Golden Tempo Withdrawal: What It Means for Preakness Stakes Betting Odds

The Preakness Stakes is coming up Saturday, May 16, at Laurel Park. For the second year in a row, the winner of the Kentucky Derby will not pursue the Triple Crown. Trainer Bill Mott went straight from Churchill Downs to Saratoga Race Course with Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty, giving him five weeks of rest and then having him ready to win the Belmont Stakes impressively. Trainer Cherie DeVaux, who became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby when Golden Tempo outfinished Renegade at Churchill Downs, is taking the same route with the 2026 winner.

Though the choice to bypass the Preakness with the Kentucky Derby winner was rare, especially between 1960 and 2018, it has become a bit more common in recent history. Though many racing fans were disappointed, for bettors, it can provide an opportunity. On one hand, the presence of a Kentucky Derby winner tends to provide overlays on other horses who are overlooked in favor of the horse with a live Triple Crown bid. On the other hand, with the Kentucky Derby runner out of the picture, more horses may be considered for the Preakness, leading to a bigger field and the chance for higher-paying exotic wagers.

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Kentucky Derby Winner Golden Tempo Will Point to Belmont Stakes

It used to be more common to bring top-class horses back in two weeks, not just after the Kentucky Derby but in general, than it is under current training methods. However, in the current horse racing world, it is more common to see top-class horses space their races out by a month, six weeks, even two months. The challenge of three races in five weeks is part of what makes the Triple Crown challenging, but also part of why some current trainers are choosing to skip it.

In a statement released the week after the Kentucky Derby, trainer Cherie DeVaux announced that, in the interest of giving him more time after his Kentucky Derby effort and in consideration of his long-term future, career, and health, she had decided to bypass the second leg of the Triple Crown with Golden Tempo. Instead, the Curlin colt would get five weeks to recover and point to the Belmont Stakes on June 6 at Saratoga.

Preakness Stakes Field and Morning-Line Odds

Even before Golden Tempo was confirmed to be skipping the Preakness Stakes, there were enough horses still considering the race that an also-eligible list was possible. When all was said and done there wasn’t an overflow field – but there was still a full one. The maximum main field size of the Preakness Stakes is 14 horses, and that’s exactly what the race drew on Monday, May 11.

This is the official draw for the 2026 Preakness Stakes, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds:

Preakness Stakes Favorites

The odds board is expected to be a tightly contested one at the top. Iron Honor, winner of the Gotham (G3), was made the lukewarm 9-2 morning-line favorite. Though he comes off of a disappointing seventh as the favorite in the Wood Memorial (G2), Chad Brown has won the Preakness twice before with lightly-raced horses coming out of New York preps. On that pattern, he’ll take more money than he otherwise would, as a lightly-raced horse who isn’t proven at two turns.

The next three horses on the morning line at 5-1 are Kentucky Derby sixth-place finisher Incredibolt, Risen Star (G2) runner-up Chip Honcho, and Federico Tesio winner Taj Mahal, with Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Ocelli just behind at 6-1. American pari-mutuel markets for the Preakness don’t open until Friday, but the morning-line odds aren’t a far cry from the early international fixed-odds action for the Preakness. There isn’t a consensus favorite in those early Preakness markets, with Incredibolt, Iron Honor, Taj Mahal, and even Ocelli being narrowly favored in different international books.

In short, if Golden Tempo were in the field, he may be a favorite just off of the proverbial “winner’s tax” from winning the Kentucky Derby -– especially since the Preakness, like the Kentucky Derby, is full of early speed. That may have led to slightly longer prices than what otherwise may settle on the horses at the top of the market. However, without a Kentucky Derby winner to dodge, a full field will come to Laurel for the Preakness Stakes.

What are the Preakness best bets and picks for 2026?

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.