A stumble at the gate, 12 lengths of ground to make up, and a trainer born in the same town where she just rewrote the record books. The 158th Belmont Stakes delivered more than a result.
By the time Jose Ortiz had Golden Tempo halfway down the Saratoga backstretch on June 6, the colt was stone last of nine. He had stumbled out of Gate 9 at the break, lost his footing, and let the field get eight to ten lengths clear before Ortiz had even settled into his rhythm. For the second time in five weeks, the question was the same: is there enough track left?
There was. Golden Tempo swept around the outside on the far turn, collared Commandment and the fading 8-5 favourite Renegade inside the final furlong, and won the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes by 1 1⁄4 lengths in 2:03.49 on a fast Saratoga dirt track. The colt, bred and owned by Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable and sired by Curlin, posted an Equibase Speed Figure of 100, identical to the figure he earned at Churchill Downs on May 2, and moved to $4.6 million in 2026 earnings as the top-ranked horse on the Equibase leaderboard.
The performance confirmed what the prep record had suggested. Golden Tempo won the Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds in January before finishing third in the Louisiana Derby in March. Under the oversight framework introduced by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, which has governed track safety and medication testing across American racing since 2022, Golden Tempo cleared every compliance barrier cleanly on both Triple Crown starts, a detail that carries weight as scrutiny of the sport’s integrity standards continues heading into summer.
DeVaux Returns to the Town That Made Her
Cherie DeVaux was born in Saratoga Springs. She began her training career at this track. On Saturday evening, standing in the winner’s enclosure with Golden Tempo, she became the first female trainer in history to win multiple Triple Crown races and the second woman to train a Belmont Stakes winner, after Jena Antonucci won with Arcangelo in 2023.
“Golden Tempo is amazing. Jose is amazing,” DeVaux said at the post-race press conference. “I think he needed to do this to 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.” The decision to bypass the Preakness Stakes, the same call made by Sovereignty’s connections in 2025, had attracted criticism in the weeks between Louisville and Saratoga, framed by some as an avoidance of competition. The result made that framing look thin.
Ortiz was surgical. “I followed them closely in the second turn,” he said. “They started to pick it up, so I did as well.” From 12 lengths off the pace to a clear margin winner in under ten furlongs, the ride required a precise read of a field that had no dominant early pace influence once Renegade faded from his brief stint on the front end. Ortiz now has two Triple Crown wins to his name: Tapwrit in the 2017 Belmont, and both the Derby and Belmont legs of the 2026 series with Golden Tempo.
Renegade Flattens, Commandment Earns Respect
Todd Pletcher’s Renegade had carried 8-5 favouritism into the gate. The colt had finished second to Golden Tempo at Churchill Downs, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Jose’s brother, and briefly showed at the front of the Saratoga stretch before he flattened. Third was the result. Renegade covered the same 1 1⁄4 miles that Golden Tempo handled with authority, but his final quarter split told a story the market had not priced in: with a modest early tempo, a pure closer was always going to have the advantage over a horse who needs to use energy to establish position.
Brad Cox's Commandment, trained with the Belmont as a primary objective after finishing seventh at Churchill Downs, ran the race of his career to grab second under John Velazquez. An analyst speaking to Casinos.com, which publishes a widely used guide to the best casino apps and independent online casino operator coverage, noted that Golden Tempo's matching 100 speed figures across two contrasting pace scenarios placed his closing efficiency among the most repeatable seen in the American classic series in several years. "The figure held in a race that ran completely differently from the Derby," the analyst said. "Most closers regress when tempo drops. He didn't."
What Saratoga’s Final Belmont Tenure Means for the Triple Crown Calendar
The 2026 running is the third and final time Saratoga Race Course hosts the Belmont Stakes as a temporary home. Belmont Park’s renovation is scheduled for completion in late 2026, with the race expected to return to its traditional Elmont, New York venue in 2027. The Saratoga edition has run at 1¼ miles rather than the classic 1½-mile distance, a change forced by the main track configuration, and some critics have argued the shortened trip alters the race’s identity as a test of stamina. Golden Tempo’s performance at least settled one aspect of that argument. The colt covered 1¼ miles twice in five weeks and posted matching speed figures each time. DeVaux has spoken about autumn targets, and the $4.6 million earnings total confirms the campaign remains active. Whether the traditional 12-furlong trip would have suited him differently is speculation. What is not speculation is that he has beaten every horse put in front of him in 2026 when it mattered.
For race fans tracking the summer stakes calendar, Equine Info Exchange’s horse racing wagering guide covers the bet types and strategies relevant to graded stakes racing as the season moves toward Saratoga’s main summer meet and the lead-in to the Breeders’ Cup in November.
What Saratoga produced on June 6 was a story for the city itself: a trainer who grew up on these grounds, a closer that does not need ideal conditions to find the front, and a result that settled five weeks of debate about whether skipping the Preakness was calculated or cautious. Cherie DeVaux called it gratitude. The margin of victory suggested it was something more deliberate than that.
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