Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo will take to the track Saturday evening at Saratoga Race Course for the 158th Belmont Stakes, the final leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, with post time set for 7:04 p.m. ET.
The colt made history for trainer Cherie DeVaux at Churchill Downs last month, as she became the first woman ever to train a Kentucky Derby winner. Golden Tempo and jockey Jose Ortiz delivered an improbable last-to-first performance at 23-1 odds, edging out Renegade in the final strides.
After bypassing the Preakness Stakes and ending any possibility of a Triple Crown sweep, Golden Tempo returns to the track in the 158th Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The Preakness was won by Napoleon Solo, who is not entered in the Belmont field.
The front-running horses in the Kentucky Derby completed the first quarter-mile in under 23 seconds and a half-mile in under 47 seconds — a blistering pace that paved the way for Golden Tempo’s last-to-first charge to win by a neck. Whether the colt can replicate that performance without the same frenzied early pace is among the central questions heading into Saturday’s race.
Ms. DeVaux, who was born in Saratoga Springs, returns to a venue that holds particular meaning for her, as Saratoga was the place where her racing career began. She could become only the second woman to train a Belmont Stakes winner, after Jena Antonucci won with Arcangelo in 2023, according to CBS News.
Golden Tempo drew the No. 9 post position and was listed at 9-2 on the morning line, with Mr. Ortiz once again in the irons. Renegade, who finished second at Churchill Downs, enters as the morning-line favorite at 2-1. Chief Wallabee is listed at 3-1, while Commandment and Emerging Market are each listed at 6-1 in the nine-horse field, according to the New York Racing Association.
Ms. DeVaux opted to give Golden Tempo additional rest rather than push him through the full Triple Crown grind, a decision that drew skepticism at the time but left the Derby champion fresher for Saturday’s race. The Belmont Stakes will be contested at 1¼ miles rather than its traditional 1½-mile distance due to the configuration of Saratoga’s main track. That makes the 2026 distance identical to the Kentucky Derby, meaning Golden Tempo has already proven he can handle the trip — an advantage his rivals share, according to the New York Racing Association.
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