06/06/26 08:19:00
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06/06 20:17 CDT Golden Tempo wins the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes after
winning the Kentucky Derby
Golden Tempo wins the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes after winning the
Kentucky Derby
By SPENCER RIPCHIK
Associated Press
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) --- Golden Tempo showed exactly why he is a great
closer, and his stretch run at the Belmont Stakes on Saturday delivered more
history for trainer Cherie DeVaux.
Ridden by jockey Jose Ortiz from 12 lengths off the lead, Golden Tempo surged
from the back of the pack to win the 158th rendition of the race. The victory
came five weeks after his last-to-first charge to win the Kentucky Derby.
"Golden Tempo is amazing. Jose is amazing," said DeVaux. "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 3-year-olds."
Golden Tempo held off Commandment to win by a length and a quarter at odds of
6-1. Commandment was second and favorite Renegade placed third.
"I followed them closely in the second turn," Ortiz said. "They started to pick
it up, so I did as well. I was just waiting for the right time to go all in.
When I asked him to go, my horse responded."
DeVaux, after becoming the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner, is the
second in four years to do so at the Belmont. Jena Antonucci won it with
Arcangelo in 2023. DeVaux is the first woman to win multiple Triple Crown races.
"It's overwhelming," DeVaux said. "All the credit goes to Golden Tempo, who won
the race, and Jose did a wonderful job of making it happen. But I'm just so
fortunate to be in this position. It's history-making, and I've kind of shied
away from it, but I'm really grateful that I am that person."
DeVaux was born in Saratoga Springs and began her training career there, but
she doesn't call herself a Saratoga native. She spends most of her time in
Kentucky now and said she grew up in southern Florida. But after all the
support she's received from the town, she has started to embrace it.
"Everyone is kind of calling me the hometown girl," DeVaux said. "So that's
kind of fun. I'm going to miss our appetizer (at) Saratoga, as we call it, the
?Bellatoga.'"
Golden Tempo was the third choice in the race. There were concerns about
whether he could pull off another big comeback win in a field that included
Renegade. The Todd Pletcher-trained horse finished second to Golden Tempo by a
neck in the Derby.
The pace was not nearly as fast as it was at Churchill Downs, yet Golden Tempo
still was able to close in time to win the 1 1/4-mile race in 2:03.49. It
didn't matter, as he was the best in the field of nine horses.
"He wasn't going to get that setup as he did in the Derby," Ortiz said. "We all
knew that, and I was a little worried about it. He needed some kind of setup.
But today, there wasn't one and he showed up today and won."
Golden Tempo won two-thirds of the Triple Crown after DeVaux and owners decided
to bypass the Preakness. He is the second horse in as many years to win the
Kentucky Derby and the Belmont after not running in the middle jewel.
"We made our decision, and we won today and we're going to be happy about
that," DeVaux said.
This was the third and final time for the Belmont at Saratoga in upstate New
York, while its traditional home on the border of Queens and Long Island is
getting demolished and rebuilt. Run at 1 1/4 miles because of the track at
Saratoga, the race is set to return to Belmont Park next year when it will
return to its traditional 1 1/2-mile distance.
"It's so meaningful," DeVaux said. "A lot of family here. Saratoga, it's been
wonderful to have such a historic race here. ... It's so meaningful because the
town gets to have this and celebrate it along with us."
Golden Tempo paid $14 to win, $7.32 to place and $3.88 to show. Commandment
paid $7.02 to show and $4.08 to place, while Renegade paid $2.52 to place.
Ortiz followed Renegade, ridden by older brother Irad, just as he did in the
Derby. It worked out just the same in the first Saturday in June as the first
Saturday in May.
"He was bouncing a bit today, which made me very happy because I wanted him to
be a little bit sharper today," Jose Ortiz said. "You can see him, he's very
relaxed. He does what I ask him to do. That's the main thing."
Co-owner Vinnie Viola dedicated the race to his late friend Dominic DiPrisco,
who died Wednesday at age 70. Viola prayed to DiPrisco Saturday morning, hoping
for an extra push in the Belmont Stakes.
"I know you're in heaven, and I love you, and this race is for you," Viola
said. "It means more than I can express in words right now."
Ortiz won the Belmont Stakes for the second time, nine years after his first
aboard Tapwrit in 2017.
"We just wanted him to get better and keep winning these kinds of races," Ortiz
said. "We're very happy with him. It's all about him."
___
AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in New York contributed.
___
AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing
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