Golden Tempo came out of his Lecomte Stakes win in good shape, at least as of Sunday, and all being well will make his next start Feb. 14 at Fair Grounds in the Risen Star Stakes. A debut sprint winner on Dec. 20, Golden Tempo closed from last of 10 to win the 1 1/16-mile Lecomte by three-quarters of a length, though he was going away at the finish. His raw time of 1:44.98 worked out to an 81 Beyer Speed Figure, up from a 78 in his debut, but a pedestrian number for a Kentucky Derby prep in mid-January. That left the colt’s trainer, Cherie DeVaux, unconcerned. “I use speed figures just as a gauge," DeVaux said. "He improved from his first to second start, and there’s still a lot of room for improvement. We’re looking at wanting to peak in May, and to me you wouldn’t really want him doing too much right now. We’re looking to the future, and it looks like his best days are ahead of him.” Golden Tempo, a Curlin homebred owned by St. Elias Stable and the Phipps Stable, did display a surprisingly sharp turn of foot for a dirt horse when jockey Jose Ortiz before the three-furlong marker asked his mount to move forward. That initial burst stood out, as did Golden Tempo’s ability to sustain his run for three furlongs before galloping out strongly like the true route horse he appears to be. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. “The good thing about the series here is that the races progressively get longer, and that’s good for him,” DeVaux said. The Risen Star is run over 1 1/8 miles, and the March 21 Louisiana Derby is at 1 3/16 miles. Mesquite, also trained by DeVaux, finished a solid second while avoiding the mistakes he’d made winning a Churchill maiden route in his last start. No plans yet, but Mesquite runs back either in the Risen Star or the Rebel on March 1 at Oaklawn Park. While the Lecomte couldn’t have gone better for DeVaux, three races earlier she’d watched Atropa finish third, beaten two necks, as the 1-2 favorite in the Silverbulletday Stakes. The Silverbulletday, won wire to wire by Taken by the Wind, was run at a snail’s pace, with Atropa pinned along the inside unable to improve her position until the homestretch. “The race didn’t unfold as we hoped with her,” said DeVaux, who did not rule out running Atropa back in the Feb. 14 Rachel Alexandra. DeVaux also won a 3-year-old maiden route with second-time starter Reagan’s Honor, who stretched out from an even sprint debut and led from start to finish Saturday under Flavien Prat, earning an 81 Beyer. DeVaux plans to run Reagan’s Honor back in a first-level allowance next month, while two Saturday debut runners who performed decently in defeat, the filly Love and Trust and the colt Double Entendre, will make the sprint-to-route move in their next race. Mojacar, a closing debut third after acting greenly in the paddock and post parade, then blowing the break, could run in another sprint, DeVaux said. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.