Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo won’t race in the Preakness Stakes
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- Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo won’t race in the Preakness Stakes.
- Trainer Cherie DeVaux is the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner.
- This decision means there won’t be a horse racing Triple Crown in 2026.
The horse racing Triple Crown is off the table for 2026.
That’s because Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo won’t run in the Preakness Stakes, which is set for May 16 at Laurel Park in Maryland.
On Wednesday afternoon, Cherie DeVaux — Golden Tempo’s trainer — announced the horse will skip the Preakness and instead point toward the Belmont Stakes. That race will be run June 6 at Saratoga Race Course in New York.
This year’s Preakness is being run at Laurel Park instead of at its traditional home, Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, while that track undergoes a major redevelopment.
“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,” DeVaux said in a statement posted to social media.
“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.”
Golden Tempo is a Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable homebred.
The decision by Golden Tempo’s connections to not race the horse in the Preakness comes following a historic win in last Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.
DeVaux became the first woman to train the Kentucky Derby winner when Golden Tempo outlasted Renegade by a neck to win the Run for the Roses. It was also the first Derby win for Golden Tempo’s jockey, Jose Ortiz. In the stretch battle, Ortiz defeated his brother, Irad Ortiz Jr., who was the jockey aboard Renegade.
Jose Ortiz is expected to ride Chip Honcho, trained by Steve Asmussen, in the Preakness.
Golden Tempo won the Derby at 23-1 odds. The horse earned $3.1 million for his Derby victory.
This is the second straight year in which the Kentucky Derby winner won’t run in the Preakness on just two weeks’ rest.
Last year, Sovereignty’s connections also chose to not run the horse in the Preakness. Sovereignty won both the Derby and the Belmont Stakes. Journalism, who finished second to Sovereignty in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, won the Preakness.
The post-position draw for this year’s Preakness Stakes will be Monday. Up to 14 horses can run in the Preakness.
The most recent Kentucky Derby winner to also run in the Preakness Stakes was Mystik Dan in 2024. That year, the Kenny McPeek trainee finished second in the Preakness and eighth in the Belmont Stakes following his Derby triumph.
In 2023, Mage also wheeled it back in the Preakness after winning the Derby. Mage ran third in that year’s Preakness Stakes.
The most recent horse to claim the Triple Crown — achieved by winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes consecutively — is Justify in 2018. A total of 13 horses have achieved the feat.
Justify is also the most recent Derby winner to also win the Preakness.
This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 3:41 PM.
