Golden Tempo Skips Preakness After Derby Win, Trainer Cites Long-Term Health

Golden Tempo will not run in the Preakness Stakes after his Kentucky Derby victory, trainer Cherie DeVaux said. The 44-year-old trainer told Fox News Digital that the team is focused on the horse's long-term career rather than a Triple Crown attempt.

DeVaux said most reactions to the decision have been positive, though some fans expressed disappointment. She called the criticism unfair. "It's been a mix of both, mostly positive. Which I appreciate, and I understand that fans of the sport or fans of the Triple Crown are disappointed, but the horse is not a machine," DeVaux said.

She explained that the choice involved discussions with the owners. "I have to advocate as the trainer to the owners or the clients, and we had a conversation, it wasn't my decision. It was a decision we made as a group and I'm sorry if people don't understand what goes into it. ‘Why enter the Derby if you're not going to run the Triple Crown?’ Well, I think that’s unfair. We are not committing to this and they're horses, like they're animals, and they're not just a car where you can go out and run them in two weeks. That’s not how it works, and unfortunately if you’re not going to understand, then I can’t help you."

DeVaux, a Saratoga Springs, New York, native, said she respects Triple Crown tradition but does not want to overtax the horse. She described the decision as difficult. "It’s hard, I do understand where others are coming from, but I do think it's unfair the way that I have received some of the messages and what they're saying, but whatever, they're not in my position to train the horse and so therefore their opinion doesn't matter to me," she said.

The team waited a few days after the Derby for tempers to cool before deciding. DeVaux confirmed Golden Tempo is healthy. "We tried to let the dust settle on the whole weekend, and Golden Tempo is fine. But we think it takes a unique horse to be able to come back and run in two weeks. And we just didn't feel like for him that was the responsible thing for his whole career, especially this year. We're focused on a bigger picture than the Triple Crown," DeVaux said.

"Even though the Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown, I’m always biased, where you can focus on the Triple Crown or you can focus on the year because it takes so much out of them. And we were speaking. We decided that it was his best interest to focus on the year, not just coming back in two weeks and then coming back in three weeks."

DeVaux said the next target is the Belmont Stakes. She noted this year's Triple Crown differs from past years due to venue and distance changes. "No, that is definitely our next goal and we're pointing towards that," DeVaux said. "Saratoga is great. My family lives up there, but I was actually looking forward to running him the mile and a half, you know, it’s different circumstances."

"We're running the Preakness at Laurel. We're running the Belmont at Saratoga at a different distance. So, you know, it's not the true Triple Crown layout that has been historic in the past couple years."

The Preakness Stakes are usually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore but move to Laurel Park this year for renovations. The Belmont Stakes normally take place at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, but shift to Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, for similar reasons. The Kentucky Derby remained at Churchill Downs in Louisville, where DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the race.