.com.

Previously a Power Rankings member following his impressive debut win on Dec. 20 at Fair Grounds, Golden Tempo rejoins the list in 13th place.

Another new name is Jackson Hole, who ran faster than Golden Tempo when winning a $125,000 allowance optional claimer on Lecomte day at Fair Grounds. He clocked 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.71 and debuts in 20th place in the Power Rankings.

To make way for Golden Tempo and Jackson Hole, flashy maiden winner Englishman and the Grade 1-placed Universe have been removed from the Top 20.

Ted Noffey resumes training, targets 2026 debut

Ted Noffey, who is almost certain to be voted champion two-year-old male of 2025 at the upcoming Eclipse Awards, resumed serious training on Friday.

In his first timed exercise since battling to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), Ted Noffey clocked three furlongs in a bullet :37.01 at Palm Beach Downs.

Trainer Todd Pletcher has indicated the Feb. 28 Fountain of Youth (G2) will mark the 2026 debut of the unbeaten three-time Grade 1 winner.

Ted Noffey maintains favoritism in Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3

Fresh off his return to the work tab, Ted Noffey closed as the 6-1 individual favorite in Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 3.

The overall favorite, as usual, was All Other Three-Year-Olds, which closed at 7-2. Among the horses contained in this catch-all group is Lecomte winner Golden Tempo.

Check out the full list of betting interests and odds here.

Latest Kentucky Derby contender workouts

Here are some of the latest workouts recorded by Road to the Kentucky Derby points earners:

Arctic Beast: Five furlongs in 1:01.20 on Saturday at Churchill’s Trackside training track.

Balboa: Half a mile in :50.60 on Monday at Laurel Park.

Baytown Dreamer: Five furlongs in 1:01.60 on Saturday at Turfway Park.

Civil Liberty: Half a mile in :49.00 on Sunday at Santa Anita.

Courting: Four furlongs in :48.97 on Friday at Palm Beach Downs.

Desert Gate: Six furlongs in 1:12.20 on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Diciassette: Four furlongs in :48.45 on Saturday at Palm Meadows.

Enforced Agenda: Half a mile in :51.42 on Friday at Palm Beach Downs.

Grittiness: Four furlongs in :48.11 on Saturday over the Belmont Park training track.

Incredibolt: Five furlongs in 1:02.00 on Wednesday at Palm Meadows.

Intrepido: Five furlongs in 1:02.00 on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Liberty National: Four furlongs in :48.00 on Saturday at Fair Grounds.

Litmus Test: Four furlongs in :48.00 on Sunday at Santa Anita.

My World: Four furlongs in :50.80 on Sunday at Payson Park.

Napoleon Solo: Three furlongs in :36.45 on Wednesday at Palm Meadows.

Paladin: Half a mile in :49.80 on Saturday at Payson Park.

Plutarch: Four furlongs in :49.20 on Monday at Santa Anita.

Rancho Santa Fe: Half a mile in :49.80 on Saturday at Oaklawn Park.

Renegade: Four furlongs in :50.36 on Saturday at Palm Beach Downs.

Sleepingonfreedom: Four furlongs in :49.20 on Friday at Oaklawn Park.

Soldier N Diplomat: Five furlongs in 1:01.20 on Saturday at Fair Grounds.

Talkin: Three furlongs in :37.40 on Monday at Palm Meadows.

Ted Noffey: Three furlongs in :37.01 on Friday at Palm Beach Downs.

Very Connected: Four furlongs in :49.20 on Sunday at Fair Grounds.

Western Man: Four furlongs in :49.99 on Tuesday at Will Rogers Downs.

Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard top five

1. Ted Noffey (40 points)
2. Golden Tempo (20 points)
3. Litmus Test (19 points)
4. Chip Honcho (14 points)
5. Intrepido (13 points)

European-Middle East Road to the Kentucky Derby top five

1. Hawk Mountain (20 points)
2. Puerto Rico (10 points)
3. Bow Echo (10 points)
4. Action (8 points)
5. Nighttime (5 points)

Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby top five

1. Pyromancer (20 points)
2. Tamamo Freesia (10 points)
3. Satono Voyage (10 points)
4. Best Green (6 points)
5. Don Erectus (5 points)