Golden Tempo proved his Kentucky Derby win was no fluke by coming back Saturday to take the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
The win made Cherie DeVaux the second woman to train a winner in the third leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown. The Saratoga Springs native joined Jena Antonucci, who won the race in 2023 with Arcangelo.
Commandment finished second, and Renegade, who was second to Golden Tempo by a neck last month at Churchill Downs, wound up third.
The top three all ran in the Derby but opted to skip the May 16 Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown, because of the two-week break between the races.
Similar to how he raced at the Derby, jockey Jose Ortiz rallied Golden Tempo from last to first with another strong stretch drive. However, Ortiz needed to do it without nearly the type of pace the frontrunners in the Derby provided.
Despite the Derby win, Golden Tempo did not break as the favorite. That was Renegade at 8-5.
Golden Tempo, who broke at 6-1 from the outside gate in the nine-horse field, paid $14 to win, $7.32 to place and $3.88 to show. Commandment, who broke at 5-1, paid $7.02 and $4.08. Renegade paid $2.52.
–Field Level Media
