Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo to skip Preakness

BALTIMORE — There will be no Triple Crown winner this year. Golden Tempo, the 3-year-old thoroughbred who won the Kentucky Derby with a brilliant come-from-behind effort, will not run in the Preakness Stakes on May 16. Trainer Cherie DeVaux posted in a statement on social media that she believes the “best decision for him moving forward is to give him a little more time following such a tremendous effort.

” “Golden gave us the race of a lifetime,” she wrote, days after becoming the first female trainer to win the Triple Crown’s first leg. “His health, happiness, and long-term future will always remain our top priority. ” Golden Tempo will forgo a Triple Crown chase and is being pointed toward the Belmont Stakes on June 6.

This makes three Kentucky Derby winners in the past five years to skip the Preakness. It’s the eighth consecutive year without a chance for a Triple Crown winner. Several trainers in recent years, including Sovereignty trainer Bill Mott last year, have chosen to prioritize the health of their horse on a tight turnaround.

It has sparked an annual debate among racing enthusiasts about whether the current Triple Crown calendar is what’s best for the sport. The Maryland Jockey Club told The Baltimore Sun last month that they’re “open to all possibilities” regarding a potential change to the Preakness date as they search for a new TV partner, a decision that should be made later this month. This year’s Preakness was already shaping up to be an underwhelming spectacle.