Golden Tempo captured the 158th Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, winning the 1 1/4-mile race in 2:03.49 and extending trainer Cherie DeVaux’s historic run from Kentucky Derby success.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Golden Tempo didn’t just win the Belmont Stakes. In the familiar hush before the final drive at Saratoga Race Course, it felt like a moment already written—then delivered anyway.
With jockey Jose Ortiz in the saddle, the horse charged down the stretch to take the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday. Golden Tempo held off Commandment right before the finish line at the historic track, with Commandment finishing second and the favorite Renegade third.
The race, unlike the lightning pace at Churchill Downs, moved at a more measured tempo. Still, Golden Tempo closed when it needed to, taking the 1 1/4-mile distance in 2:03.49.
For trainer Cherie DeVaux, the victory carried a second layer of history. Golden Tempo arrived in the Belmont five weeks after winning the Kentucky Derby. and DeVaux’s name is now tied to another milestone in Triple Crown lore. She became the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner earlier this year. and with this Belmont win she is also the second trainer in four years to win the Belmont with a Kentucky Derby winner. Jena Antonucci achieved the feat with Archangelo in 2023.
The Belmont’s own timeline added weight to the day. This was the third and final time the race is being held at Saratoga while the track’s traditional home—Belmont Park on the border of Queens and Long Island—gets demolished and rebuilt. The race is set to return to Belmont Park next year.
DeVaux’s connection to the moment runs deeper than headlines. She was born in Saratoga Springs and began her training career at the track, returning home with a win that keeps pulling the Belmont story forward.
Golden Tempo Belmont Stakes 158th running Commandment Renegade Jose Ortiz Cherie DeVaux Saratoga Race Course Triple Crown Kentucky Derby Archangelo Jena Antonucci
So wait Golden Tempo is the horse’s name and not like… a band? Either way congrats I guess.
I only saw the headline but didn’t Commandment win like everything last year? Idk. Belmont always confuses me with the whole Triple Crown schedule.
Jose Ortiz must be a cheat code lol. 2:03.49 sounds fast but I don’t know how that compares to normal Belmont times. Also the article says Saratoga is the final time there? Doesn’t that mean it’s gonna be slower when it goes back to Belmont Park?
The trainer Cherie DeVaux being the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner is wild, but I’m side-eyeing the math part like “second trainer in four years” ??? Like who even keeps track of that stuff. I grew up in Queens so I’m sad Belmont Park is getting demolished, even if I’m not sure why it has to be rebuilt right now.