Golden Tempo entered the Belmont Stakes as the 9/2 third choice, carrying doubts despite his Kentucky Derby win. Oddsmaker Johnny Avello voiced the uncertainty, saying, “I’m not sure that Golden Tempo is the right horse for this race.” The colt answered familiarly, sitting back early before surging late to win in 2:03.49 and give Cherie DeVaux her second Triple Crown triumph. As she targets the Jim Dandy Stakes next, that same closing style could face a stiffer test.

DeVaux has already mapped out Golden Tempo’s next steps. He will return to routine training at Keeneland Race Track before shifting focus to the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga in late July, according to Spectrum News on June 7.

Beyond that, DeVaux has her sights set on the Travers Stakes, a centerpiece of Saratoga’s summer meet. “[Saratoga] is a track that we know he likes. So with a horse like him, we just tried to keep all the factors we know work in his favor,” she said.

Still, the path is not without its challenges. The Jim Dandy covers 1 1/8 miles, a shorter distance than both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. While it remains a key Grade II prep for the Travers, the distance may not play to Golden Tempo’s strengths, as his late-running style depends on a longer stretch to fully unfold.

In the Kentucky Derby, for most of the race, he was well behind the main pack. In the final stretch, he began his move from the back, passing horse after horse down the outside. Jockey Jose Ortiz timed the run late, and Golden Tempo surged strongly in the last part of the race to reach the leaders right at the finish. He won by a narrow margin over Renegade in a close, fast finish. His final time for the Derby was about 2:02 and change for 1 1/4 miles.

In the Belmont Stakes, the pattern stayed the same. He stayed well off the leaders for most of the race, then began to build momentum to take home the win. In the final furlong, he surged past Commandment and finished strongly to win in 2:03.49.

The Jim Dandy is at 1 1/8 miles, where he has less time to get to the rear and start his late stretch. DeVaux’s already hinted at that challenge. “He’s definitely a classic distance horse,” she said. “It will be interesting when he runs in the Jim Dandy to see how that translates with his maturity and more running experience. Hopefully, we can see more versatility.”

Despite the questions, DeVaux is confident that he is moving forward. “There’s a big change in him from going into the Derby and coming out of the Derby,” she added. “He’s very laid back, and he’s just getting that ‘aha’ moment. He’s got a lot of confidence.”

But for the 2026 race, three colts might be strong challengers to Golden Tempo.

Ted Noffey, trained by Todd A. Pletcher, has been flawless so far. In four starts, he has four wins and earnings of $1,657,963. Silent Tactic, trained by Mark E. Casse, has also shown steady form. In four starts, he has one win, three runner-up finishes, and earnings of $998,750.

Renegade, another Todd A. Pletcher trainee, brings strong credentials of his own. In four starts, he has two wins, one second, and one third, with earnings of $2,152,500.

But Golden Tempo has already beaten top-class fields twice on the biggest stages. Now the Jim Dandy will show whether his late-running style can still land him in front when the distance gets tighter, or whether Saratoga demands a different kind of effort. But seeing him win two legs of the Triple Crown also raised questions about what might have been if he had run in the Preakness.

Why did Golden Tempo miss the Triple Crown sweep?

The Triple Crown includes three races in the same season: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. But Golden Tempo skipped the Preakness; his chance at a Triple Crown ended. But the decision was made carefully. At the time, the only thing that mattered was the horse’s health.

“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,” DeVaux explained.

Golden Tempo added to a growing pattern as the third Derby winner in the last five years to bypass the Preakness. The shift has been noticeable, with six of the past eight editions of the race unfolding without a Triple Crown on the line. Only American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018 have completed the sweep in the last 40 years. For DeVaux, however, the reasoning was straightforward. Her priority was flexibility.

“It’s definitely different,” she said on the Dan Patrick Show in May. “We do focus more on the race-to-race of what we’re doing, and the Kentucky Derby was our big goal.”

“That has nothing to do with it. I admire any horse that tries for the Triple Crown. But it’s a horse-by-horse basis. A different type of horse with a different running style would probably, you know – play differently in our decision making.”

Still, Golden Tempo has shown he is not an ordinary horse.

So far in 2026, his season has been consistent and strong. He has started five times, winning three races, finishing second twice, and earning $4,600,000. Now all eyes turn to his next test, the Jim Dandy Stakes, where his flexibility and late-running style will be tested again.