If you own, train, or ride a Thoroughbred racehorse, winning the Kentucky Derby is the biggest spotlight you'll ever have in the sport, earning a place in history with millions watching. But for many, it's not actually the pinnacle of achievement in horse racing.
That honor goes to the fabled Triple Crown, a run that sees a single horse win the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes all in a single season. Only a handful of horses have ever done it, which means that whenever a new Derby winner is crowned, racing fans look ahead to see if that horse will run the next race in the sequence.
Well, unfortunately for horse racing fans, they'll have to wait at least one more year for the next Triple Crown winner, as 2026 Kentucky Derby Champion Golden Tempo will skip the 151st Preakness Stakes, arriving May 16 on NBC and Peacock.
RELATED: The Long and Glorious History of the Kentucky Derby
Why is Golden Tempo skipping the Preakness Stakes?
On May 2, Golden Tempo completed one of the most thrilling runs in Kentucky Derby history, falling all the way to the back of the field before surging in the home stretch to claim victory. It's a race fans won't soon forget, but earlier this week, Golden Tempo's trainer, Cherie DeVaux, announced that he won't be running in the Preakness.
"After much thoughtful discussion as a team, we have decided that Golden Tempo will bypass the Preakness Stakes," DeVaux said in a statement on May 6, according to NBC Sports.
That leaves the Preakness field open for other horses, but it also means that Golden Tempo, while likely to run the Belmont Stakes on June 6, will not pursue the Triple Crown. It's a move that might seem surprising to casual racing fans, but it's actually quite a bit more common than you might think. In the 150-year history of the two races, 54 different Derby winners have declined to pursue the Preakness, preferring instead to rest their horses for later races and, hopefully, a bigger purse with less physical risk.
Only 13 horses in history have won the Triple Crown, so it's a tough bet to place if you're trying to keep your horse healthy for more races down the line.
What was the last horse to win horse racing's Triple Crown?
In 2018, Justify became the last Thoroughbred to win the Triple Crown in horse racing, by winning the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes that year.
RELATED: Everything to Know About the Preakness Stakes
How to watch the 2026 Preakness Stakes
The 151st running of the Preakness Stakes arrives Saturday, May 16. Coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET with undercard races streaming live on Peacock, followed by the Preakness Stakes coverage beginning at 4 p.m. live on NBC and Peacock.
