Golden Tempo Will Bypass the 2026 Preakness Stakes
It is official. Trainer Cherie DeVaux confirmed Wednesday morning that Golden Tempo, winner of the 152nd Kentucky Derby, will not take his place in the starting gate at Laurel Park for the 2026 Preakness Stakes. The horse is pointed instead toward the June 6 Belmont Stakes, and just like that, the Triple Crown conversation is over before it really got started.
If you were holding futures tickets on Golden Tempo to sweep all three, you already know where those stand. But if you are a bettor looking at the Preakness with fresh eyes, this news actually opens something up. What you have now is a wide-open race without a dominant chalk sitting on top of the morning line, and that is where real money gets made.
Why Golden Tempo Will Bypass the 2026 Preakness Stakes and What DeVaux Is Thinking
DeVaux’s public statement was clear and measured. She said Golden Tempo gave connections the race of a lifetime at Churchill Downs, and that the right call for the horse’s health and long-term future is more time before his next start. That is not spin. That is a trainer who has a bigger picture in mind.
It is also worth noting the precedent here. Sovereignty did the same thing in 2025, bypassed the Preakness after winning the Derby, then showed up at Belmont. DeVaux has clearly looked at that blueprint and liked what she saw. A two-week turnaround from Churchill Downs to Laurel is a grind for any horse, especially one who just ran the race of his life under maximum pressure. You can see the logic whether you agree with it or not.
For the bettor, the takeaway is straightforward. Golden Tempo is not your problem right now. The Preakness is. Check the full Triple Crown odds at BUSR to see where the futures money has shifted since the announcement.
The 2026 Preakness Stakes Field Without Golden Tempo: Contenders and Morning Line
Here is where the race stands as of Wednesday. Crude Velocity, trained by Bob Baffert, opens as the 4-1 morning line favorite. Taj Mahal is listed at 20-1 and Silent Tactic at 25-1. This is a fresh-horse Preakness, which is actually how most of the historical renewals have been run when you pull out the Derby winner.
| Horse | Trainer | Morning Line | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crude Velocity | Bob Baffert | 4-1 | Morning line chalk, fresh off bypass of Derby |
| Taj Mahal | Brittany Russell | 20-1 | Unbeaten at Laurel Park, sharp money interest |
| Silent Tactic | Mark Casse | 25-1 | Longshot drawing early attention |
| Golden Tempo | Cherie DeVaux | OUT | Bypassing Preakness, targeting Belmont June 6 |
The full field picture will sharpen as entries close, but the early read is clear enough. Baffert and Crude Velocity inherit the favorite’s role, and the rest of the field is wide open for anyone who wants to do the work. Check the Preakness matchups at BUSR for the latest head-to-head lines as they post.
Pace Scenario Analysis: Golden Tempo is Out, But the Race Won’t Miss a Beat
One thing that changes when you remove the Derby winner from the Preakness field is the pace dynamic. Golden Tempo’s running style and his connections’ preferences would have given the race a certain shape if he had entered. Without him, the pace scenario needs to be rebuilt from scratch.
Crude Velocity, based on his prior form, figures to be a stalker type, sitting just off whatever pace develops through the first six furlongs. A Baffert horse at Laurel Park going a mile and three-sixteenths is going to be handled confidently. The question is whether anyone in the field wants to go to the front and set honest fractions, or whether this turns into a slow pace that sets up a deep closer.
If the early fractions are honest, Crude Velocity wins a lot of these. If the pace is contested and the race gets messy up front, the closer-style horses and some of those bigger-priced runners start looking more interesting. That is where Taj Mahal enters the conversation.
Brittany Russell knows Laurel Park. That is not a minor detail. Track bias at Laurel can be significant on race day, and having a trainer who works that oval regularly is a genuine edge. Taj Mahal being unbeaten, there is a form cycle note you do not throw away. At 20-1 on the morning line, that is a legitimate overlay if the pace sets up right.
For race history and past performance context, Equibase has the full charts and official records.
Exotic Ticket Construction for a Wide-Open Preakness
This is exactly the kind of race you want to be aggressive with in the exotics. When the chalk is beatable, and the field is fresh, horses without a dominant form line running through the race, trifectas and superfectas are where the real juice lives.
Here is a starting framework for how to approach ticket construction once the full field is set.
Trifecta wheel approach: Key Crude Velocity on top as the most likely winner given his morning line position and trainer angle, but spread underneath. Use Taj Mahal and Silent Tactic as live underneath options in the second and third slots. A basic $1 trifecta wheel with one horse on top and four horses underneath costs $12 for the second and third slots. Scale up from there based on your confidence.
Trifecta box: If you want to cover multiple winning scenarios, a $1 trifecta box with Crude Velocity, Taj Mahal, and one other contender runs $6. That gives you six combinations and covers any finishing order among those three.
Superfecta: In a wide-open field without a dominant favorite, a superfecta box with four horses at $0.10 runs $2.40. This is a race where the superfecta could pay a significant number if the big chalk gets beat, and at $0.10 per combination, you can cover a lot of ground without breaking the bank.
The value play is Taj Mahal at 20-1. Unbeaten record at the host track, a trainer who understands that oval, and a pace scenario that could easily favor him if the early fractions are honest. That is a horse you want in your exotics underneath and worth a small win bet at that price. The morning line is the line maker’s opinion, not the final word.
While you are building your Preakness tickets, do not overlook what is coming next. The Belmont Stakes betting guide at BUSR is already live, and Golden Tempo is going to be a significant price story when those odds post. The Travers Stakes odds are also worth bookmarking now if you are tracking the 3-year-old division through the summer. And for bettors with international interest, the King’s Stand Stakes, Queen Anne Stakes, and Prince of Wales Stakes are all on the BUSR racebook. The American Turf Stakes and the Churchill Downs Stakes are also available for bettors who want to keep the Churchill Downs action going this spring.
What The Internet Is Saying
The reaction across the betting community has been swift and largely unsurprising. Here is what sharps and fans are saying about Golden Tempo’s Preakness bypass.
OFFICIAL: Trainer Cherie DeVaux announces Golden Tempo will NOT run in the 2026 Preakness Stakes. The Kentucky Derby winner will instead target the Belmont Stakes on June 6. #TripleCrown #GoldenTempo #PreaknesStakes
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Golden Tempo skips the Preakness. DeVaux: “Golden gave us the race of a lifetime in the Kentucky Derby, and we believe the best decision for him is to give him more time.” #GoldenTempo #Preakness2026
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“Not surprised at all. Sovereignty did the same thing last year and won the Belmont. DeVaux is being smart here. Why risk the horse on a 2-week turnaround? Crude Velocity just became the horse to beat at Laurel Park.”
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“Taj Mahal at 20-1 is the play. Undefeated at Laurel Park, trained by Brittany Russell, who knows that track better than anyone. Crude Velocity is the chalk but I’m looking for value.”
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The conversation is still moving fast. You can follow along on X and Reddit for the latest bettor takes as the Preakness field firms up and odds shift.
Key Takeaways
- Golden Tempo will bypass the 2026 Preakness Stakes and target the June 6 Belmont Stakes, per trainer Cherie DeVaux’s Wednesday announcement.
- Bob Baffert’s Crude Velocity opens as the 4-1 morning line favorite in a wide-open Preakness field built primarily from fresh horses who skipped Churchill Downs.
- Taj Mahal at 20-1 is the sharp overlay play, with an unbeaten record at Laurel Park and trainer Brittany Russell’s track knowledge as supporting factors.
- This is the second straight year a Kentucky Derby winner has skipped the Preakness, following Sovereignty in 2025, reinforcing the trend of connections prioritizing horse welfare over Triple Crown glory.
FAQ: Golden Tempo Will Bypass the 2026 Preakness Stakes
Why is Golden Tempo bypassing the 2026 Preakness Stakes?
Trainer Cherie DeVaux announced on May 6, 2026, that Golden Tempo will skip the Preakness to give the horse proper time to recover after his Kentucky Derby win. DeVaux cited the horse’s health andlong-term future as the driving factors, with the June 6 Belmont Stakes set as his next target.
Who is the favorite for the 2026 Preakness Stakes now that Golden Tempo is out?
With Golden Tempo officially out, Bob Baffert-trained Crude Velocity opens as the 4-1 morning line favorite. Taj Mahal at 20-1 and Silent Tactic at 25-1 are also drawing serious handicapper attention in what shapes up as a genuinely wide-open field.
Can Golden Tempo still win the Triple Crown in 2026?
No. By skipping the Preakness Stakes, Golden Tempo has officially ended any Triple Crown bid for 2026. His connections are pointing toward the Belmont Stakes on June 6 as his next start, making him one to watch in that race rather than a Triple Crown contender.
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