Trainer Cherie DeVaux made history once again as Golden Tempo won the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, securing the third leg of the Triple Crown just five weeks after its triumph in the Kentucky Derby.
With jockey Jose Ortiz in the saddle, Golden Tempo surged down the stretch at Saratoga Race Course, holding off a late charge from Commandment to win at odds of 6-1. Commandment finished second, while the race favorite Renegade came in third.
"Golden Tempo is amazing. Jose is amazing," said DeVaux, who was born in Saratoga Springs and began her training career there. "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 three-year-olds."
DeVaux, who became the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner, is now the second female trainer in four years to win the Belmont Stakes. Jena Antonucci accomplished the feat with Arcangelo in 2023. However, DeVaux is the first woman to win multiple Triple Crown races.
The pace of the race was not as fast as it was at Churchill Downs, but Golden Tempo still managed to close strongly and win the one-and-one-quarter-mile race in a time of 2:03.49. The victory was decisive, as he proved to be the best in a 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."
This year marked the third and final time the Belmont Stakes was held at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York, while its traditional home, Belmont Park, undergoes demolition and reconstruction. The race is scheduled to return to Belmont Park next year.
"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, the Derby runner-up, paid $2.52 to place.
