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Golden Tempo surged to victory in the 2026 Belmont Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Springs in New York, capturing the third and final win of the Triple Crown, just a month after winning the Kentucky Derby.
With jockey Jose Ortiz aboard, Golden Tempo charged down the stretch at Saratoga Race Course to win the Belmont, holding off Commandment before the finish line at the historic track.
Yuki Iwamura / AP Photo
Commandment was second, and favorite Renegade third.
The pace was not nearly as fast as it was at Churchill Downs, yet Golden Tempo still was able to close in time to win the 1 1/4-mile race in 2:03.49.
Golden Tempo made Cherie DeVaux the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner. She was looking to be the second at the Belmont after Jena Antonucci in 2023 with Archangelo. DeVaux was born in Saratoga Springs and began her training career at the track.
Golden Tempo was not able to sweep this year’s series because Derby winner Golden Tempo skipped the Preakness Stakes in Maryland on May 16.
Renegade, the Kentucky Derby runner-up trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, was bet down to 8-5 after opening at 2-1 on the morning line. The rest of the money was spread out significantly, with Derby winner Golden Tempo, Chief Wallabee, Commandment and Emerging Market all 5-1.
The long shots in the field of nine were Pletcher-trained Powershift at 12-1, Growth Equity at 13-1, Ottinho at 19-1 and Vitruivian Man at 20-1.
The Belmont is being run at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York for a third and final time while its traditional home on the border of Queens and Long Island was demolished and rebuilt. The race is set to return to Belmont Park next year.
The Belmont, known as the Test of the Champion, is usually the longest of the three Triple Crown races at 1 1/2 miles. But Saturday’s race was 1 1/4 miles — the same length as the Derby — because of the configuration of the main racetrack at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.
