06/06/26 06:46:00
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06/06 18:44 CDT Golden Tempo wins the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes after
winning the Kentucky Derby
Golden Tempo wins the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes after winning the
Kentucky Derby
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) --- Golden Tempo won the 158th running of the
Belmont Stakes on Saturday, capturing the third leg of the Triple Crown five
weeks after winning the Kentucky Derby and making more history for trainer
Cherie DeVaux.
With jockey Jose Ortiz aboard, Golden Tempo charged down the stretch at
Saratoga Race Course to win the Belmont, holding off Commandment before the
finish line at the historic track to win at odds of 6-1. Commandment was second
and favorite Renegade 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 3-year-olds."
DeVaux, after becoming the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner, is the
second in four years to do so at the Belmont. Jena Antonucci won it with
Arcangelo in 2023. DeVaux is 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 gracious that I am that person."
The pace was not nearly as fast as it was at Churchill Downs, yet Golden Tempo
still was able to close in time to win the 1 1/4-mile race in 2:03.49. It
didn't matter, as he was the best in the 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 was the third and final time for the Belmont at Saratoga in upstate New
York while its traditional home on the border of Queens and Long Island is
getting demolished and rebuilt. The race is set 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.
Ortiz said he followed Renegade, ridden by older brother Irad, just as he did
in the Derby. It worked out just the same in the first Saturday in June as the
first Saturday in May.
"He was a 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."
Co-owner Vinnie Viola dedicated the race to late friend Dominic DiPrisco, who
died Wednesday at age 70.
"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 won the Belmont Stakes for the second time, nine years after his first
aboard Tapwrit in 2017.
"Obviously the last Belmont in Saratoga make it special, but it's all about
him," Ortiz said. "We just wanted him to get better and keep winning these
kinds of races. ... We're very happy with him. It's all about him."
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AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing
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