The roar that followed Golden Tempo’s unforgettable Kentucky Derby victory had barely faded before the dream suddenly came crashing down. Just days after surviving one of the most punishing finishes Churchill Downs has seen in years, the Derby champion has officially been withdrawn from the Preakness Stakes, ending any hope of a Triple Crown run before it could truly begin.
For many racing fans, the disappointment feels deeper than just losing a horse from the field. They feel like they lost the story they were promised. Golden Tempo had become the heartbeat of the sport overnight after battling through a brutal stretch duel to win the Kentucky Derby by a neck over Renegade on May 2. The performance instantly created the possibility of another legendary Triple Crown chase, something horse racing desperately craves every spring.
Instead, that momentum disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived. Trainer Cherie DeVaux confirmed that Golden Tempo will not compete in the Preakness Stakes, saying the decision was made with the horse’s long-term future in mind. While many respected the concern for the horse’s health, others reacted with frustration, arguing that the modern Triple Crown has started losing the drama and continuity that once defined it.
In a statement posted to X, DeVaux explained the reasoning behind the move. “Golden gave us the race of a lifetime in the Kentucky Derby, and we believe the best decision for him moving forward is to give him a little more time following such a tremendous effort,” she wrote. “His health, happiness and long-term future will always remain our top priority.”
She later confirmed that the colt is now expected to target the Belmont Stakes on June 6 at Saratoga instead. But for many fans, the damage was already done. Social media quickly exploded with anger and disappointment, with many arguing that the sport keeps losing its biggest stars between races because the schedule no longer matches how modern horses are trained and managed.
Golden Tempo now becomes the third Kentucky Derby winner in the past five years to skip the Preakness Stakes, joining Rich Strike in 2022 and Sovereignty in 2025. That trend has intensified concerns that the Triple Crown series is slowly losing the continuity that once made it one of the most exciting spectacles in sports.
For decades, the tradition was nearly automatic. From 1997 through 2018, every Kentucky Derby winner went on to compete in the Preakness. Fans grew accustomed to watching Derby champions immediately return for the next chapter of the story. Even when horses failed to win the Triple Crown, the anticipation remained because the best competitors still showed up to battle again.
That streak ended in 2019 when Country House missed the Preakness after contracting a virus shortly after the Derby. Tragically, the horse never raced again. Since then, the landscape around the Triple Crown has started to shift dramatically, with trainers becoming increasingly cautious about pushing horses through the demanding five-week schedule.
The growing debate surrounding the spacing between the races has now reignited in full force. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness are separated by only two weeks, while the Belmont comes three weeks later. Critics argue that modern thoroughbreds are no longer conditioned the same way horses were decades ago, making recovery more difficult after an exhausting Derby performance.
DeVaux addressed that discussion directly during interviews Sunday, acknowledging both sides of the argument. “The Triple Crown is hard to win for a reason,” she said. “I appreciate the history of it. Horses are definitely different. They’re not built the same. They’re not trained the same as back then. But current times have shown that it can be done with the right horse.”
Still, that explanation has done little to quiet the emotional reaction from fans who believed Golden Tempo had the potential to become racing’s next superstar. The colt had already captured national attention not only because of his dramatic Derby triumph, but also because the victory made DeVaux the first female trainer ever to win the Kentucky Derby, a historic milestone that brought even more energy and visibility to the sport.
Now, instead of anticipation for the next battle, racing fans are left wondering what could have been. The Preakness Stakes draw is set for Monday evening, and the race itself will be held at Laurel Park due to ongoing renovations at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. But despite the field being finalized, many feel the race has already lost part of its magic without the Derby champion in the gate.
The controversy may also add pressure to discussions about changing the Triple Crown calendar in the future. Reports have already suggested that the Preakness could potentially move dates beginning in 2027, an idea that may gain even more traction after Golden Tempo’s withdrawal.
For now, the focus shifts toward the Belmont Stakes and whether Golden Tempo can return there to prove his Derby victory was the beginning of something special rather than a single unforgettable moment. But regardless of what happens next month, one thing is already clear: horse racing fans are growing tired of watching Triple Crown dreams disappear before they ever truly begin.
