Is Golden Tempo in the Preakness? Explaining Kentucky Derby winner's absence from Triple Crown race

Is Golden Tempo in the Preakness? Explaining Kentucky Derby winner's absence from Triple Crown race originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

After 23-1 odds made Golden Tempo a longshot at the Kentucky Derby, he came through for a massive, unexpected victory.

Now as a favorite, and the only horse with a shot at the 2026 Triple Crown, Golden Tempo's trainer and ownership was charged with the task of deciding on the importance of the Preakness Stakes.

The Kentucky Derby was the slam dunk race to participate in. It has a purse over twice the size of the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. It also comes with the most notoriety. But with just two weeks of time between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, the horse's health needs to be in consideration.

Here's how that has impacted Golden Tempo's status for the 2026 Preakness.

MORE: Fast facts to know ahead of Preakness Stakes 2026

Will Golden Tempo run the Preakness?

Golden Tempo will not run in the Preakness stakes Saturday due to the two-week timeframe between the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. This was a decision made primarily by trainer Cherie DeVaux.

"In my career, I have never started a horse back on that short of rest. So Golden Tempo would have had to be doing much better, basically coming out of the race of his life," DeVaux told the Athletic's Teresa Genaro.

The trend of horses skipping the second Triple Crown event is fairly common given its schedule. One Derby winner, Tomy Lee, chose to avoid the Preakness due to the timeline in 1959.

While Preakness dropouts aren't new, there are new health standards in place for these animals. This has caused more and more horses to bow out of the race in recent years.

"Oversight with the veterinarians has gotten quite strict. The pendulum was all the way one way, and we’ve swung the complete opposite to where it can be frustrating to trainers with the decisions that the regulatory vets are making," DeVaux told Genaro.

MORE: Ranking each horse set to compete in the 2026 Preakness Stakes

When is the Preakness Stakes?

Date: Saturday, May 16
Post time: 6:50 p.m. ET

With health at a premium for the top race horses, it's not uncommon to see horses run the Kentucky Derby and skip the Preakness. After all, the events are separated by just two weeks, which does not always allow for ample time to rest.

Saturday's festivities will take place at Laurel Park Racetrack in Maryland, and begin at 6:50 ET. Pimlico Race Course is undergoing renovations, with the horses traveling 20 miles southwest to compete.