For the last five weeks, many horse racing experts have proclaimed that Golden Tempo’s victory at the Kentucky Derby was a one-off or a fluke. They said the horse received the perfect setup to prevail at Churchill Downs, and that was something he wouldn’t be able to pull off twice. The 2026 Belmont Stakes was Golden Tempo’s chance to respond to the doubters, and he did so in a triumphant way as the thoroughbred prevailed at The Third Jewel of the Triple Crown on Saturday.
Slotted at the far outside No. 9 post, Golden Tempo bested the nine-horse field with a winning time of 2:03.49 and in front by 1 1/4 lengths. That time certainly didn’t set any speed records, as it was nearly three seconds slower than last year’s victor, but a win is a win. Commandment finished in second place, with Renegade, who was the favorite and was runner-up to Golden Tempo at the Derby, placing third.
With a Kentucky Derby win followed by a Belmont Stakes victory, Golden Tempo becomes the 13th horse to pull off the Derby–Belmont Double, not counting the 13 Triple Crown champions. He becomes the second horse in a row to pull off the feat after Sovereignty also won the Derby and Belmont last year. This is the first time in Triple Crown race history that, in back-to-back years, horses have won both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, without racing at the Preakness Stakes.
That statement, alone, will make many wonder what would have happened if Golden Tempo had not bypassed The Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. The Preakness Stakes took place three weeks ago and was won by Napoleon Solo, who didn’t run in either the Derby or Belmont. The quick turnaround from the Derby to the Preakness was the major reason why Golden Tempo bypassed that race, and the same was the case with Sovereignty last year.
It was at the 2026 Kentucky Derby that Golden Tempo’s trainer, Cherie DeVaux, became the first female trainer to win that race and just the second woman trainer to win any Triple Crown race. The latter was first accomplished by Jena Antonucci at the 2023 Belmont when she saddled Arcangelo to victory, and DeVaux is now the only woman to win multiple Triple Crown races.
Adding to the joy of that historical accomplishment is the location of this year’s Belmont Stakes. The race’s normal home of Belmont Park has been undergoing renovations for the last two years, making the 2026 Belmont Stakes the third running in a row to be held at the temporary venue of Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It just so happens that DeVaux is a native of Saratoga Springs as having home-track advantage certainly came in handy.
“It’s so meaningful,” DeVaux said after the race about winning in her hometown. “A lot of family here. Saratoga, it’s been wonderful to have such a historic race here. … It’s so meaningful because the town gets to have this and celebrate it along with all of us.”
Belmont Park is scheduled to reopen for next year’s race, so this was the final opportunity for a Saratoga native to win in Saratoga.
“Golden Tempo is amazing. [Jockey] Jose [Ortiz] is amazing,” DeVaux stated.
“I think [Golden Tempo] needed to do this to kind of show that he was meant to win the Derby and that he is a horse that belongs in that conversation of being one of the top 3-year-olds,” she added.
Asked if Golden Tempo could have been a Triple Crown champion, DeVaux said: “It’s not something I want to think about. We made our decision, and he won today. We’re gonna be happy about that.”
Jockey Jose Ortiz rode Golden Tempo to victory at The Test of Champions, just as he did five weeks earlier at the Kentucky Derby. This marks Ortiz’s second Belmont victory, after winning aboard Tapwrit in 2017, and it’s his fourth overall Triple Crown race win.
One of Golden Tempo’s co-owners is St. Elias Stables, which is owned by Vincent Viola; a name that may be familiar to NHL fans. That’s because Viola also owns the Florida Panthers, who are the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions. While the Panthers’ run will come to an end this season, as they didn’t make the playoffs, Viola picked up a different kind of sports championship on Saturday.
He also gets the lion’s share of the $2 million prize pool that the Belmont Stakes 2026 offered. The winner, and his connections, collect $1.2 million of that purse, with roughly 80 percent of that $1.2 million going to the horse’s ownership group. The remaining 20 percent is split between the trainer, DeVaux, and the jockey, Ortiz.
The 2026 Belmont Stakes concluded this year’s Triple Crown season, with the next major North American thoroughbred race being the Travers Stakes on Aug. 29. Next year’s Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing will begin with the 2027 Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 1.
That’s all that’s set at the moment, as there’s been discussion about moving the Preakness Stakes back one week to give those that run in the Derby, like Golden Tempo, more rest and more of a chance to compete at the Preakness. That would then force the Belmont to also be moved back, which would allow more Triple Crown attempts and restore the excitement that once made horse racing one of the most popular sports in the country.
Friends Read Free
Copy
Facebook
Tweet
