Golden Tempo Wins 2026 Belmont Stakes: Full Race Recap

Golden Tempo, trained by Cherie DeVaux and ridden by Jose Ortiz, won the 158th Belmont Stakes on June 6, 2026 at Saratoga Race Course. The Kentucky Derby winner stumbled at the start from Post 9, settled last, then rallied from the far turn to win by just over a length. Commandment finished second, Renegade third. Golden Tempo paid $14.00 to win.

Ortiz felt the stumble instantly out of Gate 9. In a nine-horse field, Golden Tempo was buried at the back. Powershift pushed to the front. Renegade, trained by Todd Pletcher, tracked second with a clean trip, exactly the race Pletcher had designed. Around the far turn, Ortiz asked Golden Tempo to accelerate. He swung four wide, picked off horses one by one, ran down Chief Wallabee, held off Commandment at the wire and pulled clear in the final furlong. Renegade had no answer.

1. Golden Tempo (Jose Ortiz / Cherie DeVaux) 6-1
2. Commandment (John Velazquez / Brad Cox) 6-1
3. Renegade (Irad Ortiz Jr. / Todd Pletcher) 8-5 favourite
4. Chief Wallabee
5. Growth Equity
6. Powershift
7. Emerging Market
8. Ottinho
9. Vitruvian Man

Win: $14.00. Place: $7.32. Show: $3.88. Exacta (9-7): $55.67 on $1. Trifecta (9-7-4): $51.32 on $0.50.

On May 2, 2026, DeVaux became the first woman in the 152-year history of the Kentucky Derby to train a winning horse. Five weeks later she did it again. By winning the Belmont she became the first woman to win two Triple Crown races and the first to win the Derby and the Belmont in the same year. She also sent out Englishman to win the Woody Stephens Stakes the same afternoon in track record-tying 1:20.40.

Ortiz won the Belmont in 2017 aboard Tapwrit and has been the constant on Golden Tempo through the entire Triple Crown story. His ride from the back, four wide on the far turn, demonstrated exactly the tactical intelligence and coolness under pressure that defines his career.

DeVaux skipped the Preakness to give Golden Tempo more recovery time. Napoleon Solo won that race in his absence, trained by Chad Summers and ridden by Paco Lopez. When asked if Golden Tempo could have won the Triple Crown, DeVaux said it was not something she wanted to think about.

The next major target is likely the Travers Stakes at Saratoga in late August, often called the mid-summer Derby. Beyond that, the Breeders' Cup Classic in November is the year-end target. Co-owners Daisy Phipps Pulito and Vinnie Viola have a horse whose value has risen dramatically over the last five weeks.