Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo won't race at Preakness Stakes

There will be no Triple Crown winner in horse racing this year, and the reason why is likely to increase calls for the sport to change the long-held calendar for its signature events. The team for Golden Tempo announced less than a week after the horse won the Kentucky Derby in a stunning upset that it will not race at the 2026 Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 16 in Laurel, Maryland. Trainer Cherie Devaux said Golden Tempo will instead prepare for the Belmont Stakes on June 6.

"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," Cherie DeVaux Racing said in a statement. "His health, happiness, and long-term future will always remain our top priority. " The Preakness Stakes are considered the second leg of horse racing's Triple Crown, which concludes annually at Belmont Park.

There has been speculation in recent months that the schedule could be altered to allow more time between the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. There are currently two weeks between the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and three weeks between the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. Golden Tempo becomes the third Kentucky Derby winner in five years to choose not to run in the Preakness, and it's the second year in a row after Sovereignty didn't race at Pimlico Race Course in 2025.

“The Triple Crown is hard to win for a reason,” DeVaux said on Sunday when asked about the debate concerning horse racing's calendar, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal . “I appreciate the history of it. Horses are definitely different.