First the rain, then the race, then the rainbow and then rowdy celebration as Golden Tempo delivered another last-to-first run to remember in winning the $2 million Belmont Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday.
The victory was historic in many ways: trainer Cherie DeVaux, who became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby (G1) with Golden Tempo five weeks ago, is now the only female trainer with two wins in Triple Crown races.
It marked the second year in a row that the Derby winner skipped the Preakness Stakes (G1), ending any possible Triple Crown, and came back to win the Belmont, the final jewel of the Triple Crown.
And the win also was the second in four years for a female trainer in the Belmont after Jena Antonucci became the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race with Arcangelo in 2023.
Asked about whether he could have won the Triple Crown, DeVaux said: “I don’t even want to think about that.” After the trophy presentation, DeVaux explained her logic:
“I do think we made the right decision. I don't think we'd have the same horse if we did run back in two weeks [in the Preakness]. That's a horse-by-horse, case-by-case decision. And for him, as much growth as we've seen in him, it would've been hard for him to follow that up in two weeks and then subsequently three weeks.”
Nonetheless, Golden Tempo is sure to become the most popular horse in racing, with his every move going forward followed by the racing world.
Even before the Belmont, it was announced that Golden Tempo would stand at Lane’s End Farm in Versailles, Kentucky when retired from racing – whenever that happens. Tens of millions of dollars are in this mix.
For now, let horse racing celebrate a champion. A deep closer in all of his starts, Golden Tempo and jockey Jose Ortiz have worked out a winning formula. Start slow, hang out in the back of the pack, swing wide, and take off for the finish line.
On Saturday, just minutes after the first rain of the day began, the starting gate opened and a field of nine headed for the first turn in the 1 ¼-mile Belmont – shortened from 1 ½ miles the past three years due to the rebuilding of Belmont Park.
Golden Tempo, the fourth betting choice at 6-1, and Ortiz didn’t get the perfect pace scenario they had five weeks ago, but the race unfolded the same way.
Just as in the Derby, Ortiz allowed Golden Tempo to settle in a ground-saving trip at the back of field through an opening quarter-mile went in 23.96, a half in 48.29 and three-quarters in 1:12.38, fractions significantly slower than in the Run for the Roses.
As well, when Ortiz moved the Curlin colt to the outside into striking position, he found himself hard between race favorite Renegade and Commandment. The trio swung off the turn into the middle of the stretch saddlecloth-to-saddlecloth, passing Chief Wallabee and Growth Equity, who were battling it out along the rail, and it wasn’t until a furlong out that Golden Tempo began pulling away from his new best friends, first leaving Renegade behind to finish third, and edging away from Commandment to hit the wire 1 ¼ lengths in front.
“Jose just rode him super confidently. He knew he had a lot of horse under him, and at the top of the stretch, he had him in a position to make that run, and Golden Tempo did the rest,’’ DeVaux said.
Winning time for the 1 ¼ miles was 2:03.49. Golden Tempo, who won the Derby at 23-1 odds, returned $14 on a $2 win bet in the Belmont.
As DeVaux and owners Vinnie Viola’s St. Elias Stable and Phipps Stable cheered on Golden Tempo, a rainbow appeared, so proper for the occasion.
“We all knew he wasn’t going to get the kind of setup he did in the Derby,’’ Ortiz said. ‘I was following Renegade, who is always a good target. I’m very happy to win today, the last Belmont at Saratoga.”
The Belmont field included five Derby runners, no Preakness runners and four new shooters. The Derby quintet finished 1-5 – Golden Tempo, Commandment, Renegade, Chief Wallabee and Emerging Market. Growth Equity was sixth, followed by Vitruvian Man, Otthino and Powershift.
Golden Tempo improved to 6-4-0-2 with earnings of $4.6 million.
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.
