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Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo to skip Preakness Stakes

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Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo will not compete in the May 16 Preakness Stakes, trainer Cherie DeVaux announced Wednesday, ending any chance of a Triple Crown bid this year.

Instead, the horse will be pointed toward the Belmont Stakes on June 6.

DeVaux said the decision was made to give Golden Tempo additional recovery time following his dramatic Kentucky Derby victory at Churchill Downs, where the long-shot colt surged from the back of the pack to win at 23-1 odds.

Golden Tempo becomes the second consecutive Derby winner to bypass the Preakness, following Sovereignty last year. The move has intensified debate within horse racing about whether the Triple Crown schedule — three major races in just five weeks — still fits the modern era of Thoroughbred racing.

During horse racing’s golden age, Triple Crown contenders routinely competed in all three races, with legends such as Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed cementing their place in sports history by attempting the grueling series. In those days, racing fans expected Derby winners to continue on to Baltimore in pursuit of the sport’s most coveted achievement.

Today, however, many trainers and owners believe the traditional two-week turnaround between the Kentucky Derby and Preakness is too demanding on horses physically and could jeopardize their long-term health and future racing careers.

The decision is especially notable because Golden Tempo’s Derby victory generated widespread national attention. DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby, and the horse’s victory helped produce the most-watched Derby broadcast on record.

Without the Derby winner in the field, some racing observers fear the Preakness could lose much of its national significance. Analysts have increasingly called for changes to the Triple Crown calendar, including moving the Preakness farther from the Derby to allow horses more recovery time.

This year’s Preakness will be held at Laurel Park near Baltimore while historic Pimlico Race Course undergoes renovations. The race is expected to return to Pimlico in 2027.

As of Wednesday, none of the 19 horses that competed in this year’s Kentucky Derby had officially committed to run in the Preakness.

Source: Yahoo! Sports

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