May 5 (UPI) — For the second straight year, the Kentucky Derby winner will skip the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, and enjoy a five-week rest before tackling the third race in the series, the Belmont Stakes.
Trainer Cherie DeVaux announced the decision Wednesday for Derby winner Golden Tempo, giving rivals plenty of time to factor it into their planning for the Preakness.
“‘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 posted on X.
“His health, happiness and long-term future will always remain our top priority. We are looking forward to pointing him to the Belmont Stakes and are excited for what lies ahead for this very special horse.”
The 2025 Derby winner, Sovereignty, also was an early “no” to the Preakness RSVP and returned to win the Belmont, the Grade I Jim Dandy, the Grade 1 Travers and Horse of the Year honors.
The Triple Crown itself is in the throes of major changes. This year’s Preakness will be run May 16 at Laurel Racecourse, while its longtime home, Pimlico, is being rebuilt in Baltimore.
The Belmont is in its final year of a temporary stay at Saratoga while Belmont Park on Long Island is reinvented and rebuilt — a switch that necessitated a change from 1 1/2 miles to 1 1/4 miles in that race.
Into the bargain, Churchill Downs Inc. has acquired the “intellectual property rights” to the Preakness, giving the company a major say in the future of the series.
There has been agitation within the industry for years to spread out the races, all of which now run within a five-week timespan.
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