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    Horse racing: Preakness without Golden Tempo shows it’s time for change
    • May 7, 2026

    The Kentucky Derby left horse-racing fans with fun questions to debate, and under better conditions we could look forward to the Preakness Stakes providing the answers.

    Which horse was really best in Saturday’s Derby? Upset winner Golden Tempo, who rallied from last place, taking advantage of circumstances that favored closers? Second-place Renegade, who nearly overcame a rough trip from the rail post? Fifth-place Danon Bourbon, the Japan-trained horse who made a premature move to the lead and finished best of the early speedsters?

    Was the best 3-year-old at Churchill Downs on Saturday even in the Derby? Or was it Crude Velocity, the Bob Baffert-trained colt who is undefeated in three starts after pulling away in the Pat Day Mile and earned higher speed figures than Golden Tempo?

    Could Cherie DeVaux, the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner, achieve the same distinction in the Preakness? Or could Brittany Russell, trainer of Maryland stakes winner Taj Mahal, beat her to it?

    And, the question for most of the public: Is Golden Tempo Triple Crown material?

    Unfortunately, under current conditions, the Preakness will settle almost none of those questions.

    DeVaux declared Golden Tempo out of the May 16 Preakness on Wednesday, saying on X that he should have “a little more time following such a tremendous effort (in the Derby)” and will be pointed to the June 6 Belmont Stakes. Renegade and Danon Bourbon won’t run in the Preakness, which is being held at Laurel Park while Pimlico is being renovated. Of the 18 Derby starters, only third-place longshot Ocelli and 14th-place Robusta are being considered for the Preakness by their owners and trainers.

    Crude Velocity is a Preakness possibility and probably will be favored if he goes. Baffert must decide by Monday, when entries and post positions for the maximum 14-horse race are set.

    Most telling, the Derby winner and his rivals passing up the Preakness is no surprise. Derby winner Sovereignty was held out of the Preakness by trainer Bill Mott in 2025, and went on to win the Belmont and the Horse of the Year title. This is the third time in five years that a Derby winner is skipping the Preakness.

    For decades, racing people have argued about whether the two- and three-week gaps between Derby, Preakness and Belmont should be lengthened, and the races’ traditional 1 1/4-mile, 1 3/16-mile and 1 1/2-mile distances pared back, to adjust to modern breeding strategies that de-emphasize stamina and sturdiness and training methods that have horses starting less often.

    But now, judging by the actions of top trainers, the biggest part of that argument is over. Two and even three weeks are not enough.

    The case for the status quo has always included the line: The Triple Crown is supposed to be hard.

    But it’s supposed to be hard to sweep. It shouldn’t be this hard to compete.

    With Churchill Downs now owning intellectual property rights to the Preakness, and the Preakness TV contract up for negotiation, there’s a chance changes could be made. Put the Preakness three weeks after the Derby. Or ideally four weeks, with another four to the Belmont. None of that will be easy to arrange. But the time has come to try.

    This isn’t even about the Triple Crown, really. The general public’s fascination with the series would endure. Sweeping the three races would still be hard, because a softer schedule would help the opponents as much as it helps the Derby winner.

    It’s about creating conditions to match the best athletes in the biggest events, as any sport must do to thrive.

    It’s about letting fans enjoy seeing the Preakness answer questions like the ones this year’s Derby raised.

    That would be something to look forward to, maybe next year.

    JOEL ROSARIO RETURNS

    Hall of Fame jockey Joel Rosario is moving back from Kentucky to California, where he was leading rider as recently as the 2020 winter-spring meet at Santa Anita.

    The 41-year-old native of the Dominican Republic is named on four horses at Santa Anita on Sunday. He’ll be looking to improve on a disappointing start to the year, including only 12% winners, on pace for a career low.

    AT SANTA ANITA

    Favorites have lost five times in a row in each of this weekend’s stakes at Santa Anita.

    Light Won Up, with Antonio Fresu riding for trainer Doug O’Neill, can break that trend in Saturday’s Senorita Stakes, a hillside turf sprint for 3-year-old fillies. The field of 10 includes Mo’ Em Down (Hector Berrios), Surfin’ U.S.A. (Armando Ayuso), Will Happen (Mike Smith) and Marjoram (Juan Hernandez).

    Rosario has a shot at a stakes win on his first day back at Santa Anita when he rides 6-year-old turf sprinter Boss Sully for trainer Brian Koriner in Sunday’s Siren Lure Stakes. Boss Sully is one of several contenders who return from several-month layoffs, among them 7-year-old Unconquerable Keen (Kazushi Kimura) and 4-year-olds Artislas (Hernandez) and Friendly Confines (Tiago Pereira).

    AT LOS ALAMITOS

    Shaken Goin On and jockey Justine Klaiber dominated the 350-yard Miss Princess Handicap on Sunday in a winning start to 2026 for the American Quarter Horse Association champion 3-year-old filly and Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association Horse of the Year of 2025.

    SAFETY WATCH

    The death of the California-bred 2-year-old filly Angel’s Edition, from an injury May 3 at Santa Anita in training toward her first start, was the ninth horse fatality of 2026 in racing and training at Santa Anita and the 14th at Santa Anita and Los Alamitos, according to California Horse Racing Board data. The figure for Santa Anita is the highest for this part of the year since 2020. The total for the Southern California tracks is slightly higher than the recent average.

    Follow horse racing correspondent Kevin Modesti at X.com/KevinModesti.

    SANTA ANITA LEADERS

    (Through Sunday)

    Jockeys / Wins

    Armando Ayuso / 13

    Antonio Fresu / 10

    Kazushi Kimura / 9

    Juan Hernandez / 8

    Emisael Jaramillo / 8

    Trainers / Wins

    Phil D’Amato / 9

    Steve Knapp / 6

    Jeff Mullins / 5

    Andy Mathis / 10

    Mark Glatt / 10

    UPCOMING STAKES

    SANTA ANITA

    Saturday

    • $100,000, Grade III Senorita Stakes, 3-year-old fillies, about 6½ furlongs on turf

    Sunday

    • $100,000 Siren Lure Stakes, 4-year-olds and up, 6 furlongs on turf

    LOS ALAMITOS

    Sunday

    • $350,000, Grade II Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity, 2-year-old quarter horses, 300 yards

    ​ Orange County Register 

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