Renegade 2-1 Morning Line Odds Favorite for the 158th Belmont Stakes

Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo and runner-up Renegade take center stage amidst a field of nine sophomores in the 158th running of the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes - slated as Race 13 on the 14-race card at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, June 6.

This will mark the third and final edition of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga. In 2027, the Belmont Stakes will return to its Long Island home at a new and re-imagined Belmont Park.

Due to the configuration of Saratoga's main track, the 2026 Belmont Stakes will once again be contested at 1 1/4-miles rather than the traditional 1 1/2-miles.

Golden Tempo (Phipps Stable & St. Elias Stables) will look to continue a historic run for trainer Cherie DeVaux, who became the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner, and did so in her very first attempt. She vies to join Jena Antonucci [2023, Arcangelo] as women to have trained a Belmont Stakes-winner.

A sixth-generation homebred, Golden Tempo has been a model of consistency in his five starts, culminating in his determined victory over Renegade when rallying from last-of-18 with a well-timed ride from post 16 under returning pilot Jose Ortiz.

Trailing as far as 17 3/4 lengths back, Golden Tempo picked it up while racing three-wide approaching the mile call and angled out to the seven path in the turn. He was at least 10-wide in the stretch, maneuvering around Renegade as they both collared Ocelli in the final sixteenth. Golden Tempo made one last surge in the final strides and edged clear of a game Renegade to claim the garland of roses by a neck in a final time of 2:02.27.

With less speed signed on in the Belmont than the Derby, DeVaux said she is hopeful that Ortiz, who won the Belmont in 2017 aboard Tapwrit, can settle Golden Tempo into a closer position to make his run.

"We just have to hope that a pace materializes with his running style," DeVaux said. "If that does not happen, Jose is going to have to come up with 'Plan B' to where he just doesn't give himself so much to do in the later stages of the race. I think Jose can either get him closer earlier, or he needs to start his run earlier, and that sustained run also is not ideal."

The path to Derby glory for Golden Tempo ran through Louisiana, where he made each of his prior four starts around the main track at Fair Grounds Race Course. There, he graduated at first asking in a six-furlong maiden and stepped up to the big leagues for a late-running victory in the Grade 3 Lecomte when stretched out to 1 1/16 miles in January. That marked the only other win this year for Golden Tempo, as he went on to finish a willing third at the Grade 2 level in the Risen Star in February and Louisiana Derby in March, where he added blinkers.

The latter two performances led to Golden Tempo exiting the Derby starting gate at odds of 23-1, but his strong turn-of-foot propelled him to the upset victory over Renegade, who was the morning line favorite and went off as the 5-1 second choice.

"He's going to run his race and where he is, the optics of it are [based on] what they're doing in front," DeVaux concluded. "It's kind of just how the race unfolds in front of him and what Jose decides to do, as well as Golden Tempo. We've never wanted to change his running style, however, it does leave him vulnerable to pace dynamics not working in his favor. If there's not a contentious pace, he should be closer in theory."

Golden Tempo, who looks to become the 13th horse to complete the Derby/Belmont double, skipped the second leg of the Triple Crown - the Grade 1 Preakness won by Napoleon Solo at Laurel Park - to target the Belmont Stakes.

Golden Tempo is a Phipps homebred out of the Grade 3-winner Carrumba, with his female line tracing to Reine-de-Course mare Lady Pitt. He will look to provide the Phipps family with their second overall Belmont Stakes winner after capturing the "Test of the Champion" with Hall of Famer Easy Goer in 1989. Vinny Viola's St. Elias Stable, co-breeder of Golden Tempo, searches for their first Belmont Stakes victory, their best finish a second in 2020 with Dr. Post.

Ortiz will look to engineer a winning ride aboard Golden Tempo from post 9 with a morning-line assessment of 9-2.

Robert and Lawana Low and Repole Stable's Renegade will look to turn the tables on Golden Tempo, and like his rival, he has never finished off-the-board in his young career. Renegade is one of two Belmont Stakes aspirants trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, who also sends out Powershift for Repole Stable.

Renegade, a son of Into Mischief, seeks his third win this season after making the Derby starting gate with wins in the Listed Sam F. Davis in February at Tampa Bay Downs and the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby in March at Oaklawn Park. The latter effort came in stylish fashion with a four-length stroll that earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure, three points higher than the figure he and Golden Tempo earned in the Derby.

In the Derby, Renegade emerged from the inside post and was slammed at the start before traveling in 16th at the three-quarters call. He was bumped again in the stretch as he went wide and reeled in Ocelli in the final sixteenth before being caught late.

"He's a tough, tough colt," Pletcher said. "He's resilient and determined. He seems to not mind a battle, and I think a lot of horses that get roughed up as much as he did in the first sixteenth of a mile in the Derby might not have recovered and finished the way he did. I was proud of his courage and effort."

Pletcher said he welcomes the opportunity to rematch with Golden Tempo.

"That's what you hope for in these Triple Crown races, a chance to hopefully turn the tables," said Pletcher, who searches for his fifth Belmont Stakes victory after hoisting the August Belmont Trophy in 2007 [Rags to Riches], 2013 [Palace Malice], 2017 [Tapwrit] and 2022 [Mo Donegal].

Renegade has steadily made his way to the upper echelon of his crop. After a distant third in his career bow last August here, Renegade improved tenfold in a one-turn mile maiden effort in October at Belmont at the Big A, battling down the lane with subsequent dual Grade 2-winner Paladin and putting his head in front at the wire before being disqualified and placed second for interference in the stretch.

Renegade, who has been ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr. in each race since that October effort, would clash with Paladin again in December in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Remsen, and landed two lengths back in second in his two-turn debut. Despite still being a maiden to commence his sophomore season, Renegade ran like a seasoned pro in the Sam F. Davis, kicking clear to win by 3 3/4 lengths, priming him for his strong effort in Hot Springs.

While Renegade's efforts have each come from well off the pace, Pletcher said the talented colt is adaptable and can be closer to the pace if needed.

"I think with the way it's stacking up, there doesn't appear to be a lot of pace," Pletcher said. "I think Renegade is tractable enough [where] if they're not going real fast, he can be a little closer than he has been. In the Arkansas and Kentucky Derby, we kind of felt like there was going to be enough pace to run at that Irad wanted to let him settle and make his run. He's adaptable enough to adjust to a really slow pace."

A $975,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Renegade is out of the Grade 3-winning Curlin mare Spice Is Nice, who was owned by the Lows and trained by Pletcher. His second dam, Dame Dorothy was a three-time graded stakes-winner under Pletcher's tutelage, including the Grade 1 Humana Distaff in 2015.

Irad Ortiz, Jr., a two-time Belmont Stakes-winner with Creator [2016] and Mo Donegal [2022], retains the mount from post 4 as the 2-1 morning-line favorite.

While Renegade has demonstrated a more patient running style, Pletcher has a likely pace presence as well as Powershift steps up off an impressive graduation at third asking on the May 2 Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill. He annexed the 1 1/16-mile maiden against elders by 2 3/4-lengths in a final time of 1:41.86 with a pace-pressing trip under Ortiz, Jr., and netted the same Beyer Speed Figure as Renegade and Golden Tempo did 11 races later in the Derby.

"He's always shown a lot of talent, and we got sidetracked a little bit when he didn't fire at Tampa, but he regrouped and came back with a big race with a really good Beyer Figure," Pletcher said. "Hopefully he keeps improving. Any time you can win a race [like that], it gives you some confidence and gives the connections confidence as well."

The Constitution dark bay has made just three starts, but has kept good company since his debut in February at Tampa Bay Downs, where he finished a three-quarter-length second to returning rival and next-out Grade 2 Louisiana Derby-winner Emerging Market in a one-mile and 40-yard maiden. Powershift then stepped up to graded company in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby one month later, but faltered and finished a well-beaten sixth under Hall of Famer John Velazquez in the event won by The Puma.

"I think Johnny was a little bit frustrated - didn't get off to a great start in the race at Tampa, and that sort of took him out of the position we wanted to be in, in behind horses and taking a little more kickback than he did in his debut, so it just didn't go right from the first step away from there," Pletcher said.

Pletcher added his two entries present running styles that should allow them both to give their respective best efforts.

"I think Powershift will be forwardly placed and I think they complement each other's running styles, which is always a plus," Pletcher said. "You don't want to necessarily run two stablemates that both have the same running style against each other. Powershift is in there because we think he's legitimate. He's not in there as a pacesetter, he's in there to try and win."

Luis Saez, winner of the Belmont Essential Quality [2021] and Dornoch [2024], picks up the mount from post 2 at 12-1 morning-line odds.

Five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown has won several marquee races in New York, and hopes to add an elusive Belmont Stakes triumph to his list of accolades with three chances in this year's edition. His stable will be represented by the Klaravich Stables color-bearers Emerging Market and Growth Equity, as well as Three Chimneys Farm's Kentucky homebred Ottinho.

Emerging Market, a chestnut son of Candy Ride, enters from a 10th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, where he where he sat 2 1/4 lengths off the pace set by Six Speed and made a mild run before flattening out under returning rider Flavien Prat, who informed Brown after the race that Emerging Market had lost one of his shoes during the running.

"Emerging Market has come out of the Derby good despite losing a shoe in the race," Brown said. "I really like the way he's doing. He lost a shoe in the first turn according to Prat. He was close to a hot pace. He tried hard, it just didn't work out for him."

The promising colt won the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby by a head over Pavlovian in March in his second career start, following his aforementioned debut graduation over Powershift, an effort that awarded him a career-best 97 Beyer.

A $185,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Emerging Market is out of the Empire Maker mare Wild Empress, a half-sister to 2009 Champion 2-Year-Old Filly She Be Wild.

Prat will hope to win his first Belmont Stakes as he guides Emerging Market from post 8 with a morning-line assessment of 6-1.

Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables will have two chances to secure its first Belmont Stakes victory after Growth Equity earned his spot in the starting gate with a stalking two-length score in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Peter Pan on May 9 at Belmont at the Big A. The effort garnered a 93 Beyer.

A son of Nyquist, Growth Equity broke his maiden with a prominent trip two starts back going a one-turn mile on March 20 at Aqueduct Racetrack. Growth Equity's Beyer Speed Figures have improved in each of his four starts, which have seen him stretch out by one furlong each time since a six-furlong debut in July at Saratoga Race Course. Those stats convinced Brown to try the colt even further in the Belmont Stakes.

"Growth Equity is in great form," Brown said. "He's a late bloomer that is getting better as I run him longer, which I had hoped for but I needed to see - he's not a very big horse. The last number he earned at a mile and an eighth really gave me reason to consider him for the Belmont."

The $425,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the dirt sprint Grade 3-placed Wildcat Heir mare My Dear Venezuela, a half-sister to Grade 2-placed sprinter Selva.

Brown said Growth Equity does physically bear signs of the sprint influence on his bottom side, but his performances on the racetrack speak for themselves.

"That's why I never really committed him to a race like this early on - I was looking at him thinking, 'if he can get a mile and an eighth, I'll take it,' but he did it so well," he explained. "He bounced out of there [the Peter Pan] good, and I like the way the horse is doing."

Manny Franco, winner of the 2020 Belmont aboard the New York-bred Tiz the Law, rides Growth Equity from post 6, tabbed at 12-1.

Completing the Brown triad is Grade 1-placed Ottinho, who looks to build upon a second-place finish to runaway winner Further Ado in the Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 4 at Keeneland.

Tracking in sixth-of-7 under Prat, he was 11 lengths back in fourth at the stretch call, but responded willingly to pass a pair of rivals and land the same margin back of Further Ado. The effort produced his lifetime best Beyer of 89. He emerged from that effort with a bruised foot, and trained for the Belmont with the aid of a bar shoe.

Out of the Grade 2-winning Giant's Causeway mare Quiet Giant, Ottinho is a half-brother to Hall of Famer Gun Runner and a full-brother to the Brown-trained Grade 3-winner Pretty Ana. The Quality Road bay graduated at second asking going nine furlongs in December at Aqueduct, followed by a third in the Listed Withers over the same course and distance.

Brown said the blue-blooded colt should appreciate more ground in the Belmont.

"Ottinho is a horse that has been looking for a mile and a quarter his whole life and he's finally going to get it," Brown said. "His big question will be, is he good enough? Can he do it fast enough and move his figures forward? The distance is not a question for him."

Dylan Davis makes his second career Belmont Stakes appearance aboard Ottinho from post 5, tabbed at 20-1.

Wathnan Racing's Commandment has done little wrong in his six starts, winning four of them and already boasting a Grade 1 win on his resume for dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox. The son of Into Mischief impressed in Florida this winter and spring, going a perfect 3-for-3 at Gulfstream Park ahead of an even seventh in the Kentucky Derby.

"I do think horse racing is made up of 'what have you done lately,'" Cox said. "Obviously that was not the performance we were hoping for in the Derby, but I thought it was a good run and think he's a little forgotten. If you zero in on him and watch his race in the Derby, I think he ran very well."

Commandment graduated at second asking sprinting seven furlongs in November at Churchill, and stretched out to one-mile with ease to annex the Listed Mucho Macho Man in January at Gulfstream. He followed with two narrow wins in Kentucky Derby preps when willing himself in front to take the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth by a neck in February and the Grade 1 Florida Derby by a nose in March, with both of those efforts coming from off-the-pace. Returning rival Chief Wallabee finished a respective second and third in those races.

The wins garnered respective Beyers of 101 and 100, but Cox does not believe Commandment bounced in the Derby, where he was 6 1/4 lengths off the pace in 13th through the half-mile and was bumped by Ocelli while making his bid in the lane before finishing 5 1/4 lengths behind Golden Tempo.

"I'm not going to go with he ran a flat race because of the two big runs in Florida," Cox said. "I think he may have just run a flat race because he was not really where he needed to be. The dynamics just didn't set up for him that day and I thought he was ready to run and ran well, just not maybe his 'A' race or the greatest setup for him."

Cox, in search of his second Belmont win, added Commandment may utilize a more prominent trip.

"You're not running against [17] horses like in the Derby, and it's a shorter field and shorter run to the first turn as well," Cox said. "A mile and a quarter over a mile and an eighth track, the race probably won't be run as quick, and maybe he puts himself in a little bit more of a forward position."

Commandment hails from a family with top-class experience at the Spa, with his dam Sippican Harbor having captured the Grade 1 Spinaway in 2018. The $500,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale will be ridden by dual Belmont Stakes-winning Hall of Famer John Velazquez from post 7 with morning-line odds of 6-1.

Chief Wallabee [post 3, Junior Alvarado, 3-1ML] added blinkers for a last-out fourth in the Kentucky Derby, where he raced in mid-pack before splitting horses in upper stretch and bumping with foes while giving a hard-trying effort and completing the superfecta for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

Mott said he was pleased with how the blinkers helped the son of Constitution.

"I think we learned that it seems to keep him a little more focused," Mott said. "He's a pretty laid back individual - he's not someone that ducks and dodges or anything like that, but he's just kind of curious."

Chief Wallabee showed heart this spring in his efforts against Commandment, rallying from seventh-of-9 to come up a neck shy in the Fountain of Youth and racing more prominently in the Florida Derby to miss by a half-length. Those efforts came on the heels of a 1 1/2-length win on debut in January at the south Florida oval, and propelled him to the Derby. Junior Alvarado has been aboard for each of the colt's four starts.

"I think he's done quite well for a horse that lacks the experience he does," Mott said.

A Kentucky homebred for Michael Ball and Katherine Ball, Chief Wallabee has worked twice over the Saratoga Oklahoma training track in company with Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun contender Gilded Bandit, most recently covering five-eighths in 1:01.40 on May 30.

"He had a good work [Saturday]," Mott said. "I think he's going into the race equally as well as he went into the Derby from what I can tell."

Mott, a two-time Belmont Stakes-winner, will attempt a repeat victory in the Belmont Stakes in tandem with jockey Junior Alvarado after teaming up to take last year's edition with subsequent Horse of the Year Sovereignty. Mott's other Belmont win came in 2010 with Drosselmeyer.

"That would be nice, I'd like that. It'd be fun," Mott said of the idea of winning another Belmont.

Completing the field is breeder Glenn Sorgenstein WC Racing, Inc. and Run Fast Racing's Vitruvian Man, who makes just his second start this year for trainer Doug O'Neill, who attempts to win his first Belmont. The West Coast-based colt was recently bought into by Run Fast Racing, a partnership that includes the rappers Lil Yachty and Lil Wayne as well as Puerto Rican singer Rauw Alejandro.

The son of Vino Rosso, out of the Bernardini mare Caradini, is bred for distance, and O'Neill started him in a pair of grass tilts in Kentucky due to an absence of longer dirt maidens there last summer. He went on to graduate by a nose in a restricted 1 1/16-mile maiden when switched to the dirt third out at Keeneland ahead of a pair of on-the-board allowance-level efforts over dirt at Churchill Downs in November and the synthetic in December at Turfway Park.

"He's a horse that from the word 'go,' he's always acted like a special, talented two-turn type of horse, to the point where we even debuted him going two-turns on the grass because there was no dirt race at that point," O'Neill said. "He had five starts as a 2-year-old, and at that point we decided to bring him to California and try to treat him like a Kentucky Derby horse and see what we had."

In April, Vitruvian Man made his lone start of this campaign, finishing a 9 1/2-length third in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby behind by subsequent Kentucky Derby starters So Happy [9th] and Potente [12th].

"He ended up running a credible third in the Santa Anita Derby, and from there we started talking about the Belmont," O'Neill said. "Even though it's not a mile and a half, the mile and a quarter in the Belmont will suit him perfectly. Generally, you make those plans and God laughs, but it's coming together, and he's pulling us there. We know he's going to be an outsider, but he's training really well."

Italian-born jockey Antonio Fresu vies to win his first Triple Crown event aboard Vitruvian Man from post 1, tabbed at 30-1 odds.

Other Stakes races on the agenda Saturday include the Grade 1 Manhattan Stakes [Race 12], the Grade 1 Jaipur Stakes [Race 9] - a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint - the Grade 1 Woody Stephens [Race 10], the Grade 1 Just a Game [Race 7] and the Grade 3 True North [Race 8].

2026 Belmont Stakes Probables

With the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in the rearview mirror alleyes are focused on the upcoming Belmont Stakes on June 6! Below are the probable three-year-old horses prepping for the big race:

Golden Tempo

At 23-1 odds, Golden Tempo and jockey Jose Ortiz made an improbable last-to-first move in the Kentucky Derby, beating out Renegade (and Jose's brother, Irad) in the final strides.

Golden Tempo made history for Cherie DeVaux, who became the first-ever female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby.

Connections have opted to bypass the Preakness in order to give Golden Tempo more time to recover. He will target the Belmont Stakes for his next start.

Jockey Jose Ortiz won the Belmont Stakes in 2017 aboard Tapwrit.

Golden Tempo co-owner Vinnie Viola (St. Elias Stable) also owns the NHL's Florida Panthers.

Renegade

Kentucky Derby morning line favorite Renegade came a close second to Paladin in the Grade 2 Remsen, before going on to win the Sam F. Davis Stakes and Grade 1 Arkansas Derby.

In the Kentucky Derby, Renegade closed valiantly and led momentarily in the stretch, but was ultimately second best to Golden Tempo.

According to connections, Renegade has shipped to Saratoga and will target the Belmont Stakes.

Commandment

Commandment made himself a top Derby contender after winning the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes and Grade 1 Florida Derby.

In the Kentucky Derby, Commandment sat a mid-pack trip and made a mild bid, encountering some jostling in the stretch and finishing seventh.

Trainer Brad Cox won the Belmont Stakes in 2021 with Essential Quality.

Chief Wallabee

Despite having only one win, Chief Wallabee remains a formidable opponent. He has hit the board in both of his Kentucky Derby prep races, the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and Grade 1 Florida Derby, facing stout competition the likes of The Puma and Commandment down in Gulfstream Park.

In the Kentucky Derby, Chief Wallabee sat a mid-pack trip and encountered bumping in the stretch, but closed well to finish fourth.

Chief Wallabee has shipped to Saratoga, and will target the Belmont Stakes.

Emerging Market

Unraced as a two-year-old and lightly raced overall, Emerging Market punched his ticket to the Kentucky Derby by winning the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby - only his second career race.

In the Kentucky Derby (his most recent start), Emerging Market tracked the pace but flattened out in the stretch, finishing 10th.

This colt has Belmont success in his pedigree: Empire Maker, his dam's sire, won the 2003 Belmont Stakes.

Five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, a native of nearby Mechanicville, is in pursuit of his first Belmont Stakes win.

Growth Equity

Growth Equity enters the Belmont Stakes off a win in the G3 Peter Pan, the traditional local prep. It took this son of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist three tries to break his maiden, but he has never finished outside of the exacta in his four career starts.

Ottinho

Ottinho has just one win to date but has never finished out of the money, including a runner-up effort in the G1 Blue Grass. Ottinho is a homebred for Three Chimneys Farm.

Once again - Five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, a native of nearby Mechanicville, is in pursuit of his first Belmont Stakes win.

Powershift

Powershift, after placing sixth in the Tampa Bay Derby, broke his maiden Kentucky Derby weekend at Churchill Downs. Now he looks to step up the competiton and into the spotlight in the Belmont Stakes.

Per Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, "I thought it was very good work for Renegade," Pletcher said. "He's a steady work horse and he recovered really quickly and didn't seem to be fatigued at all from it, so I'm happy with it. Powershift is a good work horse, and they've been [work] companions quite a bit. They make good mates, and I thought they both went well."

Both Renegade and Powershift are now contenders for the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes, a 10-furlong test for sophomores slated for Saturday, June 6 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course."

Vitruvian Man

Vitruvian Man, a son of Vino Rosso and 3rd in the Santa Anita Derby, is confirmed to run in the Belmont Stakes, per trainer Doug O'Neill. Antonio Fresu, who rode Vitruvian Man in the Santa Anita Derby, will ride again.

Run Fast Racing, a partnership that includes superstar recording artists Lil Wayne, Lil Yachty, and Rauw Alejandro, has invested a stake in Vitruvian Man with owner-breeder Glenn Sorgenstein.

Trainer Doug O'Neill has serious credentials with two Kentucky Derby victories under his belt, but has never won the Belmont Stakes.

The following horses bowed out of the Belmont Stakes prior to the draw:

Ocelli

**UPDATE** May 31 - Ocelli, who finished third in the Kentucky Derby on May 2 and fourth in the Preakness on May 16, to bypass Belmont Stakes. Will point to Ohio Derby on 6/20, per trainer Whit Beckman.

This means the Belmont Stakes, barring any surprise late entries, will go with nine horses.

Although winless, Ocelli was able to finish third in the Kentucky Derby and Wood Memorial, fourth in the Preakness.

Potente

**UPDATE** May 27 - Potente will skip the Belmont Stakes, per trainer Steve Asmussen. No confirmed next start for Chip.

Trained by two-time Triple Crown winner Bob Baffert, Potente is not a horse to count out. Potente won the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes and came in second to fellow Kentucky Derby contender, So Happy, riden by the legendary Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. In the Kentucky Derby, Potente ran mid-pack and finished 12th.

Chip Honcho

**UPDATE** May 27 - Potente will skip the Belmont Stakes, per trainer Bob Baffert, and run in the Grade III $500,000 Matt Winn Stakes on Sunday, June 7 at Churchill Downs.

Chip Honcho has banked over half a million in earnings, including a third-place finish in the Preakness. His HOF trainer Steve Asmussen won the Belmont Stakes in 2016 with Creator.

Further Ado

**UPDATE** May 23 - G1 winner FURTHER ADO is being pointed to the G3 Matt Winn Stakes on June 7th at Churchill Downs. The Brad Cox trainee will look to use this race to bounce back from his 11th place finish in the Kentucky Derby.

Heading into the Kentucky Derby, Further Ado had won three of his last four starts, including the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes and Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes. In the Derby, Further Ado went off as the slight post time favorite, but encountered bumping out of the gate and in the stretch, never posing a major threat.

Iron Honor

**UPDATE** May 20 - NAPOLEON SOLO and IRON HONOR could be on a collision course in the G1 Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park in July.

Iron Honor has become a regular on the New York circuit with all three of his starts coming at Aqueduct Racetrack. He saw some success winning the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes, before running seventh in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial. He looks to improve in the Preakness Stakes.

Napoleon Solo

**UPDATE** May 18 - Trainer Chad Summers has shipped Solo to Belmont Park and announced the horse's next start will most likely be the Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park in July.

Napoleon Solo broke his maiden on debut at Saratoga, then won the G1 Champagne impressively. His three-year-old campaign began with a pair of fifth-place finishes in the G2 Fountain of Youth and G2 Wood Memorial, before earning his biggest victory yet in the Preakness at 7-1 odds.

Golden Tempo skipping Preakness, will target Belmont Stakes

May 6 - Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo (Curlin) will bypass the Preakness Stakes.

The news was announced Wednesday by the colt's trainer, Cherie DeVaux.

The statement reads: "After much thoughtful discussion as a team, we have decided that Golden Tempo will bypass the Preakness Stakes. We are incredibly appreciative of the excitement and support surrounding the possibility of a Triple Crown run. The enthusiasm from racing fans, our owners, and our entire team has meant more to us than we can properly express. Golden gave us the race of a lifetime in the Kentucky Derby, and we believe the best decision for him moving forward is to give him a little more time following such a tremendous effort. His health, happiness, and long-term future will always remain our top priority. We are looking forward to pointing him toward the Belmont Stakes and are excited for what lies ahead with this very special horse. Thank you again to everyone who has supported and believed in this journey alongside us."

This is the second straight year in which the Kentucky Derby winner has not gone on towards the Preakness after Sovereignty (Into Mischief) opted to skip it last year en route to a Horse of the Year campaign.

Rich Strike (Keen Ice) also skipped the Preakness in 2022.

G3 Peter Pan Growth Equity Victor considering Belmont Stakes

May 10 - Growth Equity (Klaravich Stables) made a successful stakes debut with a two-length score under Flavien Prat in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes, a nine-furlong route for sophomores, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the Nyquist bay was second in his first two career starts, both at sprint distances. Stretched out to Aqueduct's one-turn mile on March 20, Growth Equity graduated third-out by 4 1/4 lengths, validating that performance in the Peter Pan via a stalking victory over Listed Withers-winner Talk to Me Jimmy with Grade 3-winner Trendsetter in third.

"He looks good so far," Brown said of Growth Equity's status Sunday morning. "That was a nice step forward. I was glad to see him handle two turns. I thought that he ran well. I think the runner-up is a nice horse. So, that was a nice, positive move forward. No immediate plans yet, but I was very pleased with the race."

The Peter Pan is the traditional New York prep for the 10-furlong Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes slated for Saturday, June 6 at Saratoga Race Course. The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has waived entry and starting fees to the Belmont Stakes for the first three finishers of the Peter Pan.

"I'm going to see how the horse comes out of this race when we put him back under tack and out on the track," said Brown. "We'll keep an eye on [the Belmont Stakes]. We'll keep it as a possibility, for sure, but it is not the only possibility."

Another logical path could be the Listed $125,000 Pegasus on June 13 at Monmouth Park to the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell on July 18 there.

"Very well could be a good plan, I agree," said Brown.

Growth Equity earned a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure for his Peter Pan victory, showing Beyer improvement in each of his four starts thus far. Bred in Kentucky by Stone Farm, he was a $425,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase and is out of the Grade 3-placed Wildcat Heir mare My Dear Venezuela - a half-sister to Grade 2-placed multiple stakes-winner Selva.

On Saturday, Grade 3-winner Iron Honor and Grade 1-placed Ottinho, working together, breezed a half-mile in 48 seconds flat over the Belmont Park dirt training track.

St. Elias Stable, William H. Lawrence and Glassman Racing's Iron Honor captured the one-turn mile Grade 3 Gotham in February at Aqueduct ahead of a last-out troubled seventh in the local nine-furlong Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 4. The Nyquist bay is targeting a rebound in Saturday's Grade 1, $2 million Preakness, a 1 3/16-mile test for sophomores, held this year at Laurel Park.

"That work went well. Iron Honor came out of it very well. I'd say that we are in good shape to head over and try the Preakness," Brown said. "We will give him another shot going two turns."

Three Chimneys Farm's Kentucky homebred Ottinho was the runner-up to Further Ado in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Blue Grass last out on April 4 at Keeneland. The Quality Road bay went to Churchill Downs later that month to train and had a minor foot issue that Brown said has since been resolved. Ottinho is possible for the Belmont Stakes.

"I want to keep him as a Belmont possibility," Brown said. "I was pleased with that last effort. He had a minor issue with his foot that we discovered at Churchill, and we rectified that with a bar shoe. He seems to be very sound and moving forward again."

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Renegade Training at Saratoga For Belmont Stakes

May 8 - A strong group of some of racing's top performers have made their way to Saratoga Race Course's Oklahoma training track in advance of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival slated for June 3-7 at the iconic upstate New York racetrack.

Leading the group is Grade 1 Arkansas Derby-winner and recent Grade 1 Kentucky Derby runner-up Renegade, who arrived in Saratoga on Wednesday for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. The son of Into Mischief returned to the track on Thursday, and again on Friday morning for some light exercise in his first on-track appearances since finishing a neck second to Golden Tempo in the "Run for the Roses" last Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Renegade is in Saratoga to prepare for an intended start in the 10-furlong Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes on June 6.

"He got back to the track yesterday and seems to be in good form," Pletcher said. "He seemed to bounce out of it [the Derby] well and shipped nicely. He's probably enjoying the cooler weather. He'll have a couple breezes between now and the Belmont, and I haven't really firmed up anything. We'll monitor him this week and see how he does."

Campaigned by Robert Low, Lawana Low and Repole Stable, Renegade was an emphatic four-length winner of the Arkansas Derby on March 28 at Oaklawn Park, an effort that earned him morning-line favoritism in the Kentucky Derby.

Renegade emerged from the inside post in the field of 18 as the second choice and endured a troubled start when bumped by squeezing rivals and pushed down further to the rail under Irad Ortiz, Jr. He tracked in 15th position at the three-quarters call and steadily made up ground while weaving through rivals and swinging wide into the lane and enduring more bumping. He took dead aim at the embattled pair of Danon Bourbon and Ocelli and reeled in those foes in the final sixteenth, but Golden Tempo was right on his flank after his bid from last and got his neck down over Renegade in the shadow of the wire.

Pletcher said he was proud of Renegade's effort after the trouble he endured.

"He was super game, and it was just unfortunate he got bounced around a bit," Pletcher said. "He still finished great."

Renegade would likely face a rematch with the Cherie DeVaux-trained Golden Tempo in the Belmont, and potentially Kentucky Derby fourth-place finisher Chief Wallabee, who is also in Saratoga for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

"We always love the Belmont, and we're excited for him, and just hoping everything goes smoothly," said Pletcher, who has won the Belmont Stakes four times with the filly Rags to Riches [2007], Palace Malice [2013], Tapwrit [2017] and Mo Donegal [2022].

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