Golden Tempo rallied from 12 lengths behind to win the 158th Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Springs, delivering another comeback for jockey Jose Ortiz and making trainer Cherie DeVaux a history-maker.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — The Belmont Stakes looked like it might slip away the way it sometimes does for closers: no obvious setup, no perfect moment waiting to be seized. Golden Tempo was 12 lengths off the lead when jockey Jose Ortiz asked him to find another gear.
Then, on Saturday, the back-of-the-pack charge became a headline again.
Golden Tempo surged through the field to win the 158th running of the race, five weeks after the same kind of last-to-first turnaround secured him the Kentucky Derby. DeVaux, his trainer, didn’t hesitate when describing what she’d seen.
“Golden Tempo is amazing. Jose is amazing,” said DeVaux. “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 3-year-olds.”
Golden Tempo held off Commandment by a length and a quarter. Commandment finished second and was the favorite, while Renegade placed third.
Ortiz painted the plan as something closer to timing than strategy—watch, wait, then attack.
“I followed them closely in the second turn,” Ortiz said. “They started to pick it up, so I did as well. I was just waiting for the right time to go all in. When I asked him to go, my horse responded.”
For DeVaux, the win carried more than momentum. After becoming the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner. she added another landmark at the Belmont—making her the second trainer in four years to do so at the Belmont. Jena Antonucci won it with Arcangelo in 2023. DeVaux, meanwhile, became the first woman to win multiple Triple Crown races.
“It’s overwhelming,” DeVaux said. “All the credit goes to Golden Tempo, who won the race, and Jose did a wonderful job of making it happen. But I’m just so fortunate to be in this position. It’s history-making, and I’ve kind of shied away from it, but I’m really grateful that I am that person.”
DeVaux was born in Saratoga Springs, where she began her training career, but she said she doesn’t call herself a Saratoga native. She spends most of her time in Kentucky now and grew up in southern Florida. Still, the connection to the town has been growing stronger—and she’s started to embrace it.
“Everyone is kind of calling me the hometown girl,” DeVaux said. “So that’s kind of fun. I’m going to miss our appetizer (at) Saratoga, as we call it, the ‘Bellatoga.’”
The win also came with a bit of uncertainty baked into the day. Golden Tempo was the third choice in the race. and there were concerns about whether he could pull off another big comeback in a field that included Renegade. Todd Pletcher-trained horse Renegade finished second to Golden Tempo by a neck in the Derby.
The Belmont’s pace, though, didn’t mirror Churchill Downs.
The pace at Saratoga wasn’t nearly as fast as it was at Churchill Downs, yet Golden Tempo still closed in time to win the 1 1/4-mile race in 2:03.49. Ortiz said what changed was the shape of the race.
“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.”
Golden Tempo’s Triple Crown run has already been defined by a decision point. He won two-thirds of the Triple Crown after DeVaux and the owners decided to bypass the Preakness. Golden Tempo is the second horse in as many years to win the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont after not running in the middle jewel.
“We made our decision, and we won today and we’re going to be happy about that,” DeVaux said.
Saturday’s Belmont at Saratoga was the third and final time the race is being held there in upstate New York. Its traditional home on the border of Queens and Long Island—Belmont Park—is getting demolished and rebuilt. Run at 1 1/4 miles because of the track at Saratoga. the race is set to return to Belmont Park next year when it will return to its traditional 1 1/2-mile distance.
“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.”
The betting numbers reflected how competitive the field felt. 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 paid $2.52 to place.
Ortiz rode Golden Tempo just as he did in the Derby, following Renegade, who was ridden by older brother Irad. The parallel played out again on the track—first Saturday in June, first Saturday in May.
“He was bouncing a bit today, which made me very happy because I wanted him to be a little bit sharper today,” Jose Ortiz said. “You can see him, he’s very relaxed. He does what I ask him to do. That’s the main thing.”
There was also a moment of private grief tucked into the celebration. Co-owner Vinnie Viola dedicated the race to his late friend Dominic DiPrisco, who died Wednesday at age 70. Viola said he prayed to DiPrisco Saturday morning, hoping for an extra push in the Belmont Stakes.
“I know you’re in heaven, and I love you, and this race is for you,” Viola said. “It means more than I can express in words right now.”
Ortiz’s win marked his second Belmont Stakes triumph, nine years after his first aboard Tapwrit in 2017.
“We just wanted him to get better and keep winning these kinds of races,” Ortiz said. “We’re very happy with him. It’s all about him.”
Golden Tempo didn’t just win the 158th Belmont Stakes. He delivered the kind of closing burst that turns doubt into disbelief—again—on a day when even the most careful plans had to make room for what happened next.
Golden Tempo Belmont Stakes Saratoga Springs Cherie DeVaux Jose Ortiz Commandment Renegade Triple Crown Kentucky Derby Saratoga track
So the horse was 12 lengths behind and still won… that’s insane. Makes the whole betting look fake.
I don’t get how they call it a “timing” thing when it’s just going fast at the end. Also wasn’t Commandment like unbeatable? How’d he get caught.
Jose Ortiz always does that right? Wait, I thought it was more of a “strategy” like steering the pace or whatever. Anyway if the favorite (Commandment) came 2nd then the horse that won must’ve cheated or something… idk, I’m just mad.
Cherie DeVaux being the second trainer in four years at the Belmont is cool, but why does the article keep talking like it’s a movie plot with “another gear” and “back-of-the-pack became a headline.” Like does that mean she’s gonna train the next Derby winner too or what. Also Golden Tempo was close to the lead in the Derby? I can’t keep it straight between Belmont and Kentucky Derby lol.