Golden Tempo shook off a challenge from Commandment and edged clear in the final strides to win the Belmont Stakes June 6 at Saratoga, taking two-thirds of the 2026 Triple Crown. (Eclipse Sportswire)
Aside from winning at 23.12-1 odds on May 2 at Churchill Downs, there was widespread conjecture that he was able to close from last in a field of 18 because of brutal early fractions. He also had a relatively smooth trip in a roughly run opening leg of the Triple Crown. And there were ruffled feathers after the connections bypassed the May 16 Preakness Stakes and did not pursue a sweep of racing’s most cherished series.
“I think there were doubts because (Derby runner-up) Renegade ran so well and he had trouble,” said Cherie DeVaux, who trains Golden Tempo. “So, there were thoughts that Renegade could have won the race, but they have been put to bed.”
“I think this proved a point,” winning jockey Jose Ortiz said.
The point surely resonated with the winning owners. It was the first Belmont Stakes win for Vinnie and Teresa Viola of St. Elias Stable, who won the 2017 Kentucky Derby with Always Dreaming.
For the Phipps family, it resurrected sweet memories of decades ago. Specifically 1989 when Ogden Phipps, the grandfather of the siblings that now run the stable with their mother, captured the Belmont Stakes with the Hall of Famer Easy Goer.
“These are the races that you want to win when you are a kid growing up who loves horse racing,” said Daisy Phipps Pulito, the manager of day-to-day operations for Phipps Stable. “For my great grandmother, grandfather, father, when they would mate their horses they would ask is this the one that is going to win the Derby, or the Preakness, or the Belmont? These are the ones you target and if you are lucky enough to win them, they are life-changing.”
In rallying from last despite moderate fractions to take the Belmont, Golden Tempo crushed thoughts that he was pace dependent. But did it illustrate how he could have won the Preakness and perhaps become the 14th Triple Crown winner? DeVaux said she had no regrets about skipping the middle jewel and running in the final one on five weeks rest.
DeVaux hoists the Belmont trophy with Ortiz at her side. (Anne M. Eberhardt/BloodHorse)
“I do think we made the right decision. I don’t think we would have the same horse if we had run back in two weeks,” said DeVaux, who became the first female trainer to win two Triple Crown races and the second to register a Belmont win after Jena Antonucci did so in 2023. “It’s a horse-by-horse, case-by-case decision. And for him, just as much growth as we’ve seen in him, it would have been hard for him to follow that up in two weeks and subsequently three weeks.”
On an afternoon when a paid crowd of 46,128 turned out and rain started five minutes before post time and ended along with the race, the lack of respect for Golden Tempo could also be found on the toteboard. He was the 6-1 fourth choice in the wagering, behind 1.75-1 favorite Renegade, Chief Wallabee, and Emerging Market, all of whom finished behind him in the Derby. He was slightly ahead in betting over 6.04-1 Commandment, who was seventh on the first Saturday in May.
Powershift grabbed the lead in the Belmont, battling with Growth Equity through fractions of :48.29 and 1:12.38 as Ortiz and Golden Tempo were ninth and last after he brushed the gate and broke to the outside from post position 9.
Growth Equity forged to the front on the final turn of the 1 ¼-mile classic, but he was soon joined by Chief Wallabee and they turned into the stretch battling for the lead.
Meanwhile, Ortiz had asked Golden Tempo to kick into gear earlier than he did five weeks earlier. The bay colt quickly moved into contention six-wide on the turn, with Florida Derby Presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms winner Commandment also rallying outside of him.
The front two weakened approaching the eighth pole and Golden Tempo and Commandment rocketed past them. In the final furlong, the Kentucky Derby winner edged clear and covered mile and a quarter in 2:03.49 to become a dual classic winner.
“I was just waiting for the right moment to go all in, and when I asked him, my horse responded,” Ortiz said.
Commandment, trained by Brad Cox, was a clear second.
“I was proud of my horse’s effort,” Cox said. “(Jockey John Velazquez) said he thought he had it the last sixteenth but (Golden Tempo) edged away from him a little bit.”
Four lengths back in third was favored Renegade, an Into Mischief colt who lacked the strong closing kick he used to finish second by a neck in the Kentucky Derby.
“It wasn’t the same sustained run that he made in the Derby,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “I think he was a little flat today.”
DeVaux said Golden Tempo’s main target for the summer would be the $1.25 million, Grade 1 DraftKings Travers Stakes Aug. 29 at Saratoga, where he may finally be favored and respected.
2026 Belmont S. Presented by NYRA Bets June 6th, 2026
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