Will he, or won’t he?
Kentucky Derby hero Golden Tempo is back at Keeneland and resting this week after making Cherie DeVaux the first female trainer to win the Run for the Roses.
Next up is the Preakness Stakes (G1), the second leg of the Triple Crown, at Laurel Park for the first time, on May 16.
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DeVaux, in New York on Monday to appear on NBC’s Today Show, said: “We’ll just have to see how he comes out of the race. He gets a couple of easy days. He’s probably snoozing right now. We’ll try to make a decision by the end of the week.”
Golden Tempo, a 23-1 longshot ridden by Jose Ortiz, put on a remarkable last-to-first rally past 17 rivals and edged Renegade by a neck in Saturday’s 152nd Derby.
Golden Tempo is owned by the Phipps Stable and Vinny Viola’s St. Elias Stable. Once DeVaux and her team size up Golden Tempo’s vibe, the group will decide.
Traditionally, the Derby winner is a go for the Preakness in the quest for a Triple Crown (13 horses have done it), but that’s changed over the past few years.
Four of the last seven official Derby winners skipped the Preakness for one reason or another: Sovereignty in 2025 (trainer Bill Mott said he was doing what’s best for the horse); Country House in 2019 (also trained by Mott and a winner after the DQ of Maximum Security); Mandaloun in 2021 (won by DQ that became official after the Preakness); and Rich Strike in 2022 (a last-minute entry who won at 80-1 odds).
Let’s count the ways: Do what’s best for the horse. Two weeks is too quick a turnaround. We’re thinking long term. He’s run too many times and needs a break.
Usually, if the horse is healthy, the Derby winner ends up at Pimlico Race Course to give it a shot, while most of the other Derby runners skip the Preakness and move on.
This year, there’s another reason: No more Pimlico, as it was torn down and is being rebuilt.
The race will still be run at 1 3/16 miles, but the track configuration is different, the dirt surface is different, and there won’t be many in attendance – the crowd is capped at 4,800, a far cry from the 100,000 plus for the Preakness at Pimlico.
Now that Golden Tempo’s value has increased dramatically with his Derby win – think stud fees after retirement – will the owners take a chance at an untested venue on such short rest?
Or will they opt to wait until the Belmont Stakes (G1) three weeks after the Preakness and move on to a summer campaign and the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland in the fall?
On the Tuesday after Sovereignty won the 2025 Derby over a sloppy track, Mott said he would bypass the Preakness to prepare for the Belmont (at Saratoga) and a summer season at the Spa with the goal of the BC Classic.
Sovereignty went on to win the Belmont, the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), and the Travers Stakes (G1) and was voted Horse of the Year. He was declared out of the BC Classic due to a slight fever.
Mott said he was doing what was best for the horse. He cited a preference for a five-week break rather than racing again two weeks later.
On Sunday, DeVaux may have hinted at what’s to come: “Obviously, this race is in two weeks. It’s a lot different than what he’s done. He’s a horse who has a lot of constitution to him. He can handle something like that. But if one day he just doesn’t look like he’s in tiptop shape, then we’ll pivot and come up with another plan.”
Whether Golden Tempo is a go or not, the Preakness will likely have a large field – the limit is 14 horses. The last 14-horse Preakness field was in 2011, with Shackleford winning.
Taj Mahal: Unbeaten in three starts, all at Laurel, including the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio on April 18. The colt is trained by Maryland’s top conditioner, Brittany Russell.
The Hell We Did: Trained by Todd Fincher, he ran second in the Lexington Stakes (G3) at Keeneland on April 18 in his two-turn debut.
Both are currently training at Laurel.
Other contenders include Cherokee Nation, Chip Honcho, Crude Velocity, Crupper, Express Kid, Great White, Iron Honor, Napoleon Solo, Ottinho, Pretty Boy Miah, Silent Tactic, Talkin and Talk to Me Jimmy.
Crude Velocity, Cherokee Nation: Both are trained by eight-time Preakness winner Bob Baffert. Crude Victory was a runaway winner of the Pat Day Mile (G2) on Derby Day; Cherokee Nation, a maiden winner who was sixth in the Santa Anita Derby (G1).
Chip Honcho: Runner-up in the Risen Star (G2) and fifth in the Louisiana Derby (G2), the colt was pulled from Derby consideration by trainer Steve Asmussen, a two-time Preakness winner (Curlin in 2007 and the filly Rachel Alexandra in 2009).
Iron Honor, Ottinho: Both are trained by Chad Brown. Iron Honor won the Gotham Stakes (G3) but ran seventh in the Wood Memorial (G2). Ottinho ran second in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) behind Further Ado. Brown is a two-time Preakness winner (Cloud Computing in 2017 and Early Voting in 2022).
Crupper: Donnie Von Hemel-trainee earned an automatic berth to the Preakness with a win in the 1 1/8-mile Bathhouse Row at Oaklawn Park on April 18. Junior Alvarado will be the rider.
Express Kid: Last race was a runner-up finish in the Sunland Derby on Feb. 15 for trainer Justin Evans.
Others who could show up: John Battaglia Memorial winner Great White, who was scratched from the Derby after flipping behind the starting gate as horses were being loaded; Napoleon Solo, 0-2 for in 2026 after winning the Champagne Stakes (G1) last fall at Aqueduct; Southwest Stakes (G3) winner Silent Tactic (a late Derby scratch with a minor foot issue); Talkin, second in the Champagne and third in the Blue Grass for trainer Danny Gargan; Pretty Boy Miah; and Talk to Me Jimmy.
John Ennis, who trains Great White, said the gray gelding is fine and that Alex Achard, who was uninjured in the incident on Saturday, will be aboard for the Preakness.
Ennis explained what happened: When he reared up, the pony rider pulled against him, and he just turned him over. He’ll do that. He’ll rear up, but he never falls over. When he runs next time, he won’t go with the pony. He’ll be fine. He doesn’t need a pony. He’s a very good boy.”
Richard Rosenblatt is an award-winning journalist and former Associated Press Horse Racing Editor. Currently, he serves as the news editor at US Racing, overseeing exclusive content from contributors worldwide.
