Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo will skip the Preakness Stakes, ending any chance of a Triple Crown winner this year.
Trainer Cherie DeVaux announced Wednesday that the colt needs more recovery time after his stunning victory at Churchill Downs. Golden Tempo, a longshot, surged from the back of the pack to win the 152nd Kentucky Derby by a neck, giving DeVaux a historic win as the first woman to train a Derby champion.
“We believe the best decision for him moving forward is to give him a little more time,” DeVaux's team said in a statement. “His health, happiness, and long-term future will always remain our top priority.”
The horse will instead target the Belmont Stakes on June 6. The Preakness will run May 16 at Laurel Park in Maryland.
DeVaux became one of the standout figures of this Derby after television footage showed her urging her horse down the stretch before being embraced by family after the finish. Golden Tempo will not attempt to become the first horse since Justify in 2018 to sweep all three legs.