Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo to skip Preakness

Field Level Media
07 May 2026, 01:49 GMT+10

(Photo credit: Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

For the second consecutive year, the Kentucky Derby winner will not run in the Preakness Stakes, as Golden Tempo trainer Cherie DeVaux announced Wednesday the horse will skip the second leg of the Triple Crown and compete in the Belmont Stakes next month.

'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,' DeVaux wrote in a statement posted to X.

Golden Tempo was a 23-1 long shot on Saturday but made a late charge down the stretch to edge out favorite Renegade. The victory made DeVaux the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner.

Last year, Sovereignty passed on the Preakness, and many trainers feel is too close to the Kentucky Derby -- two weeks apart -- and makes it difficult to keep a horse healthy for big races in the summer and fall.

The Preakness will be held May 16 at Laurel Park south of Baltimore, due to Pimlico undergoing a grandstand renovation. Pimlico is scheduled to host the 2027 Preakness.

As of Wednesday afternoon, none of the 19 horses who participated in the Kentucky Derby have committed to compete in the Preakness.

The Belmont is slated for June 6 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., due to ongoing construction at the main Belmont Park facility on Long Island, N.Y.

--Field Level Media

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