Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo skipping Preakness to end Triple Crown dream

Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo skipping Preakness to end Triple Crown dream

The Preakness Stakes will have no Tempo.

No Golden Tempo, that is.

The Kentucky Derby winner will not participate in this year’s Preakness, eliminating any chance of a Triple Crown winner in 2026.

Jockey Jose Ortiz with horse Golden Tempo after winning the Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2026.
Jockey Jose Ortiz with horse Golden Tempo after winning the Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2026.IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cherie DeVaux Racing made the announcement less than a week after Golden Tempo made a come-from-behind run at the Kentucky Derby to win the first leg of the Triple Crown.

“After much thoughtful discussion as a team, we have decided that Golden Tempo will bypass the Preakness Stakes,” Cherie DeVaux Racing said in a statement. “We are incredibly appreciative of the excitement and support surrounding the possibility of a Triple Crown run. The enthusiasm from racing fans, our owners and our entire team has meant more to us than we can properly express.

“Golden gave us the race of a lifetime in the Kentucky Derby, and we believe the best decision for him moving forward is to give him a little more time following such a tremendous effort. His health, happiness and long-term future will always remain our top priority.”

Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo among top contenders for Triple Crown  next leg on one condition - The Mirror US

The plan is for Golden Tempo to run in this year’s Belmont Stakes, taking place at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York while Belmont Park undergoes renovations.

The decision means it will now be eight consecutive years without a Triple Crown winner after Justify completed the feat in 2018, winning the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes.

Golden Tempo’s win was historic, marking the first time in the Derby’s 152-year history that a female-trained horse won the race.Trainer Cherie DeVaux kisses the trophy after a victory by Golden Tempo in the Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2026.

Trainer Cherie DeVaux kisses the trophy after a victory by Golden Tempo in the Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2026.AP

Jockey Jose Ortiz also recorded his first Kentucky Derby victory Saturday, and the horse defied some rather spectacular odds to win.

This year’s Preakness is May 16 at Laurel Park in Maryland while Pimlico Race Course is being renovated.

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