Winning the Kentucky Derby doesn’t guarantee the Belmont Stakes, as history has proven that repeatedly. Only three horses have claimed the Triple Crown since 1978 with Belmont’s brutal mile-and-a-half often humbling champions. Then, Golden Tempo surged from the back and made Churchill Downs look easy. Yet, the oddsmakers aren’t so sure the hard part is behind him.

It’s likely why the bookies have given Cherie DeVaux and Golden Tempo a 9/1 chance of winning the 2026 Belmont Stakes. That is significantly better than the 30/1 chances the duo had of winning the Kentucky Derby. However, his rivals in the race hold a marginally better ranking. Commandment, however, carries the same odds as the Derby (6/1) while Chief Wallabee is the favourite.

That’s despite the fact that Hall, of Famer Bill Mott’s horse was given 10/1 odds for the Derby. Yet that doesn’t come as a shock given that Mott has often thrived in the Belmont. He’s won the race twice (2010 and 2025), finished in the top three thrice in the last ten years alone. Not only that, Mott has had at least one horse in the race every year in the same time-frame with the exception of 2021.

Thus, it’s not surprising the legendary American trainer has the favourite going into the Belmont. Yet once again, a Triple Crown Winner won’t be crowned. That’s especially after Golden Tempo skipped the Preakness Stakes with DeVaux citing the schedule as her main reason. The decision didn’t go down well, which isn’t surprising given that fans haven’t seen a Triple Crown winner since 2018.

In fact, the last time a Derby winner even raced all three Triple Crown races was the same year. The closest chance fans had to seeing a potential Triple Crown winner was last year. Sovereignty won both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont, beating out Journalism to the crown in both. It has seen criticism, however, fly DeVaux’s way with the trainer rather unhappy about that, believing it’s unfair.

“It’s been a mix of both, mostly positive. Which I appreciate, and I understand that fans of the sport or fans of the Triple Crown are disappointed, but the horse is not a machine,” DeVaux said, as per Fox News.

“I have to advocate as the trainer to the owners or the clients, and we had a conversation, it wasn’t my decision. It was a decision we made as a group and I’m sorry if people don’t understand what goes into it. ‘Why enter the Derby if your not going to run the Triple Crown?’ Well, I think that’s unfair.”

Now, with the 2026 Belmont Stakes looming, Cherie DeVaux still has faith in her horse. In fact, she now believes the colt is beginning to show why skipping the Preakness may have been the right call.

Cherie DeVaux opens on Golden Tempo’s condition ahead of Belmont

A history-making Kentucky Derby and the chance to have her name reverberate in the halls of horse racing history. Yet, Cherie DeVaux opted to listen to her horse and made the decision to skip the 2026 Preakness Stakes. That had fans in an uproar given the history at stake and the fact that they hadn’t seen a Triple Crown winner since 2018.

In fact, no horse has come close to that, with Derby winners often either skipping the Preakness or the Belmont. Yet for DeVaux, the decision to skip the Preakness Stakes may have proven to be the right one. That’s because she believes Golden Tempo is improving day by day and returning to his best.

“He looks like he took another step forward, so he seems to be continuing to improve,” DeVaux said, as per DRF.

Not just that, she has no regrets about her decision to skip the Preakness. That’s even if Chad Brown, the winning trainer, was rather miffed at the fact that Golden Tempo wasn’t a part of the race. Incredibolt and Ocelli, alongside Chip Honcho and Iron Honour, did make up the ground, with the first two also racing the Derby.

“When a decision is made, it’s made, one way or the other, I don’t really dwell on that,” DeVaux said. “I don’t think the track, the way it was playing, would have played to his style.” 

Golden Tempo may have already rewritten his story once at Churchill Downs, but heading into Belmont, he’s no longer the overlooked outsider. The Derby winner now carries expectation on his back. Yet for Cherie DeVaux, the decision to skip the Preakness will only be vindicated if her colt proves it at the Belmont Stakes.