Golden Tempo Skips 2026 Preakness After Kentucky Derby Win — What Horse Won The Kentucky Derby
Golden Tempo will not run in the Preakness Stakes after winning the Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2026, answering what horse won the kentucky derby and ending any chance at a Triple Crown bid this year. Cherie DeVaux said the decision was made as a group and that the horse is fine health-wise.
Cherie DeVaux on Golden Tempo
DeVaux pushed back on the criticism that followed the withdrawal. “It's been a mix of both, mostly positive. Which I appreciate, and I understand that fans of the sport or fans of the Triple Crown are disappointed, but the horse is not a machine,” she said in a recent interview.
She added that the choice was not hers alone. “I have to advocate as the trainer to the owners or the clients, and we had a conversation, it wasn't my decision. It was a decision we made as a group and I'm sorry if people don't understand what goes into it.”
That left the team weighing the Derby win against the demands of the next race. Golden Tempo was given time after the weekend before the call was made, and DeVaux said the horse had to be evaluated as more than a one-race story.
Golden Tempo and the Triple Crown
The Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown, so skipping the Preakness removes Golden Tempo from the middle step and closes the path to a 2026 sweep. DeVaux said the team focused on the horse’s wider year, not just the Triple Crown chase.
“We tried to let the dust settle on the whole weekend, and Golden Tempo is fine. But we think it takes a unique horse to be able to come back and run in two weeks. And we just didn't feel like for him that was the responsible thing for his whole career, especially this year. We're focused on a bigger picture than the Triple Crown,” she said.
She also said the backlash crossed a line. “It’s hard, I do understand where others are coming from, but I do think it's unfair the way that I have received some of the messages and what they're saying, but whatever, they're not in my position to train the horse and so therefore their opinion doesn't matter to me,” she said.
The criticism centered on a simple question: why enter the Derby without chasing the next two legs? DeVaux addressed that directly, saying the horse’s career planning and the team’s view of responsibility carried more weight than the pressure to run back in two weeks.
