Golden Tempo skips 2026 Preakness

Horse racing’s spring trilogy only works if the Derby winner comes right back two weeks later and keeps the dream alive. This year, that part is over already. Golden Tempo — the 2026 Kentucky Derby winner — is skipping the Preakness and heading instead toward the Belmont on June 6, so there will be no Triple Crown attempt in 2026. ### What changed? Cherie DeVaux announced on May 6 that Golden Tempo will bypass the Preakness Stakes on May 16 and target the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course instead. The stable’s explanation was simple: the colt gave them “the race of a lifetime” in the Derby, and they want to give him more recovery time after that effort. (abcnews.com) ### Why is that such a big deal? Because the Preakness is the second leg of the Triple Crown. Once the Derby winner skips it, the Triple Crown is dead for that year — no matter what happens later. That turns the Preakness from a continuation of the Derby story into a more open standalone race. ### Was Golden Tempo a serious Triple Crown threat? (cbsnews.com) At minimum, he had the right to try. Golden Tempo won the 152nd Kentucky Derby on May 2 with José L. Ortiz aboard, and the win was historic for DeVaux, who became the first woman to train a Derby winner. That is exactly the kind of result that usually sends the sport into a week of Triple Crown hype. Instead, the conversation flipped almost immediately to rest, spacing, and horse management. (abcnews.com) ### Why skip after just one week? Basically, modern trainers are much more conservative about turnaround time than the old Triple Crown calendar demands. The Derby is on the first Saturday in May. The Preakness comes two weeks later. The Belmont follows three weeks after that. Golden Tempo’s team decided the better path was to skip the middle race, take the longer break, and run five weeks after the Derby instead. (nytimes.com) ### Why does the calendar keep coming up? Because this is now happening often enough that it no longer feels like a fluke. Golden Tempo is the second straight Derby winner to skip the Preakness. The old schedule was built for a different era of racing, when horses ran more often. Today, many top barns treat two weeks as the hard part — not the mile and three-sixteenths distance, but the recovery window. (upi.com) ### Does the 2026 Preakness already look different? Yes. It will be run at Laurel Park on May 16, not Pimlico, because Pimlico is closed for redevelopment. So the race was already unusual before Golden Tempo opted out. Now it also loses the Derby winner, which changes both the betting picture and the emotional hook that usually carries casual fans from Louisville into Maryland. (theracingbiz.com) ### So who benefits? Every other horse being aimed at Laurel. A Preakness without the Derby winner is usually a softer target on paper, even if the field still ends up strong. Coverage around the race has already shifted toward possible contenders rather than a single horse chasing history. (preakness.com) ### What’s the real takeaway? Golden Tempo skipping the Preakness is not just one trainer playing it safe. It is another sign that the Triple Crown calendar and modern campaigning are pulling in opposite directions. The races are still huge. But the three-races-in-five-weeks test now asks for something many top connections no longer want to risk. (upi.com) (courier-journal.com)