Derby winner Golden Tempo opts out of Preakness, highlighting Triple Crown scheduling woes
For the second consecutive year, the winner of the Kentucky Derby is opting out of the Preakness Stakes.
On Wednesday, Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Cherie DeVaux announced her horse, Golden Tempo, would not participate in the second leg of the Triple Crown later this month. In doing so, Golden Tempo follows in the footsteps of Sovereignty, the 2025 Kentucky Derby winner that also opted out of the Preakness citing modern rest and recovery standards for Thoroughbreds.
Preakness announcement pic.twitter.com/8JQu7VZlRC
— Cherie DeVaux (@reredevaux) May 6, 2026
“After much thoughtful discussion as a team, we have decided that Golden Tempo will bypass the Preakness Stakes,” Cherie DeVaux Racing wrote in a statement. “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. …We are looking forward to pointing him toward the Belmont Stakes and are excited for what lies ahead with this very special horse.”
The decision continues a concerning trend for the Preakness, traditionally run two weeks following the Kentucky Derby. In three of the past five races dating back to the 2022 Preakness, the Kentucky Derby winner has not participated in the Triple Crown’s second leg.
Naturally, the trend has inspired serious reconsideration into how the Triple Crown calendar is arranged. Last month, reports surfaced that the Preakness is considering moving back one week on the calendar to allow a more appropriate rest period for the Derby winner, as well as other Derby horses. Such a move would almost certainly require the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, to also move back one week to maintain a three-week gap between itself and the Preakness.
Only twice in the past 17 years have all three top Kentucky Derby finishers participated in the Preakness two weeks later. The result has been lagging viewership for NBC, the Preakness broadcast partner. Last year’s race, for instance, saw its lowest viewership since 1995 at a time when both Kentucky Derby viewership, and sports viewership overall, is booming.
Nothing will motivate horse racing’s power brokers towards change more than a clearly diminishing product. Especially considering Churchill Downs Incorporated, the entity which operates the Kentucky Derby, will soon take over operations for the Preakness, it seems likely that a calendar shift for the race is almost certain.
That won’t help this year’s Preakness, however. And unfortunately for NBC, it could spell another year of lackluster ratings.
