Four days after winning the Kentucky Derby in one of the most stunning upsets in recent memory, Golden Tempo will not be heading to the Preakness Stakes. Trainer Cherie DeVaux confirmed on May 6, 2026 that the Derby champion will skip the second leg of the Triple Crown — scheduled for May 16 at Laurel Park — and instead point toward the Belmont Stakes on June 6 at Saratoga Race Course. The decision extinguishes any possibility of a Triple Crown this year, continuing what has become an uncomfortable pattern for American horse racing's most storied tradition.
The announcement landed with a mix of disappointment and inevitability. Fans who watched Golden Tempo's breathtaking last-to-first run at Churchill Downs had barely finished celebrating before the news broke. And for those tracking the sport closely, it wasn't entirely a surprise — but it raises serious questions about whether the Triple Crown format, as currently structured, is sustainable.
The Announcement: What DeVaux Said and Why It Matters
DeVaux delivered the news with characteristic candor. Earlier on May 6, she had told reporters that Golden Tempo "looks fantastic" and had "a lot more pep in his step than normal" — which made the Preakness skip announcement feel all the more jarring. A horse in great shape, skipping a race it could plausibly win. But that's exactly DeVaux's point: the two-week window between the Kentucky Derby (held May 2) and the Preakness Stakes (May 16) simply isn't enough time to responsibly run a horse that just competed at full intensity at Churchill Downs.
The decision was covered extensively across major outlets. USA Today and CBS Sports both confirmed the announcement, noting that DeVaux was emphatic in her reasoning: the recovery time demands of modern horsemanship conflict with a schedule designed for a different era of racing.
DeVaux's target is the Belmont Stakes on June 6 at Saratoga Race Course — a venue that carries personal significance. Saratoga is her birthplace. If Golden Tempo wins there, it would be a storybook conclusion to an already historic season.
Golden Tempo's Derby Win: A Last-to-First Stunner
To understand why this announcement stings for Triple Crown fans, you have to understand what Golden Tempo did at Churchill Downs on May 2. The horse came from the back of the pack in a dramatic last-to-first surge that had the crowd on its feet. It was the kind of Derby run that generates highlights for decades — a horse that looked out of contention turning into an unstoppable force in the final stretch.
But the victory wasn't only about the horse. Cherie DeVaux became the first woman in history to train a Kentucky Derby winner — a milestone that reverberated far beyond horse racing circles. In a sport with deep institutional traditions and a predominantly male training establishment, the barrier DeVaux broke is genuinely significant. Her combination of tactical boldness (the come-from-behind strategy requires nerve) and post-race restraint (choosing the horse's long-term health over a Triple Crown shot) paints the picture of a trainer making decisions from principle rather than glory-chasing.
The win made Golden Tempo an immediate star. Which is exactly why the Preakness skip feels like such a gut punch to racing fans hoping for a Triple Crown chase — something that has only been accomplished 13 times since the Kentucky Derby was established in 1875.
A Growing Trend: Derby Winners Skipping the Preakness
This isn't an aberration. It's becoming a pattern — and that pattern is accelerating in ways that should alarm Triple Crown purists.
Golden Tempo's skip marks the second consecutive year and the third time in five years that the Kentucky Derby winner has bypassed the Preakness Stakes. Sports Illustrated's coverage traces the recent history: Rich Strike passed on the Preakness in 2022 and later finished sixth of eight in the Belmont, never winning a significant race again. Sovereignty skipped in 2025. Now Golden Tempo in 2026.
The central complaint from modern trainers is consistent: two weeks is not enough recovery time between the Derby and the Preakness. The horses run at maximum exertion in Louisville, then are expected to ship, settle, and race again at full intensity within a fortnight. That schedule was established in an era when training science, veterinary care, and understanding of equine physiology were all dramatically less sophisticated. What was once considered a manageable demand is now viewed, by many top-tier trainers, as an unnecessary risk to a horse's welfare and long-term career.
The argument isn't fringe. When the first woman to train a Derby winner chooses horse welfare over history, it sends a message the sport can't easily dismiss.
The two-week gap between the Derby and Preakness — designed for a different era of racing — is now alienating the very trainers it needs to produce Triple Crown contenders.
The Preakness Stakes in 2026: A Race Already Under Strain
The Preakness itself is navigating turbulence independent of Golden Tempo's decision. In 2026, the race is being held at Laurel Park rather than its traditional home at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, which is currently undergoing renovations. The venue change disrupts decades of tradition and has already generated controversy among Maryland racing fans who consider Pimlico an irreplaceable part of the Preakness's identity.
Adding to the institutional complexity: Churchill Downs Inc. recently reached an agreement to acquire the intellectual rights to the Preakness Stakes. The implications of that deal — for scheduling, for the race's future structure, for its relationship with the Derby — are still playing out. But the optics of a corporate restructuring happening simultaneously with a venue displacement and a consecutive Derby winner skip are not favorable.
Yahoo Sports noted that the Preakness faces an uncomfortable truth: without the Kentucky Derby winner, the race loses its central dramatic function. The Preakness exists, in large part, as the crucible where Derby champions are tested on the path to Triple Crown history. Strip that away and what remains is a quality stakes race, but not the second act of a national story.
The Belmont Stakes and the Road to Saratoga
DeVaux's choice of target — the Belmont Stakes on June 6 at Saratoga Race Course — is strategically coherent and personally resonant. The Belmont provides an additional four weeks of recovery time compared to the Preakness, giving Golden Tempo the opportunity to come into the race fresh rather than fatigued.
Saratoga adds a layer of narrative symmetry that isn't lost on DeVaux. It's her birthplace. She grew up near one of American racing's most celebrated tracks, and if Golden Tempo can win the Belmont there, DeVaux adds another historic footnote to an already remarkable chapter: first woman to train a Derby winner, first to win the Belmont at her hometown track.
The caveat is Rich Strike's cautionary tale. The 2022 Derby winner who also skipped the Preakness went to the Belmont and finished sixth of eight, then won nothing significant afterward. Derby winners who skip the Preakness don't automatically succeed at the Belmont — the extended rest helps, but it doesn't guarantee competitive form. Golden Tempo will face a fresh field at Saratoga, including horses that were specifically prepared for the Belmont distance of 1.5 miles.
What This Means for the Triple Crown's Future
The deeper story here isn't about one horse or one trainer. It's about whether the Triple Crown — as currently structured — can survive the evolving priorities of modern horse racing.
The Triple Crown schedule was designed to be hard. The point was to find a horse capable of winning three grueling races in five weeks. But that design now works against its own purpose: when the best horses skip the middle race to protect themselves for the third, the series loses coherence. A Triple Crown race that doesn't include the Derby winner is structurally incomplete.
There are two directions this can go. Racing's governing bodies could extend the gap between the Derby and Preakness — giving trainers the recovery window they're asking for. That would require restructuring the entire Triple Crown calendar, a politically complicated undertaking given the entrenched interests involved. Alternatively, the pattern continues: Derby winners skip the Preakness, Preakness fields lack the dominant horse, and the race gradually loses its cultural weight.
Churchill Downs Inc.'s acquisition of Preakness intellectual rights is the wildcard. If the same corporate entity now controls both the Derby and the Preakness, there's at least institutional alignment to rethink the calendar. Whether that translates into actual scheduling reform remains to be seen, but it's the most concrete structural change in the Triple Crown's setup in recent memory.
Sports fans watching multiple traditions navigate their modern relevance — from format changes in college athletics to expansion decisions in professional leagues — will recognize the dynamic. The Triple Crown isn't uniquely vulnerable, but it is uniquely symbolic, and symbols erode faster than we expect when the underlying mechanics stop working.
FAQ: Golden Tempo, the Preakness Skip, and What Comes Next
Why is Golden Tempo skipping the Preakness Stakes?
Trainer Cherie DeVaux cited the insufficient recovery time between the Kentucky Derby (May 2) and the Preakness Stakes (May 16) — just two weeks. Modern trainers broadly agree that this gap is too short for a horse that competed at full intensity in one of racing's premier events. DeVaux is prioritizing Golden Tempo's long-term health and competitive readiness over a Triple Crown bid.
Is this the first time a Derby winner has skipped the Preakness?
No. This is the second consecutive year (Sovereignty skipped in 2025) and the third time in five years a Derby winner has bypassed the Preakness. Rich Strike did the same in 2022, then finished sixth of eight at the Belmont. The pattern reflects a growing consensus among elite trainers that the two-week window is inadequate.
Where will the 2026 Preakness Stakes be held?
The 2026 Preakness Stakes is being held at Laurel Park in Maryland, not at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Pimlico is currently undergoing renovations, forcing the temporary relocation — a significant change for a race with deep ties to its traditional venue.
What is the significance of Cherie DeVaux training Golden Tempo?
DeVaux became the first woman in history to train a Kentucky Derby winner when Golden Tempo won on May 2, 2026. It's a landmark achievement in a sport with a long history of male dominance in training roles. Her decision to skip the Preakness — prioritizing horse welfare over chasing Triple Crown history — has reinforced her reputation as a trainer who operates on long-term principles rather than short-term prestige.
Can Golden Tempo still win the Triple Crown?
No. The Triple Crown requires winning all three races — the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes — in the same year. By skipping the Preakness, Golden Tempo is ineligible for the Triple Crown in 2026 regardless of what happens at the Belmont. The horse will be targeting the Belmont Stakes on June 6 at Saratoga Race Course as a standalone achievement rather than a series conclusion.
Conclusion: A Decision That Defines a Season
Golden Tempo's Preakness skip is simultaneously a rational training decision and a symptom of structural dysfunction in one of American sports' most celebrated traditions. Cherie DeVaux made the call that most elite trainers would make given the circumstances: protect a healthy, talented horse from an unnecessarily compressed schedule, and target a race where he can compete at full capability.
But the accumulation of these individual rational decisions — three Derby winners skipping the Preakness in five years — produces an irrational collective outcome for the sport. The Triple Crown loses its drama, the Preakness loses its anchor, and casual fans who tuned in for the Derby are left without a narrative to follow through the spring.
The Belmont on June 6 at Saratoga offers a compelling subplot: DeVaux racing her Derby champion at her hometown track, chasing a second historic milestone in the same season. But it's a different story than a Triple Crown pursuit — smaller in scope, more personal, less nationally resonant. Whether Golden Tempo wins or loses at Saratoga, the larger question will remain unanswered until racing's institutions decide what they actually want the Triple Crown to be in the modern era.
For now, the answer is the same as it's been twice in the last five years: a race with an empty slot where the best horse should be.
