Golden Tempo 2026 Belmont Stakes: The Kentucky Derby Shocker Returns Rested and Ready
When Cherie DeVaux walked into the winner’s circle at Churchill Downs last month, she made history. The first woman ever to train a Kentucky Derby winner, DeVaux sent Golden Tempo out at 23-1 odds and watched him do something that nobody saw coming — charge from dead last to first in one of the most breathtaking finishes in recent Derby memory. Now, after skipping the Preakness Stakes entirely, that same horse lines up in the 158th Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday. The connections made a calculated bet by passing on the Triple Crown chase. Whether it pays off is the most compelling storyline in American racing this weekend.
The Derby Run That Stopped Everyone Cold
The Kentucky Derby is the hardest race in North America to predict, and Golden Tempo’s victory proved exactly why. Sitting at the back of a 20-horse field, jockey Jose Ortiz bided his time as the early fractions played out in front of him. Then, somewhere around the far turn, Golden Tempo found another gear. He swept past horses like they were standing still, hit the wire first, and silenced nearly every public handicapper who had written him off at 23-1.
It was the kind of run that raises two questions in equal measure: Was that a generational performance, or a perfect storm that may never repeat? The Belmont Stakes — 1¼ miles at Saratoga, a course and distance that demands class and stamina — will go a long way toward answering both. Golden Tempo enters with $3,433,000 in career earnings, the highest figure in the field, and those numbers don’t lie about a horse’s talent.
The Trainer Making History
Cherie DeVaux has been the most talked-about name in American racing since that Derby afternoon, and for good reason. Her place in the record books is permanent now — no one can take that first-ever distinction away. But what matters heading into Saturday is that she has managed Golden Tempo brilliantly. Passing on the Preakness was not a popular decision when it was announced; the Triple Crown is the ultimate prize, and Napoleon Solo stepped in to win the middle jewel. DeVaux made a different calculation.
She banked on a fresher horse for the Belmont, a longer race that suits a come-from-behind runner who needs room and time to wind up. The extra weeks of rest versus the grueling Derby-Preakness-Belmont grind could be the edge that makes the difference on the leaderboard Saturday evening.
Why Golden Tempo Can Win Again
The case for Golden Tempo in the 2026 Belmont Stakes is built on several concrete factors. Start with the freshness angle: the horses who ran through the Preakness three weeks after the Derby are carrying significant mileage. Golden Tempo has had a full rest cycle since Churchill Downs, and his connections structured his campaign specifically for this race.
Then there is Jose Ortiz. At 32, the Puerto Rican-born jockey has now won all three Triple Crown races in his career — the Belmont Stakes aboard Tapwrit in 2017, the Preakness Stakes on Early Voting in 2022, and the Kentucky Derby on Golden Tempo this year. That puts him in a tiny group with that distinction. More practically, Ortiz won the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga before. He knows this track. He knows how to rate a horse and time a run at this distance. The post 9 draw gives him room to work from the outside, which actually suits a closer who needs clear lanes rather than a wall of horses to navigate.
The 1¼-mile distance at Saratoga is a true test of stamina, and Golden Tempo’s Derby run — storming past a full field on a tired track — suggests he has that stamina in abundance. If that Derby performance was the real thing, the Belmont is his race to lose. If you’re looking to bet the race, the FanDuel promo code and the DraftKings promo code are both worth checking before post time for any available new-customer offers.
The Betting Case and the Skeptic View
Golden Tempo opens at 9-2 on the morning line, which is fair value for a horse of this profile. The argument for backing him is straightforward: Derby winner, freshest horse in the field, proven come-from-behind style at a distance that rewards stamina, and a jockey who has already won this race. If you trust what you saw in Louisville, 9-2 is a reasonable price.
The skeptic case deserves honest consideration, though. Post position 9 at Saratoga on a 1¼-mile track means a lot of ground to cover early, and traffic management from the outside can be tricky even with a closer’s running style. The bigger concern for some handicappers is race freshness of a different kind — Golden Tempo has not run since the Derby. Horses need competitive miles to stay sharp, and there is a real question about whether five-plus weeks between starts will leave him ring-rusty or physically off his peak. Napoleon Solo, who beat a field of Derby horses to win the Preakness, will enter this race seasoned and confident.
Still, the numbers favor Golden Tempo. The highest earner in the field, trained by the most celebrated trainer in American racing right now, carrying one of the best big-race jockeys in the country into a distance that suits his style — that is a formidable combination at any price. For a deeper look at where to shop this line, the FanDuel sportsbook review covers what the platform offers on major horse racing events. The 158th Belmont Stakes goes to post at 7:04 PM ET Saturday from Saratoga Race Course, with a $2 million purse on the line.