Trainer confirms Golden Tempo will skip the May 16 Preakness

Horse racing’s oldest spring problem is back. The Kentucky Derby winner is not going to the Preakness, which means the Triple Crown is over as a live chase before the second race even arrives. Cherie DeVaux said Golden Tempo will skip the May 16 Preakness and wait for the Belmont on June 6 at Saratoga. That is the headline, but the real story is bigger — the sport’s three-race series keeps asking modern horses to come back too fast, and more top barns are saying no. (courier-journal.com) ### What changed? DeVaux announced this week that Golden Tempo, fresh off his Kentucky Derby win, will bypass the Preakness and point to the Belmont instead. Her statement made the logic plain: the team thinks the colt deserves more time after a huge effort, and his long-term health comes first. That one call wipes out any chance of a 2026 Triple Crown winner. (thoroughbreddailynews.com) ### Why is that such a big deal? Because the Triple Crown only works if the Derby winner comes right back two weeks later. The sequence is Derby, then Preakness, then Belmont. Skip the middle race and the sweep is dead. So even though Golden Tempo can still win the Belmont, he cannot win the Triple Crown anymore. (nbcnews.com) ### Why would a Derby winner pass? Basically, timing. The Derby is a hard race, and Golden Tempo was not some easy front-running winner who coasted home. He came from far back and made a big closing run, which can leave a horse emptied out. DeVaux’s camp decided that two weeks was not enough turnaround, while the five-week gap to the Belmont looked much more manageable. (theracingbiz.com) ### Is this unusual now? Less and less. Golden Tempo is the second straight Derby winner to skip the Preakness, after Sovereignty did the same in 2025. He is also the third healthy Derby winner since 2022 to bypass the race, joining Rich Strike in 2022. What used to feel shocking is starting to look like a pattern. (cbs([theracingbiz.com)nner/)) ### Why does the Preakness feel squeezed? The catch is the calendar. The Preakness sits just two weeks after the Derby, while the Belmont comes later and now offers a cleaner recovery window. In 2026 the Preakness is also being run at Laurel Park, not Pimlico, because Pimlico is being redeveloped. That venue (cbsnews.com) vulnerable part of the series right now. (msn.com) ### Does Belmont at Saratoga matter? Yes — a little, and maybe more than a little. Saratoga is DeVaux’s hometown track area, and 2026 is the third straight and final year the Belmont is being held there instead of at Belmont Park. For a team already leaning toward patience, waiting(msn.com)e, but it fits the setup around this year’s schedule. (abcnews.com) ### What does this mean for the Preakness itself? It loses its biggest possible draw. A Preakness with a Derby winner chasing history sells itself. A Preakness without that horse becomes a very good Grade 1 race, but not the same national event. That is why every Derby defection lands like a gut punch for the race and for the Triple Crown brand as a whole. (thoroughbreddailynews.com) ### Bottom line? Golden Tempo skipping the Preakness is not just one trainer being cautious. It is another sign that the modern top-end horse business no longer automatically bends around a two-week Triple Crown turnaround. Until that changes, this is going to keep happening. (bloodhorse.com)