Golden Tempo to Skip the 2026 Preakness Stakes — No Triple Crown Bid

The Triple Crown Bid Is Over

Golden Tempo will not run in the 2026 Preakness Stakes.

Trainer Cherie DeVaux — the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner — announced that the 152nd Kentucky Derby champion will bypass the second jewel of the Triple Crown and instead target the Belmont Stakes on June 6 at Saratoga Race Course. The decision ends any possibility of a Triple Crown run in 2026, marking the eighth consecutive year without an American Triple Crown winner.

DeVaux was direct: the horse came out of the Derby in good shape, but after "the race of a lifetime," she is prioritizing Golden Tempo's long-term health over a two-week turnaround to Laurel Park. "He gave everything he had in that race," DeVaux said. "Now we give back to him."

DeVaux's Belmont Target Is Personal

DeVaux is from Saratoga Springs, New York — and the 2026 Belmont Stakes is being run at Saratoga Race Course for the third and final year while Belmont Park undergoes its own renovation. For DeVaux to win the Belmont in her hometown, in this specific venue window, carries a meaning that goes beyond racing strategy.

It's a smart campaign decision too. Golden Tempo is a deep closer whose style — settling last and unleashing one sustained run in the stretch — is ideally suited to Saratoga's sweeping oval and the Belmont's extra two furlongs. The horse doesn't need to prove anything at 9.5 furlongs on a tighter Laurel Park track. The Belmont is where his profile fits perfectly.

Baffert Also Bypasses — Crude Velocity Out

The same day, Bob Baffert confirmed that Crude Velocity — the early 4-1 Preakness morning-line favorite — will also bypass the race. Crude Velocity went 3-for-3 on the season, including a win in the Pat Day Mile (G2) on Kentucky Derby Day, and had been the most-discussed non-Derby horse heading toward Laurel Park.

Baffert said he was "very tempted" but ultimately decided it would be "too much too soon." Crude Velocity will instead target the Woody Stephens Stakes at the Belmont festival on June 6 before potentially running in the Haskell Invitational later in the summer.

Two of the three most-talked-about horses in spring racing are now absent. The 2026 Preakness is genuinely wide open.

What This Means for the Preakness Field

With Golden Tempo and Crude Velocity both out, no single horse enters as an overwhelming favorite. Post positions draw on Monday, May 11, and the field is expected to settle around 10–14 horses.

The most compelling horse on paper is Taj Mahal, who is 3-for-3 with all three career starts at Laurel Park — including an 8.25-length destruction of the Federico Tesio Stakes (G3). He has never raced at another track, which means Saturday will be his fourth Laurel appearance and his opponents' first. That is a structural advantage you cannot manufacture.

Other contenders to watch: Iron Honor (19-1 early odds), Cherokee Nation (22-1), Silent Tactic and Chip Honcho (both 25-1), and Ocelli, who is attempting to become the first maiden to win the Preakness since Refund in 1888 — a 138-year drought.

A Note on the Bigger Picture

Eight consecutive years without a Triple Crown winner. The last was Justify in 2018. The Derby winner has skipped the Preakness in three of the last five years — a trend that reflects trainers prioritizing horse welfare over legacy chasing and the recognition that the two-week turnaround is brutal on horses that ran hard in a 20-horse field.

A wide-open Preakness is often a better betting opportunity than one compressed around a Triple Crown favorite. Public interest drops, handle falls, and the exotic pools get softer. The overlays get bigger. That's where we'll be focused this week.

Follow our full Preakness Stakes 2026 coverage for complete contender breakdowns and pace analysis. Full field preview coming Monday after the post-position draw.