Kentucky Derby 1-2 finishers Golden Tempo, Renegade rematch in Belmont Stakes
At 0h04, on June 6, 2026 • By Churchill Downs
In what is expected to be a competitive and memorable renewal of the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, the final jewel in racing’s Triple Crown is set to be run for a third and final time at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, with the Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo and runner-up Renegade taking center stage amidst a field of nine sophomores.
The 158th running of the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets is slated as Race 13 on the 14-race card with a post time of 7:04 p.m. First post is 11 a.m.
This year will mark the third and final edition of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga. Beginning in 2027, the Belmont Stakes will return to its Long Island home at a new and re-imagined Belmont Park.
Due to the configuration of Saratoga’s main track, the 2026 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets will once again be contested at 1 1/4-miles rather than the traditional 1 1/2-miles. The Belmont Stakes will play host to a rematch between Golden Tempo and Renegade, who finished a neck apart in the “Run for the Roses” as they posted deep-closing efforts in a thrilling finish.
Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Golden Tempo will look to continue a historic run for trainer Cherie DeVaux, who became the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner, and did so in her very first attempt. She vies to join Jena Antonucci [2023, Arcangelo] as women to have trained a Belmont Stakes-winner.
A sixth-generation homebred, Golden Tempo has been a model of consistency in his five starts, culminating in his determined victory over Renegade when rallying from last-of-18 with a well-timed ride from post 16 under returning pilot Jose Ortiz.
Trailing as far as 17 3/4 lengths back, Golden Tempo picked it up while racing three-wide approaching the mile call and angled out to the seven path in the turn. He was at least 10-wide in the stretch, maneuvering around Renegade as they both collared Ocelli in the final sixteenth. Golden Tempo made one last surge in the final strides and edged clear of a game Renegade to claim the garland of roses by a neck in a final time of 2:02.27.
With less speed signed on in the Belmont than the Derby, DeVaux said she is hopeful that Ortiz, who won the Belmont in 2017 aboard Tapwrit, can settle Golden Tempo into a closer position to make his run.
Golden Tempo, who looks to become the 13th horse to complete the Derby/Belmont double, skipped the second leg of the Triple Crown – the Grade 1 Preakness won by Napoleon Solo at Laurel Park – to target the Belmont Stakes.
Ortiz will look to engineer a winning ride aboard Golden Tempo from post 9 with a morning-line assessment of 9-2.
Robert and Lawana Low and Repole Stable’s Renegade will look to turn the tables on Golden Tempo, and like his rival, he has never finished off-the-board in his young career. Renegade is one of two Belmont Stakes aspirants trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, who also sends out Powershift for Repole Stable.
Renegade, a son of Into Mischief, seeks his third win this season after making the Derby starting gate with wins in the Listed Sam F. Davis in February at Tampa Bay Downs and the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby in March at Oaklawn Park. The latter effort came in stylish fashion with a four-length stroll that earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure, three points higher than the figure he and Golden Tempo earned in the Derby.
In the Derby, Renegade emerged from the inside post and was slammed at the start before traveling in 16th at the three-quarters call. He was bumped again in the stretch as he went wide and reeled in Ocelli in the final sixteenth before being caught late.
“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. I was proud of his courage and effort.”
Pletcher said he welcomes the opportunity to rematch with Golden Tempo.
“That’s what you hope for in these Triple Crown races, a chance to hopefully turn the tables,” said Pletcher, who searches for his fifth Belmont Stakes victory after hoisting the August Belmont Trophy in 2007 [Rags to Riches], 2013 [Palace Malice], 2017 [Tapwrit] and 2022 [Mo Donegal].
Irad Ortiz, Jr., a two-time Belmont Stakes-winner with Creator [2016] and Mo Donegal [2022], retains the mount from post 4 as the 2-1 morning-line favorite.
