Golden Tempo Storms From Last to First to Win the 158th Belmont Stakes at Saratoga
Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo skipped the Preakness, returned fresh, and rallied from the back of the field under Jose Ortiz to win the 158th Belmont Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths at Saratoga — a two-for-two classic season for trainer Cherie DeVaux.
Golden Tempo won the 158th Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, June 6 — confirming that the 2026 Kentucky Derby was no fluke. Sent off at 6-1 after drifting in the market, the colt stumbled at the break from post 9, settled at the back of the nine-horse field under Jose Ortiz, then unleashed a sweeping last-to-first rally through the Saratoga stretch to win by 1 1/2 lengths in 2:03.49 on a fast track.
It was the third straight year the Belmont Stakes ran at Saratoga while Belmont Park finishes reconstruction, and again at 1 1/4 miles rather than the traditional 1 1/2 miles — a distance Saratoga's main track cannot accommodate. Trainer Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win two legs of the Triple Crown in the same year, taking both the Derby and the Belmont with Golden Tempo.
Top of the board
Payouts
- Win / Place / Show (Golden Tempo, $2 base): $14.00 / $7.32 / $3.88
- $2 Exacta (9-7): $111.34
- $1 Trifecta (9-7-4): $102.64
- $1 Superfecta (9-7-4-3): $237.98
Finishing order
| Finish | PP | Horse |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Golden Tempo |
| 2 | 7 | Commandment |
| 3 | 4 | Renegade |
| 4 | — | Chief Wallabee |
| 5 | — | Emerging Market |
| 6 | — | Growth Equity |
| 7 | — | Vitruvian Man |
| 8 | — | Ottinho |
| 9 | — | Powershift |
How the race unfolded
Golden Tempo broke awkwardly and was last of nine early, leaving Ortiz to ride a patient, ground-saving trip while the fresh shooters who had skipped the Preakness pressed the pace up front. Commandment took control turning for home, but Golden Tempo angled out at the top of the stretch and quickened past the field in the final furlong. Betting favorite Renegade, the Derby runner-up, kept on for third but never threatened the winner.
With Preakness winner Napoleon Solo skipping the Belmont to point toward the Haskell Stakes in July, there was no Triple Crown on the line. Golden Tempo instead leaves the 2026 classic season as its defining three-year-old — two-for-two in the legs he entered.
Two starts in the classics, two wins. Golden Tempo skipped the Preakness, came back fresh, and beat a field built specifically to take advantage of his layoff. Cherie DeVaux's two-leg season is the story of the spring.
Where Maryland bettors can play the horses
Maryland bettors can wager on Triple Crown races and year-round racing through FanDuel Racing, TwinSpires, and TVG. For straight win/place/show and exotics like exactas, trifectas, and superfectas, those racing platforms — separate from the fixed-odds sportsbook apps — are where Maryland action runs.
Methodology and source
Payouts and finishing order verified against published race charts and New York Racing Association tote returns. Race-day weather and track conditions from on-site reporting. Final time and margin officially recorded by NYRA.