2026 Belmont Stakes Results: Golden Tempo Wins the Final Jewel at Saratoga
Golden Tempo stumbled at the break, settled last, found clear ground on the far turn, and swept past Commandment and Renegade in the stretch to win the 158th Belmont Stakes — completing a Kentucky Derby–Belmont double for trainer Cherie DeVaux and jockey Jose Ortiz.
The 2026 Belmont Stakes is done, and its winner is the horse that had the most to prove after skipping the Preakness: Golden Tempo, trained by Cherie DeVaux and ridden by Jose Ortiz, overcame a stumble out of Gate 9 to close from last and win the final leg of the Triple Crown by a clear margin. The race was run at 1 1/4 miles on a fast Saratoga dirt track — the third consecutive year the Belmont has been held at Saratoga during Belmont Park's renovation — and finished in 2:03.49.
Commandment ran second, Renegade third. The 8-5 favorite trained by Todd Pletcher led into the stretch before Golden Tempo came past him in the final furlong. For Renegade, it is two Triple Crown runner-up finishes in a season, having come within a neck of winning the Kentucky Derby before finishing third here.
Here is the full picture: finish order, payouts, how the race was run, and what DeVaux's coaching history means for the sport.
2026 Belmont Stakes Results: Full Finish Order
The 158th Belmont Stakes ran over one mile and one quarter at Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, New York on Saturday, June 6, 2026. Post time was 7:04 p.m. ET. A field of nine went to post on a fast track. Golden Tempo finished in 2:03.49.
| Finish | Horse | Post | SP Odds | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Golden Tempo | 9 | 9/2 | Jose Ortiz | Cherie DeVaux |
| 2nd | Commandment | 7 | 6/1 | John Velazquez | Brad Cox |
| 3rd | Renegade | 4 | 8/5 Fav | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Todd Pletcher |
| 4th | Chief Wallabee | 3 | 3/1 | Junior Alvarado | Bill Mott |
| 5th | Emerging Market | 8 | 6/1 | Dylan Davis | Chad Brown |
| 6th | Powershift | 2 | 12/1 | Luis Saez | Todd Pletcher |
| 7th | Growth Equity | 6 | 12/1 | Manuel Franco | Chad Brown |
| 8th | Ottinho | 5 | 20/1 | Dylan Davis | Chad Brown |
| 9th | Vitruvian Man | 1 | 30/1 | Antonio Fresu | Doug O'Neill |
Golden Tempo broke from post 9, stumbled at the gate and was last early as Powershift and Renegade settled into forward positions. Ortiz did not panic. He let the field settle through the opening half mile, found running room on the far turn, and asked for his move at the top of the stretch. What followed was emphatic: Golden Tempo swept past Commandment and then Renegade, who had briefly led in the stretch, and won going away. Commandment held on for second. Renegade, despite an ideal stalking trip, could not sustain his late bid.
Chief Wallabee, trained by Bill Mott, finished fourth and ran a creditable race after placing fourth in the Kentucky Derby.
2026 Belmont Stakes Payouts
Golden Tempo returned $14.00 to win, $7.32 to place, and $3.88 to show on a $2 base. Commandment paid $7.02 to place and $4.08 to show. Renegade returned $2.52 to show. The exacta (posts 9-7) paid $111.34 on a $2 base. The trifecta (9-7-4) returned $102.64 on a $1 base. The superfecta (9-7-4-3) paid $237.98 on a $1 base.
| Bet Type | Combination | Base Stake | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Golden Tempo | $2 | $14.00 |
| Place | Golden Tempo | $2 | $7.32 |
| Show | Golden Tempo | $2 | $3.88 |
| Place | Commandment | $2 | $7.02 |
| Show | Commandment | $2 | $4.08 |
| Show | Renegade | $2 | $2.52 |
| Exacta | 9–7 | $2 | $111.34 |
| Trifecta | 9–7–4 | $1 | $102.64 |
| Superfecta | 9–7–4–3 | $1 | $237.98 |
The $2,000,000 purse was distributed as follows: $1,200,000 to the winner, $400,000 for second, $220,000 for third, $120,000 for fourth, and $60,000 for fifth. Golden Tempo's total earnings for 2026 now exceed $2.4 million.
The exotic payouts were moderate by Triple Crown standards. A 9-2 winner over a field where Commandment and Renegade were both 6-1 and 8-5 respectively compresses the exacta and trifecta pools compared to a longer-priced upset. The Preakness, which saw Napoleon Solo win at +1000, returned $597.10 on the trifecta. The Belmont's $102.64 trifecta reflects the tighter competitive structure of the final leg.
How Golden Tempo Won the 2026 Belmont Stakes
The stumble at the gate was the talking point from the moment the gates opened. Golden Tempo broke awkwardly from post 9 and was immediately detached from the field. In a nine-horse race, where the field does not string out as it does in a full Derby field, that position could have been a problem. Ortiz chose not to chase.
Powershift, trained by a Repole Stable-connected barn and ridden by Luis Saez, went straight to the front and set a modest early pace. Renegade sat second with a clean trip. Commandment tracked in the middle of the field. Golden Tempo was last entering the first turn, approximately six or seven lengths off the pace.
The shape of the race changed on the far turn. Ortiz began moving to the outside and found clear ground well before the stretch. Golden Tempo's deep-closing style — the same pattern that had defined his Kentucky Derby victory at Churchill Downs — was starting to replay. By the time the field straightened up, Golden Tempo was already past Commandment and hunting Renegade.
Renegade, to Pletcher's credit, had done everything right. He had tracked the pace, saved ground, and hit the front at the right moment. He simply did not have the answer when a faster, fresher horse came at him in the final furlong. Golden Tempo put him away without drama.
DeVaux's decision to bypass the Preakness was the central strategic choice of the Triple Crown campaign. She had watched Sovereignty take the same path in 2025 — skipping the Preakness and winning the Belmont — and made a similar call based on her read of Golden Tempo's needs. The colt had run the Kentucky Derby on May 2 and was given a month between starts. He arrived at Saratoga fresher than Napoleon Solo, who had run three weeks earlier at Laurel. Whether that freshness was decisive is impossible to say, but it was the argument DeVaux had made, and the result supported it.
What the 2026 Belmont Stakes Result Means
Cherie DeVaux Makes History Twice
DeVaux became the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner when Golden Tempo won at Churchill Downs on May 2. She is now the second woman to train a Belmont Stakes winner, after Jena Antonucci won with Arcangelo in 2023. Two Classic wins in the same season is an analytical credential, not a biographical one: it places her alongside a short list of trainers who have won both races in the same year, doing so against a field that included Todd Pletcher, one of the sport's most decorated conditioners.
Jose Ortiz rode both wins. The ride in the Derby had been notable for its patience. The ride at Saratoga was notable for its composure: a stumble at the gate, a decision not to chase, and a measured move that left no doubt in the final furlong. It was his first Kentucky Derby win earlier in the season and now his first Belmont victory.
Renegade's Triple Crown Season
Renegade will be remembered as the horse that was fastest to the table and slowest to hold it. He finished second by a neck at Churchill Downs after overcoming a difficult post and a bumped start. He entered both the Derby and the Belmont as the market favorite. He finished third at Saratoga after leading in the stretch. The record is two second-or-third finishes in Triple Crown races as the betting choice. Connections have not yet indicated his next target, but the Travers Stakes at Saratoga in late August is the obvious conversation.
No Triple Crown in 2026
With Napoleon Solo winning the Preakness after Golden Tempo skipped the middle leg, and no horse running all three races, there was never a Triple Crown at stake on Saturday. No horse competed in all three Triple Crown races in 2026 — a footnote that reflects the increasing tendency of connections to manage workload across the series. The last Triple Crown sweep was Justify in 2018.
The Last Saratoga Belmont
This was, according to current plans, the final Belmont Stakes to be held at Saratoga. Belmont Park's renovation is scheduled to wrap up later in 2026, and the race is expected to return to Elmont in 2027. Saratoga hosted the event for three consecutive years, a stretch that produced three memorable editions: Sovereignty in 2025, and Golden Tempo's come-from-behind win in 2026. The track played fair throughout the week.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Golden Tempo won the 158th Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on June 6, 2026. Trained by Cherie DeVaux and ridden by Jose Ortiz, the colt stumbled at the gate, settled last of nine, and closed from the outside to beat Commandment and Renegade in the stretch. Golden Tempo finished in 2:03.49 on a fast track and returned $14.00 to win on a $2 base. He started at 9/2 in the final market.
On a $2 base: Golden Tempo paid $14.00 to win, $7.32 to place, and $3.88 to show. Commandment returned $7.02 to place and $4.08 to show. Renegade paid $2.52 to show. The exacta (posts 9–7) paid $111.34 on a $2 base. The trifecta (9–7–4) returned $102.64 on a $1 base. The superfecta (9–7–4–3) paid $237.98 on a $1 base.
No. Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes but bypassed the Preakness Stakes. Napoleon Solo won the Preakness after Golden Tempo skipped the middle leg. No horse ran all three Triple Crown races in 2026, so a Triple Crown sweep was never possible. The last horse to win all three legs was Justify in 2018.
Trainer Cherie DeVaux decided Golden Tempo was not suited to the two-week turnaround between the Kentucky Derby (May 2) and the Preakness Stakes (May 16). DeVaux chose to give the colt a full month between starts and point him directly at the Belmont Stakes — the same route that 2025 Belmont winner Sovereignty took. The strategy worked: Golden Tempo arrived at Saratoga fresh and won.
The 158th Belmont Stakes was held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York — the third consecutive year the race ran at Saratoga while Belmont Park underwent renovation. The race was run at 1¼ miles rather than the traditional 1½ miles. Belmont Park is expected to reopen for the 2027 season, when the race returns to Elmont, New York at the classic distance.
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