1 of 3 | Golden Tempo, ridden by Jose Ortiz, Passes Commandment, with John Velazques up, as he wins the 2026 Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. on Saturday, Photo by Mark Abraham/UPI | License Photo
June 6 (UPI) — Golden Tempo, winner of the Kentucky Derby, captured the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes for 3-uear-olds on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course in New York.
“Golden Tempo is amazing,” trainer Cherie DeVaux said. “It’s so meaningful because the town gets to celebrate along with all of us.”
DeVaux became the first woman to train two Triple Crown winners — in this case with the same horse in the same year. She already made history as the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner when Golden Tempo crossed the finish first May 2. He skipped the Preakness Stakes.
“He was very much improving,” the Sarasota Springs, N.Y., native she said of the colt, who came from near the back of the pack to win by a length. Commandment finished second and Renegade was third.
Jockey Jose Ortiz, who rode Golden Tempo, said, “We just want to keep him getting better. He does everything you ask.”
Golden Tempo’s win produced the speculation that he could have won the Preakness had he competed.
“It’s not something I want to think about,” DeVaux told Fox’s Tom Rinaldi after the race. “We made our decision, and he won today, and we’re going to be happy about that.”
Golden Tempo was the 13th horse to win the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont while skipping the Preakness. Sovereignty did that last year.
