Trainer Cherie DeVaux has cemented her place in thoroughbred racing history, becoming the first woman to win multiple legs of the Triple Crown after Golden Tempo dominated the 158th Belmont Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.
Golden Tempo, ridden by Jose Ortiz, surged down the stretch to capture the third jewel of the Triple Crown just five weeks after winning the Kentucky Derby. The horse crossed the wire at 6-1 odds, holding off Commandment at the finish of the one-and-one-quarter-mile race with a winning time of 2:03.49. Renegade, the favorite and Derby runner-up, finished third in a field of nine.
The victory marks a remarkable turnaround for DeVaux, who last year became the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner. No woman had ever secured two Triple Crown victories until Saturday. Jena Antonucci won the Belmont with Arcangelo in 2023, but DeVaux is now the only female trainer to capture multiple races in the series.
DeVaux, who was born in Saratoga Springs and began her training career at the upstate New York track, emphasized the deeper significance of the moment. "It's so meaningful," she said after the race. "A lot of family here. Saratoga, it's been wonderful to have such a historic race here."
The conditions at Saratoga presented a different challenge than the Kentucky Derby, where Golden Tempo had benefited from a specific pace setup. Ortiz expressed concern heading into the race about whether his horse could adapt without those ideal circumstances.
"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."
DeVaux credited both horse and rider for their performance. "Golden Tempo is amazing. Jose is amazing," she said. "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 three-year-olds."
Golden Tempo paid $14 to win, $7.32 to place, and $3.88 to show. Commandment returned $7.02 to win and $4.08 to place, while Renegade paid $2.52 to place.
The race took place at Saratoga for the third and final time while Belmont Park undergoes demolition and reconstruction of its facilities. The historic race is scheduled to return to its traditional home on the border of Queens and Long Island next year, ending a temporary three-year stint upstate.
Author James Rodriguez: "DeVaux has done what no woman in the sport has done before, and she did it with a horse and jockey that simply showed up when it mattered most."
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