New York (AFP) – Kentucky Derby-winner Golden Tempo won the 158th Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday to give trainer Cherie DeVaux another slice of history. The horse that made DeVaux the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner returned after skipping the Preakness and produced another scintillating last-to-first surge under jockey Jose Ortiz to deliver a second Triple Crown race triumph in DeVaux’s hometown of Saratoga Springs, New York.
“Golden Tempo is amazing. Jose is amazing,” a breathless DeVaux said, calling it “so meaningful” to capture the win in Saratoga. “The town gets to have this and celebrate it along with all of us.” The historic track hosted the $2 million race for a third straight year as renovations were completed at Belmont Park. The temporary venue meant the “Test of the Champion” was again reduced to 1 1/4 miles rather than the usual 1 1/2-mile distance raced on the sweeping Belmont Park track.
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Golden Tempo hadn’t even made his way to the winner’s circle when DeVaux was asked if the victory raised the question of whether he could have become just the 14th horse to complete the coveted treble of Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont. “It’s not something I want to think about,” said DeVaux, who decided along with Golden Tempo’s owners to hold him out of the Preakness, run just two weeks after the May 2 Derby, to give him more time to recover from his “tremendous effort” at Churchill Downs. “We made our decision, and he won today and we’re going to be happy about that,” she said. “I think he needed to do this to kind of show that he was meant to win the Derby and that he is a horse that belongs in that conversation of being one of the top three-year-olds.”
Added a beaming, mud-splattered Ortiz: “It’s all about him. We just want him to get better and keep winning these kind of races.” The post time was brought forward several minutes because of an approaching storm and rain began falling as the nine-horse field made its way to the gate. As in the Kentucky Derby, Ortiz had Golden Tempo settled in off the early pace, set by the Todd Pletcher-trained Powershift and nothing as fast as the blistering Derby pace. “He wasn’t going to get that set-up as he did in the Derby,” Ortiz said. “We all knew that and I was a little worried about it. He needs some kind of set-up, but today there wasn’t one and he showed up.”
As they approached the stretch, Ortiz brought Golden Tempo wide and began to power toward the front, finally getting the better of the Brad Cox-trained Commandment as they pelted toward the wire. Commandment, ridden by John Velazquez, finished second, 1 1/4-lengths back, and 8-5 favorite Renegade, ridden by Ortiz’s brother Irad and second by a neck in the Kentucky Derby, was third. DeVaux is the second female trainer to saddle a Belmont winner after Jena Antonucci won it with Archangelo in 2023, and DeVaux is the first woman to train two Triple Crown race winners.
© 2024 AFP
