Only the 13th horse in history to win both the Derby and Belmont
On a Saturday evening in Saratoga Springs, a thoroughbred named Golden Tempo added his name to one of sport's shortest and most storied lists — horses who have won both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. His trainer, a woman born in the very city where the race was run, made history twice over: first as the inaugural female trainer to saddle a Derby winner, and now as only the second to guide a horse to Belmont glory. The victory reminds us that records, like finish lines, exist to be crossed.
- Golden Tempo entered the Belmont at 9-2 odds, facing a field that included Renegade — the horse who had lost the Derby to him by only a neck and arrived at Saratoga as the 2-1 morning-line favorite.
- The race itself was already an anomaly, run at 1.25 miles rather than the traditional 1.5 due to Saratoga's track configuration, stripping the event of its 'Test of the Champion' identity for another year.
- Golden Tempo crossed first, Commandment rallied to second, and Renegade — despite his formidable résumé and decorated connections — had to settle for third once again.
- His trainer's win landed with particular weight: born in Saratoga Springs, she became the first woman ever to train a Kentucky Derby winner and only the second to train a Belmont victor.
- No Triple Crown was completed in 2026 — Golden Tempo had missed the money at the Preakness — and the racing world now looks ahead to 2027, when the Belmont returns to Belmont Park and its full storied distance.
Golden Tempo crossed the finish line at Saratoga Springs on Saturday to claim the 2026 Belmont Stakes, defeating eight rivals and becoming only the 13th horse in history to win both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont. Commandment finished second, with Renegade — who had pushed Golden Tempo to a neck's margin at the Derby in May — settling for third despite arriving as the morning-line favorite at 2-1 odds.
The victory carried a historic dimension beyond the horse himself. His trainer, who grew up in Saratoga Springs, had already made history as the first woman ever to saddle a Kentucky Derby winner. Her Belmont triumph made her only the second woman to train a winner of that race, joining the trainer who won with Arcangelo in 2023.
The race was run at 1.25 miles rather than the Belmont's traditional 1.5 — a consequence of how Saratoga's main track is configured — meaning the event's famous identity as the 'Test of the Champion' remained on hold for another year. Renegade, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., had built a strong case for favoritism after wins in the Arkansas Derby and Sam F. Davis Stakes, but Golden Tempo and jockey Jose Ortiz proved too much once again.
No horse swept the Triple Crown in 2026; Golden Tempo had finished out of the money at the Preakness in Maryland. The sport now turns its attention to 2027, when the Belmont returns to its renovated home at Belmont Park on Long Island and reclaims its full 1.5-mile distance.
Golden Tempo crossed the finish line at Saratoga Springs on Saturday evening to claim the 2026 Belmont Stakes, completing a rare feat in thoroughbred racing. The Kentucky Derby winner, carrying 9-2 odds into the race, defeated eight other horses to become only the 13th animal in history to win both the Derby and the Belmont—the first and third legs of racing's Triple Crown. Commandment finished second, with Renegade, the horse who had chased Golden Tempo across the Derby finish line just weeks earlier, settling for third.
The victory belonged not only to the horse but to his trainer, who made history in her own right. Born in Saratoga Springs, she became the first woman ever to saddle a Kentucky Derby winner. Her Belmont triumph marked her second major accomplishment at the sport's highest level, making her only the second woman to train a Belmont victor—a distinction previously held by a trainer who won with Arcangelo in 2023.
The race itself carried an unusual configuration. Normally, the Belmont stretches 1.5 miles, earning its nickname as the Test of the Champion. But Saturday's running covered only 1.25 miles, the same distance as the Kentucky Derby, because of how the main track sits at Saratoga Race Course. The Belmont will return to its traditional length when the race moves back to Belmont Park on Long Island in 2027, following major renovations expected to wrap up later this year.
Renegade arrived at Saratoga as the morning-line favorite at 2-1 odds, having lost the Derby to Golden Tempo by just a neck in May. The bay colt had built an impressive resume before that narrow defeat: he won the Arkansas Derby in March and the Sam F. Davis Stakes in Florida in February. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., who had ridden Renegade in the Derby, was seeking his third Belmont victory. Trainer Todd Pletcher, who conditions Renegade, has saddled four Belmont winners across his career.
Commandment, who finished seventh in the Kentucky Derby despite winning races at the Florida Derby and Fountain of Youth Stakes earlier in the season, came into Saturday's race at 6-1 morning odds. The bay colt had been on a winning streak before the Derby derailed his momentum. John Velazquez, the 54-year-old jockey aboard Commandment, has ridden two Belmont winners in his career and finished second in the race three times. His trainer, Brad Cox, was seeking his second Belmont victory after winning with a horse in 2021.
Chief Wallabee, given 3-1 morning-line odds, had finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby after running third in the Florida Derby behind Commandment. Junior Alvarado, the 40-year-old rider, had guided Sovereignty to victories in both the Derby and Belmont last year. Trainer Bill Mott, who conditions Chief Wallabee, has one previous Belmont winner to his name.
Golden Tempo's path to the Derby had run through New Orleans, where he won the Lecomte Stakes in January before finishing third in the Risen Star Stakes in February and third again in the Louisiana Derby in March. Jose Ortiz, who rode Golden Tempo to victory in the Kentucky Derby, was in the saddle again at Saratoga. The 32-year-old jockey has one previous Belmont victory, with Tapwrit in 2017, and has finished second in the race three times.
Emerging Market, who had won the Louisiana Derby before finishing 10th in the Kentucky Derby, carried 6-1 odds into the Belmont. Flavien Prat, the 33-year-old jockey, was making his sixth consecutive appearance in the race. Trainer Chad Brown, who conditions both Emerging Market and two other horses in the field, was also seeking his first Belmont victory after coming close in 2018 when Gronkowski finished second.
With Golden Tempo's victory, no horse swept the Triple Crown in 2026—the horse had finished outside the money in the Preakness in Maryland on May 16. The racing calendar now turns toward next year, when the Belmont will return to its storied home and its full 1.5-mile distance, restored to its traditional place in the Triple Crown rotation.
Citações Notáveis
Golden Tempo's trainer was born in Saratoga Springs and made history as the first woman to saddle a Kentucky Derby winner— CBS News reporting
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
What made Golden Tempo's win feel different from other Belmont victories?
The trainer's presence changed everything. She wasn't just saddling a good horse—she was breaking through a barrier that had stood for over a century. The racing world had never seen a woman win the Derby before.
But the horse still had to run the race. Did Golden Tempo seem like the obvious choice going in?
Not at all. Renegade was the morning favorite at 2-1. Golden Tempo was 9-2, which meant plenty of people thought other horses had better chances. The Derby had been decided by a neck—this could have gone either way.
Why does the Belmont matter so much if Golden Tempo didn't win the Triple Crown?
Because winning the Derby and the Belmont is its own kind of immortality. Only 13 horses have ever done it. The Preakness is the middle race, and it breaks most Triple Crown dreams. Golden Tempo couldn't complete the sweep, but what he did accomplish still puts him in rare company.
The race was run at the wrong distance. Does that diminish it?
It changes the conversation, but it doesn't erase the achievement. Saratoga's track configuration forced a 1.25-mile race instead of 1.5 miles. Everyone ran the same distance, so the competition was fair. But yes, when the Belmont returns to its true home next year, it'll reclaim something it lost.
What happens to the trainer now?
She's already made history. The question is whether she can do it again. One Derby winner is extraordinary. Building a stable that produces multiple champions—that's the next chapter.