Golden Tempo won the 152nd Kentucky Derby and is now being considered for the Preakness Stakes. The last horse to win the Triple Crown was Justify in 2018, and recent Derby winners have often skipped the Preakness.
Key points
Golden Tempo won the 152nd Kentucky Derby
Preakness Stakes is in two weeks
Last Triple Crown winner was Justify in 2018
Four Derby winners since 2019 skipped the Preakness
Modern training strategies influence race participation
Mentioned in this story
Bill Mott
Golden TempoSovereigntyJustifyKentucky Derby
Golden Tempo crossed the finish line Saturday at Churchill Downs, winning the 152nd Kentucky Derby and immediately turning attention to a question that has gone unanswered for eight years: Can he win the Triple Crown?
That starts in two weeks with The Preakness Stakes.
The last horse to win the Triple Crown – the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes – was Justify in 2018. Since then, seven consecutive Kentucky Derby winners have failed to complete the sweep. Four of those horses never even tried, skipping the Preakness Stakes entirely.
Last year’s winner, Sovereignty, trained by Bill Mott, bypassed the Preakness just days after winning the Derby, citing the horse’s long-term interests. Since 2019, four Kentucky Derby winners have not raced in the Preakness, a shift driven by modern training strategies that prioritize spacing races further apart. Sovereignty went on to win the Belmont Stakes and earned Horse of the Year honors, validating Mott’s decision, but also deepening the debate about whether the Triple Crown format needs to change.
The question now is whether Golden Tempo's connections will take the shot.
Country singer and Kentucky native Wynonna Judd performed the national anthem at the 150th Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 4, 2024.
Carly Pearce performed the National Anthem at the 149th Kentucky Derby on May 6, 2023.
Singer Brittney Spencer performed the national anthem at the 148th Derby in 2022.
Grammy-winning singer Tori Kelly performed the national anthem at the 147th Kentucky Derby on May 1, 2021.
Country music artist and Sugarland member Jennifer Nettles performed the national anthem at the 145th Kentucky Derby on May 4, 2019.
Kevin Olusola performed the national anthem at the Kentucky Derby as part of the a cappella group Pentatonix at the 144th Kentucky Derby on May 5, 2018.
Harry Connick Jr. sang the national anthem at the 143rd Kentucky Derby on May 6, 2017.
Josh Groban performed the national anthem at the 141st Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2015.
Country singer Martina McBride performed the national anthem at the 139th Kentucky Derby on May 4, 2013.
Mary J. Blige performed the national anthem at the 138th Kentucky Derby on May 5, 2012.
Rascal Flatts performed the national anthem at the 136th Kentucky Derby in 2010.
LeAnn Rimes sang the national anthem at the 135th Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2009
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From Wynonna Judd to Mary J. Blige, see national anthem singers at Kentucky Derby
From Wynonna Judd to Mary J. Blige, see national anthem singers at Kentucky Derby
Country singer and Kentucky native Wynonna Judd performed the national anthem at the 150th Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 4, 2024.
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From Wynonna Judd to Mary J. Blige, see national anthem singers at Kentucky Derby
Carly Pearce performed the National Anthem at the 149th Kentucky Derby on May 6, 2023.
5 / 14
From Wynonna Judd to Mary J. Blige, see national anthem singers at Kentucky Derby
Singer Brittney Spencer performed the national anthem at the 148th Derby in 2022.
6 / 14
From Wynonna Judd to Mary J. Blige, see national anthem singers at Kentucky Derby
Grammy-winning singer Tori Kelly performed the national anthem at the 147th Kentucky Derby on May 1, 2021.
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From Wynonna Judd to Mary J. Blige, see national anthem singers at Kentucky Derby
Country music artist and Sugarland member Jennifer Nettles performed the national anthem at the 145th Kentucky Derby on May 4, 2019.
8 / 14
From Wynonna Judd to Mary J. Blige, see national anthem singers at Kentucky Derby
Kevin Olusola performed the national anthem at the Kentucky Derby as part of the a cappella group Pentatonix at the 144th Kentucky Derby on May 5, 2018.
9 / 14
From Wynonna Judd to Mary J. Blige, see national anthem singers at Kentucky Derby
Harry Connick Jr. sang the national anthem at the 143rd Kentucky Derby on May 6, 2017.
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From Wynonna Judd to Mary J. Blige, see national anthem singers at Kentucky Derby
Josh Groban performed the national anthem at the 141st Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2015.
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From Wynonna Judd to Mary J. Blige, see national anthem singers at Kentucky Derby
Country singer Martina McBride performed the national anthem at the 139th Kentucky Derby on May 4, 2013.
12 / 14
From Wynonna Judd to Mary J. Blige, see national anthem singers at Kentucky Derby
Mary J. Blige performed the national anthem at the 138th Kentucky Derby on May 5, 2012.
13 / 14
From Wynonna Judd to Mary J. Blige, see national anthem singers at Kentucky Derby
Rascal Flatts performed the national anthem at the 136th Kentucky Derby in 2010.
14 / 14
From Wynonna Judd to Mary J. Blige, see national anthem singers at Kentucky Derby
LeAnn Rimes sang the national anthem at the 135th Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2009
When is the Preakness? Triple Crown race schedule
If they do, the Preakness is May 16, just two weeks after the Derby. For the first time in the race's history, it will be held at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland, while its traditional home at Pimlico Race Course undergoes a $400 million renovation. Post positions will be drawn May 11.
If Golden Tempo can win that, the Belmont Stakes awaits on June 6 at Saratoga Racecourse in Saratoga Springs, New York. The 158th Belmont Stakes will again be run at 1 ¼ miles rather than its traditional 1 ½ miles due to Saratoga’s track configuration. There is a $2 million purse on the line in the third and final Belmont Stakes to be held in Saratoga. The newly rebuilt Belmont Park is set to reopen in September of 2026.
The Triple Crown is one of the hardest achievements in American sports. Only 13 horses have won it in all of racing history. Sir Barton became the first Triple Crown winner in 1919, though the term itself did not come into common usage until 1930. Sportswriter Charles Hatton coined the phrase after Gallant Fox swept all three races. The most recent winners are American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018. The three-year gap was a surprise, considering the 37-year drought between Affirmed in 1978 and American Pharoah.
Justify, with Mike Smith aboard, wins the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in 2018.
Justify, with Mike Smith aboard, wins the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in 2018.
There have been voices in the sport calling for a new schedule, which would make it easier for horses to compete in the Triple Crown. After Sovereignty won the Preakness in 2025, owner Mike Repole proposed moving the Belmont to second in the Triple Crown order to keep more top horses in the series.
