Golden Tempo Wins the Final Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course

For the third and final year of the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, Golden Tempo took first place on Saturday, June 6. Trainer Cherie DeVaux, born in Saratoga Springs, becomes the first and only woman to train a winner of multiple Triple Crown races.

Golden Tempo turned heads at the Kentucky Derby, earning first place at 23-1 odds. Owner Daisy Phipps Pulito said after the race, “Obviously, there were doubters after the Derby, like Cherie said, we were very confident with the kind of horse we had going into the Derby and going into the Belmont. I’m glad everyone else got to see that today, too.”

Owner Phillips Pulito and Trainer DeVaux decided not to run Golden Tempo in the Preakness, the second race of the prestigious Tripple Crown. “I do think we made the right decision. I don’t think we’d have the same horse if we did run back in two weeks,” said DeVaux. 

Atop Golden Tempo was seasoned jockey Jose Ortiz, who holds a personal Triple Crown. Ortiz won the Kentucky Derby/Kentucky Oaks double and his second career Belmont Stakes this year.  Speaking on Ortiz’s knowhow, DeVaux said, “Jose found himself at the back of the pack, but he was going to be wide if he didn’t tuck in, which I was pleased with that. Jose just rode him super confidently. He knew he had a lot of horse under him, and at the top of the stretch, he had him in a position to make that run, and Golden Tempo did the rest.” 

For the final showing of the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga, it seems fitting a connection to the prestigious racecourse. As for what’s next for Golden Tempo, “Obviously, the Travers is going to be our next big goal,” said DeVaux. “he’s going to have to take a step forward. And he proved that. So, he’s a horse that we are very excited about.”