No Triple Crown: Golden Tempo will not run in

There will be no Triple Crown winner in horse racing this 12 months. There received’t even be an attempt.

Trainer Cherie DeVaux on Wednesday announced Golden Tempo, the horse that made her the first feminine coach to win the Kentucky Derby, would skip the Preakness Stakes next week at its short-term home, Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

Just hours after Golden Tempo returned to the racetrack at Keeneland for the first time since his victory Saturday at Churchill Downs, DeVaux posted a assertion on X.

“After much thoughtful discussion as a team, we have decided that Golden Tempo will bypass the Preakness Stakes,” the assertion read.

“We are incredibly appreciative of the excitement and support surrounding the possibility of a Triple Crown run. The enthusiasm from racing fans, our owners, and our entire team has meant more to us than we can properly express. Golden gave us the race of a lifetime in the Kentucky Derby, and we believe the best decision for him moving forward is to give him a little more time following such a tremendous effort. His health, happiness, and long-term future will always remain our top priority.”

The Preakness, set for May 16, is the second leg of the Triple Crown, adopted June 6 by the Belmont Stakes, which for the third straight 12 months will be contested in Saratoga, N.Y. Since 1978, the only horses to sweep all three races are American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018.

Golden Tempo is the second straight horse and third in the last 5 years not to run in the Preakness. Sovereignty, who did not take part last 12 months, received the Belmont and later the Travers and was voted Horse of the Year.

Unlike in the past, trainers virtually never run horses with just two or even three weeks’ relaxation. That has prompted discuss that the Preakness — which has been run 14 days after the Derby since 1950 — and Belmont may very well be moved back to enable horses more time between races. Sports Business Journal reported last month that the Preakness was “set to make a historic shift to one week later,” though many trainers have said that received’t make a distinction.

DeVaux was requested the day after the Derby if having the Preakness 4 weeks after the Derby would make her resolution simpler.

“I mean, it would make anyone’s decision easier, but that’s not the Triple Crown,” she said. “So, the Triple Crown is hard to win for a reason. And I appreciate the history of it.

“You know, the horses are definitely different. They’re not built the same. They’re not trained the same as back then, but current times have shown that it can be done with the right horse.”

There is no scarcity of horses aiming for the Preakness, which is restricted to 14 starters. One of those — and the doubtless favourite if he runs — is Crude Velocity, who received the Pat Day Mile on Saturday at Churchill Downs in just his third profession start. But coach Bob Baffert, who has received the Preakness a document eight instances, has yet to resolve whether or not he needs to run the horse in two weeks.

“I’m still on fence,” Baffert said Wednesday via textual content. “Tempted but I’m not leaning yet.”

The Daily Racing Form reported Ocelli, the maiden who completed third in the Derby, is now anticipated to run in the Preakness. Trainer Whit Beckman told the Form he had Ocelli jog Wednesday and “he looked better than great.”

Added Beckman: “You wouldn’t know this horse ran Saturday. He’s made of something different. Every indication he’s given me is to point to this race. … We’re having fun, the horse is having fun. If everybody’s having fun, why stop the fun?”

According to a news release from the Preakness, other horses under consideration who didn’t run in the Derby are Chip Honcho, Corona de Oro, Crupper, Express Kid, Great White, Iron Honor, Napoleon Solo, Pretty Boy Miah, Silent Tactic, Taj Mahal, Talkin, Talk to Me Jimmy and The Hell We Did.

The Racing Form reported jockey Jose Ortiz, who rode Golden Tempo to his Derby win, will experience Chip Honcho in the Preakness.