Golden Tempo won the 158th Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at Saratoga Race Course – rallying from last place out of post 9 to cross the wire in a final time of 2:03.49 and completing a dominant Kentucky Derby–Belmont double for trainer Cherie DeVaux and jockey José Ortiz.
DeVaux became only the second woman ever to win the Belmont Stakes, joining Jena Antonucci in that select company – a milestone that arrived just weeks after she became the first woman to win the Kentucky Derby with the same horse.
Golden Tempo skipped the Preakness Stakes after the Derby, which took the Triple Crown 2026 bid off the table before the season’s final leg was even contested. The decision looked prescient – the horse came back fresh, ran past a full field of 9, and made the case that he’s the best 3-year-old in training right now.
2026 Belmont Stakes: Race Details
- 🗓️ Date: Saturday, June 6, 2026
- ⏰ Post Time: 7:01 p.m. ET
- 📺 TV/Stream: FOX, FS1, FS2 / Fubo
- 🏇 Venue: Saratoga Race Course (third and final year at Saratoga during Belmont Park renovation – see why the race moved to Saratoga)
- 📏 Distance: 1¼ miles
- 💰 Purse: N/A
- 🔢 Field Size: 9 horses
- 🏆 Winner: Golden Tempo (post 9, José Ortiz up, Cherie DeVaux trainer)
- ⏱️ Winning Time: 2:03.49
2026 Belmont Stakes Official Finish Order
- Golden Tempo – Jockey: José Ortiz | Trainer: Cherie DeVaux | Odds: 6-1 (post 9)
- Commandment – Jockey: N/A | Trainer: N/A | Odds: 5-1 (post 7)
- Renegade – Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr. | Trainer: Todd Pletcher | Odds: 8-5 (post 4)
- Chief Wallabee – Odds: 5-1 (post 3)
- Emerging Market – Odds: 5-1 (post 8)
- Growth Equity – Odds: 13-1 (post 6)
- Vitruvian Man – Odds: 20-1 (post 1)
- Ottinho – Odds: 19-1 (post 5)
- Powershift – Odds: 12-1 (post 2)
Golden Tempo Rallies From Last to Win the 158th Belmont Stakes
Breaking from post 9 at the outside of the gate, Golden Tempo stumbled at the start – a moment that could have defined the race differently. Instead, José Ortiz kept the horse composed, settled him at the back of the pack through the early moderate pace, and waited for the Saratoga stretch to open up.
The move came in the final quarter mile. Golden Tempo swept past the field with the kind of sustained run that won him the Kentucky Derby, eventually clearing Commandment by 1¼ lengths at the wire. The pace set up perfectly for a closer – something our pre-race odds analysis flagged as a real risk with the post-9 draw, and a complication Golden Tempo and Ortiz erased decisively.
The 1¼-mile distance at Saratoga – shorter than the traditional 1½ miles at Belmont Park – suited a horse with a big closing kick rather than a pure stayer. Golden Tempo’s 2:03.49 clocking was efficient without being record-setting, which is exactly what a horse saving ground from the back of the field produces.
DeVaux also won the Grade 1 Woody Stephens Stakes earlier on the same card with Englishman, again with Ortiz in the irons – a double that removes any doubt about where her barn stands heading into the second half of 2026.
Cherie DeVaux Becomes Only the Second Woman to Win the Belmont Stakes
The historic element here is not cosmetic. DeVaux first broke the barrier at the Kentucky Derby in May 2026 – the first woman to win that race – and has now added the Belmont Stakes to that résumé, becoming only the second woman to win the final leg of the Triple Crown series, joining Jena Antonucci.
Post-race, DeVaux joked that she needs to name her next horse “Amazing” after repeatedly using the word in her winner’s circle interviews. The humor is earned – winning the Derby and the Belmont in the same year with the same horse and jockey is a complete training performance by any measure.
2026 Belmont Stakes Payouts and Exotic Results
| Bet Type | Combination | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| Win | Golden Tempo | $14.00 (on $2) |
| Place | Golden Tempo | $7.32 (on $2) |
| Show | Golden Tempo | $3.88 (on $2) |
| Place | Commandment | $7.02 (on $2) |
| Show | Commandment | $4.08 (on $2) |
| Show | Renegade | $2.52 (on $2) |
| Exacta (9-7) | Golden Tempo / Commandment | $55.67 (on $1) |
| Trifecta (9-7-4) | Golden Tempo / Commandment / Renegade | $102.64 (on $1) |
| Superfecta (9-7-4-3) | Golden Tempo / Commandment / Renegade / Chief Wallabee | $237.98 (on $1) |
The $102.64 trifecta is the headline payout from these Belmont Stakes results – a meaningful number driven by Commandment landing second at 5-1 and the favorite Renegade dropping to third. For context, the 2025 Belmont trifecta paid just $13.80 on a $1 bet; 2026 exotic players cashed roughly 7x better.
The win payout of $14.00 on a $2 bet reflects Golden Tempo’s 6-1 final odds – modest for a result that wasn’t a true upset, but solid for anyone who had the Derby winner live on a ticket the market undervalued heading into post time.
How the Rest of the Field Finished – Renegade, Chief Wallabee, and the Beaten Favorites
Renegade entered as the 8-5 betting favorite – bet down from a 2-1 morning line after Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher’s Kentucky Derby runner-up drew strong public support. He finished third. The Ortiz brothers recreated their 1-2 Derby finish in reverse here, with Irad on the favorite and José on the winner – and it was the winner who got the better trip.
Chief Wallabee, the 3-1 second choice on the morning line, finished fourth. That’s a clean beat for anyone who dismissed him pre-race, and it confirms that the top of this field ran roughly to expectations – just not in the order the market priced.
Commandment at 5-1 delivered the biggest positive surprise – placing second and collecting $7.02 on a $2 place ticket. Anyone who built an exacta or trifecta around Commandment landing in the top two cashed well. The rest of the field – Emerging Market through Powershift – finished fifth through ninth without impacting the exotic pools.
Golden Tempo Cements Status as the Top 3-Year-Old of 2026
A Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes double in the same year – skipping the Preakness entirely – is a résumé that leads the Eclipse Award conversation for 3-Year-Old Male of the Year without serious competition right now. Golden Tempo, bred by Phipps Stable, has now won the two most prestigious races in American horse racing in 2026, and done it coming from off the pace against quality fields both times.
The next major target for DeVaux’s barn is the Travers Stakes at Saratoga in August – a race that would give Golden Tempo a chance to win on the same track where he just took the Belmont. The 2026 horse racing season belongs to this horse. Bottom Line: Golden Tempo is the best 3-year-old in the country. That’s no longer a projection – it’s the result.
