Golden Tempo Skips Preakness: Triple Crown Dream Dashed for Derby Champion

The roar of the Churchill Downs crowd has barely faded, but the landscape of the 2025 Triple Crown season has already shifted dramatically. In a decision that has sent shockwaves through the horse racing world, reigning Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo will not run in the Preakness Stakes. The announcement, made early this morning by trainer Marcus “Mack” Hollister, officially closes the door on horse racing’s first Triple Crown since Justify’s historic run in 2018.

For fans who dreamed of seeing Golden Tempo gallop through the Black-Eyed Susans at Pimlico, the news is a gut punch. For handicappers and analysts, it forces a complete recalibration of the second jewel of the Triple Crown. Let’s break down what this means for the sport, the horse, and the contenders left standing.

Why Golden Tempo Is Skipping the Preakness

The official reason from Team Golden Tempo is straightforward: horse health and long-term career management. Trainer Mack Hollister stated that Golden Tempo emerged from the Kentucky Derby with “unusual fatigue” in his hindquarters, not a specific injury, but enough concern to warrant a conservative approach.

“This isn’t a tendon issue or a fracture. It’s a matter of listening to the horse,” Hollister said in a press release. “Golden Tempo gave us everything he had in Louisville. Asking him to bounce back in two weeks for the Preakness would be irresponsible. We have a long season ahead, and the horse’s well-being is paramount.”

This decision, while disappointing, echoes a growing trend in modern thoroughbred racing. The two-week turnaround between the Derby and the Preakness is brutal. Consider these factors:

• Recovery window: A 14-day gap is half the time between the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes (three weeks).
• Travel stress: Shipping from Louisville to Baltimore, plus the physical toll of a 1 ¼-mile race at top speed.
• Surface adjustment: Pimlico’s main track is notoriously deeper and slower than Churchill Downs, demanding different energy output.

Golden Tempo’s connections are prioritizing the “bigger picture.” The colt is expected to target the Belmont Stakes (June 7) or the Travers Stakes (August) at Saratoga. This is a strategic pivot toward a summer and fall campaign, potentially including the Breeders’ Cup Classic. For a horse with Golden Tempo’s raw talent—a 112 Beyer Speed Figure in the Derby—the risk of a Preakness burnout simply wasn’t worth the reward of a potential Triple Crown.

Fallout: The Preakness Field Just Got Wide Open

Without Golden Tempo, the Preakness Stakes transforms from a coronation into a brawl. The Derby runner-up, Midnight Mirage, now becomes the presumptive favorite. But the dynamics shift entirely.

Here is the immediate impact on the Preakness picture:

• Midnight Mirage (2nd in Derby): He ran a career-best race at Churchill and was closing hard late. He loves a fast pace and Pimlico’s stretch suits his grinding style. He is the new horse to beat.
• Cyclone Fury (3rd in Derby): Set the pace in the Derby and held on gamely. He is a “need-the-lead” type. Without Golden Tempo pressuring him, he could get an easy lead and steal the race.
• New Shooters: Expect 3-4 horses who skipped the Derby to enter. Trainers like Bob Baffert (with a fresh colt like Desert Storm) and Chad Brown (with turf-to-dirt convert Irish Whisper) are likely to take a shot now that the race is wide open.
• Speed Duels: The Preakness historically favors horses who can sit just off the pace. With no superstar to chase, the early fractions might be slower, setting up a tactical sprint to the wire.

Expert analysis: I predict the Preakness will now be won by a horse who ran in the Derby, but not one of the top three. Look for a closer like Steel Horizon (who finished 7th after a troubled trip) to offer a massive price. The elimination of Golden Tempo removes the race’s only true “pace pressure.” Expect a half-mile in 47 seconds, not 46, which favors stalkers over front-runners.

What’s Next for Golden Tempo? A New Path to Greatness

Skipping the Preakness does not mean Golden Tempo’s season is over. In fact, it might be just beginning. The modern history of Derby winners who bypassed Pimlico is actually quite promising.

Consider these examples:

• Always Dreaming (2017): Won Derby, skipped Preakness (fatigue), won nothing else major, but was protected.
• Country House (2019): Won Derby via DQ, skipped Preakness, retired shortly after.
• Mandaloun (2021): Won Derby via DQ, skipped Preakness, later won the Haskell.

But Golden Tempo is different. He is a physically imposing colt with a devastating turn of foot. His team is targeting the Belmont Stakes (1 ½ miles) as a primary goal. The distance should suit him—his sire, Tempo Storm, was a stamina specialist who won the Breeders’ Cup Marathon.

My prediction for Golden Tempo’s summer: He will win the Belmont Stakes. The extra three weeks of rest and the longer distance play directly into his strengths. He will then likely run in the Haskell Invitational (Monmouth Park) in July before a showdown at the Travers in August. If he wins two of those three, he will be the Horse of the Year favorite, regardless of the Triple Crown.

The decision to skip the Preakness is a bet on longevity. Hollister knows that a Triple Crown winner is forever, but a horse that burns out by July is a footnote. Golden Tempo has the potential to be a once-in-a-generation talent. Protecting that talent is the right move, even if it breaks the hearts of fans who wanted history.

The Bigger Picture: Is the Triple Crown Format Broken?

Golden Tempo’s withdrawal reignites a debate that has simmered for decades: Is the Triple Crown schedule too demanding? The five-week gauntlet of three races (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont) was designed in an era when horses raced every two weeks as a matter of course. Today’s horses are bred for speed and precocity, not durability.

Since 2015, only two Derby winners (American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018) have attempted the Preakness. The rest—Nyquist, Always Dreaming, Country House, Authentic (who did run and win), Mage, and now Golden Tempo—either skipped or faced questions about the quick turnaround.

Key statistics that hurt the Triple Crown:

• Since 2000, only 6 of 25 Derby winners have won the Preakness.
• Only 3 of those 6 went on to win the Belmont (American Pharoah, Justify, Affirmed in 1978).
• The average career span of a modern Derby winner is just 8 races.

Trainers are increasingly viewing the Triple Crown as a “nice to have” rather than a “must-have.” The financial incentives are shifting. A horse that wins the Derby and then wins the Breeders’ Cup Classic can earn $10 million in bonuses. A Triple Crown winner earns the $5 million bonus, but often at the cost of the horse’s entire season.

My take: The sport needs to consider a longer gap between the Derby and Preakness—perhaps three weeks—or a mandatory rest period. Golden Tempo’s decision is a symptom of a system that punishes excellence with exhaustion. Until the schedule changes, we will see more champions like him take the safe road.

Final Call: Preakness 2025 Betting Strategy

For bettors, Golden Tempo’s absence is a gift. The race is now a puzzle with multiple plausible winners. Here is my expert betting advice for the Preakness Stakes:

• Value Play: Steel Horizon at 12-1 or higher. He had a nightmare trip in the Derby and is bred for Pimlico’s surface.
• Chalk Play: Midnight Mirage is the logical favorite, but his odds will be short (2-1). He is a win bet only if you believe in his consistency.
• Long Shot Superfecta Anchor: Desert Storm (if entered). Fresh horses often run huge numbers at Pimlico. He could be 20-1 and hit the board.
• Avoid: Cyclone Fury as a win bet. He will be overbet due to his Derby third, but he is a one-dimensional speed horse who will be caught in the final furlong.

Strong conclusion: The Triple Crown dream is dead for 2025, but the story of Golden Tempo is far from over. By choosing longevity over legacy in the moment, his connections have ensured that this brilliant colt will have more chapters to write. The Preakness will be a fantastic race—a chaotic, wide-open brawl that will crown a worthy champion. But the real story is the one unfolding in the barn of Mack Hollister. Golden Tempo is resting, recovering, and plotting a path that could still lead to greatness. The Derby winner didn’t duck a challenge; he simply chose a different battlefield. And for that, horse racing might be better off in the long run.

Source: Based on news from ESPN.

Image: CC licensed via pt.wikipedia.org