Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo won’t run in Preakness Stakes
Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo won’t run in the Preakness Stakes subsequent weekend, coach Cherie DeVaux introduced Wednesday.
DeVaux and house owners determined to skip the Preakness and set their sights on the Belmont Stakes on June 6 at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York. DeVaux, the primary girl to coach a Derby winner, is from Saratoga Springs, which is internet hosting the Belmont for a 3rd and closing time this yr.
“We are incredibly appreciative of the excitement and support surrounding the possibility of a Triple Crown run,” DeVaux stated in an announcement. “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.”
Golden Tempo is the third Derby winner in the previous 5 years to not be entered in the Preakness. For numerous causes, it’s the sixth time in eight years the Preakness will occur with no probability of a Triple Crown on the road. American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018 are the one horses to brush all three races over the previous 4 many years.
The two-week turnaround from the Derby to the Preakness, which was commonplace, is taken into account a nonstarter for a lot of trainers and house owners given that the majority elite thoroughbreds now usually go a month or extra between races. It has brought about infinite debate in horse racing circles in regards to the spacing of the Triple Crown in trendy instances.
Maryland racing officers are contemplating shifting the Preakness again from the third Saturday in May to the fourth to extend the probabilities of not simply the winner however different horses from the Derby being thought-about for the second leg of the Triple Crown. None of the 18 who ran this yr at Churchill Downs are heading to the Preakness, with Golden Tempo the one one even thought-about.
The Preakness is happening at Laurel Park between Baltimore and Washington, DC, this spring whereas its longtime dwelling, Pimlico Race Course, is rebuilt as a part of a large building venture that included demolishing the dilapidated previous construction. Pimlico is ready to turn into the positioning for year-round racing in Maryland starting subsequent yr when the state takes management from 1/ST Racing, with Laurel turning into a coaching venue.
Golden Tempo gained the Kentucky Derby as a 23-1 lengthy shot in spectacular vogue, making a cost from the again of the pack down the stretch to the end line a neck forward of morning line favourite Renegade. DeVaux and co-owner Daisy Phipps Pulito stated they might see how the Colt got here out of the race earlier than making any selections.
They adopted the lead of coach Bill Mott and Godolphin Racing, who final yr selected to bypass the Preakness with Derby champion Sovereignty to offer him further relaxation for the Belmont. Sovereignty rewarded them by successful the Belmont and the Travers Stakes and is again racing as a 4-year-old.
