Kentucky Derby champion Golden Tempo will skip 2026 Preakness Stakes

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Golden Tempo, the chestnut colt who just four days ago thrilled fans with his last-to-first victory in the Kentucky Derby and helped Cherie DeVaux become the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner, will not run in the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes on May 16, the trainer said Wednesday.

In a statement posted on X, DeVaux said, "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. His health, happiness and long-term future will always remain our top priority.

"We are looking forward to pointing him toward the Belmont Stakes, and we are excited for what lies ahead with this very special horse." The Belmont Stakes is set for June 6 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., where DeVaux was born.

The decision was made despite DeVaux saying earlier in the day on the At the Races with Steve Byk radio show that Golden Tempo was doing well. "He went back to the track [today]. He looks fantastic. He's got a lot more pep in his step than normal. ... He was feeling himself."

The defection of the Derby winner is another major blow to the Preakness Stakes, which has featured fewer and fewer horses from the Kentucky Derby every year because of modern training methods requiring more than two weeks' rest between races.

This marks the second straight year and the third time in five years that the connections of the Derby winner have decided not to compete in the Preakness Stakes despite having a healthy horse. The connections of Rich Strike in 2022 and Sovereignty last year decided to skip the Preakness for the Belmont Stakes. Rich Strike finished sixth of eight in the Belmont and never won again, while Sovereignty won the Belmont, Jim Dandy and Travers Stakes en route to being named Horse of the Year.

Golden Tempo's defection will  renew calls to change the format of the Triple Crown so elite horses are more likely to run in all three legs. The current format provides two weeks between the Derby and Preakness and three weeks between the Preakness and Belmont.

A popular alternative that has been floated is to run the Derby on the first Saturday in May, the Preakness the first Saturday in June and the Belmont Stakes the first Saturday in July. But can horse racing hold the attention of non-racing fans over the course of nine weeks when other sports' playoffs — such as the NFL's, college football's and Major League Baseball's — span roughly one month?