The final leg of the Triple Crown returns to Saratoga Race Course on Saturday as Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo and runner-up Renegade square off once again in the $2 million Belmont Stakes (G1). The race will be contested at 1 1/4 miles for the third and final year while Belmont Park undergoes renovations.
Golden Tempo enters off a dramatic Kentucky Derby victory in which he rallied from last to defeat Renegade by a neck. Trainer Cherie DeVaux skipped the Preakness Stakes and has targeted the Belmont from the start.
“We just have to hope that a pace materializes with his running style,” DeVaux said. “If that does not happen, Jose is going to have to come up with ‘Plan B’ to where he just doesn’t give himself so much to do in the later stages of the race.”
Golden Tempo’s late-running style has been effective, but DeVaux acknowledged the smaller field could create different race dynamics.
“He’s going to run his race and where he is, the optics of it are [based on] what they’re doing in front,” DeVaux concluded. “It’s kind of just how the race unfolds in front of him and what Jose decides to do, as well as Golden Tempo.”
Renegade will attempt to reverse the result for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher after overcoming significant trouble in the Kentucky Derby and still nearly pulling off the victory.
“He’s a tough, tough colt,” Pletcher said. “He’s resilient and determined. He seems to not mind a battle, and I think a lot of horses that get roughed up as much as he did in the first sixteenth of a mile in the Derby might not have recovered and finished the way he did.”
Pletcher believes the pace scenario could allow Renegade to sit a bit closer than he did in Louisville.
“I think with the way it’s stacking up, there doesn’t appear to be a lot of pace,” Pletcher said. “I think Renegade is tractable enough [where] if they’re not going real fast, he can be a little closer than he has been.”
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Brad Cox sends out Florida Derby winner Commandment, who exits a seventh-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.
“I do think horse racing is made up of ‘what have you done lately,’” Cox said. “Obviously that was not the performance we were hoping for in the Derby, but I thought it was a good run and think he’s a little forgotten.”
Bill Mott’s Chief Wallabee enters off a fourth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby and appears to have benefited from the addition of blinkers.
“I think we learned that it seems to keep him a little more focused,” Mott said. “He’s a pretty laid back individual – he’s not someone that ducks and dodges or anything like that, but he’s just kind of curious.”
Chad Brown will saddle three contenders led by Emerging Market, Growth Equity, and Ottinho.
“Emerging Market has come out of the Derby good despite losing a shoe in the race,” Brown said. “I really like the way he’s doing.”
Brown is equally optimistic about Peter Pan winner Growth Equity.
“Growth Equity is in great form,” Brown said. “He’s a late bloomer that is getting better as I run him longer.”
As for Ottinho, Brown believes the Belmont distance could be exactly what the colt has been waiting for.
“Ottinho is a horse that has been looking for a mile and a quarter his whole life and he’s finally going to get it,” Brown said. “His big question will be, is he good enough?”
Pletcher will also be represented by Powershift, a lightly raced son of Constitution who enters off an impressive maiden victory on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs. After finishing second to eventual Louisiana Derby winner Emerging Market in his debut and disappointing in the Tampa Bay Derby, Powershift rebounded in a big way, defeating older horses by 2 3/4 lengths while earning the same Beyer Speed Figure that Golden Tempo and Renegade posted later that afternoon in the Kentucky Derby.
“He’s always shown a lot of talent, and we got sidetracked a little bit when he didn’t fire at Tampa, but he regrouped and came back with a big race with a really good Beyer Figure,” Pletcher said. “Hopefully he keeps improving. Any time you can win a race [like that], it gives you some confidence and gives the connections confidence as well.”
Pletcher believes Powershift’s forwardly placed running style could complement stablemate Renegade’s closing kick.
“I think Powershift will be forwardly placed and I think they complement each other’s running styles, which is always a plus,” Pletcher said. “Powershift is in there because we think he’s legitimate. He’s not in there as a pacesetter, he’s in there to try and win.”
Completing the field is Vitruvian Man, who makes just his second start of the year for trainer Doug O’Neill. The son of Vino Rosso finished third in the Santa Anita Derby behind Kentucky Derby starters So Happy and Potente before connections shifted their focus to the Belmont Stakes.
“Even though it’s not a mile and a half, the mile and a quarter in the Belmont will suit him perfectly,” O’Neill said. “We know he’s going to be an outsider, but he’s training really well.”
With the Kentucky Derby’s top two finishers returning and several accomplished challengers looking to spoil the rematch, the 158th Belmont Stakes promises to deliver a memorable conclusion to the 2026 Triple Crown season.
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