The Belmont Stakes 2026 results are in, and Golden Tempo followed up a Kentucky Derby win with another victory.
The race attracted quite a bit of attention with Golden Tempo’s return to the track after the horse’s ownersa and trainer followed a recent trend by skipping the Preakness. Renegade, the favorite going into the Kentucky Derby, was once again lead the field of favorites.
The full Belmont Stakes 2026 results and payouts can be found below.
Golden Tempo Wins in Furious Finish
Golden Tempo came into the race at 6-to-1 odds, but overcame a stumble out of the gate and dominated late, pulling away for a victory in the Belmont Stakes.
Commandment finished in second place after being overcome by Golden Tempo. Renegade, the favorite going into the race after failing as the favorite at the Kentucky Derby, came in third for the second time. Chief Wallabee finished the Belmont Stakes in fourth place.
Emerging Market finished in fifth place, followed by Growth Equity in sixth, Vitruvian Man in seventh, Ottinho in eight, and Powershift in ninth place.
Because there were no major upsets in the final four, the payouts for the Belmont Stakes were on the light side. Golden Tempo paid $14.00 to win, $7.32 to place, and $3.88 to show. Commandment paid $7.02 to place and $4.08 to show, and Renegade paid $2.52 to show.
The exacta (9/7) paid $55.67 on a $1 bet, the trifecta (9/7/4) paid $51.32 on a $.50 bet, and the superfecta (9/7/4/3) paid $237.98 on a $1 bet.
Golden Tempo Returned to Defend Kentucky Derby Title
The anticipation for the Belmont Stakes had already been deflated a bit following the Kentucky Derby, when Golden Tempo’s owner announced that they would be skipping the Preakness and taking the chance of a Triple Crown off the table.
Byron King, a horse racing expert and editor at Bloodhorse, explained to NPR that the greater focus on horse health and safety has made it more difficult to compete in all three races of the Triple Crown.
“One of the things now is there’s very little race-day medications,” King said. “So in the old days, they might have been able to get some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories to help take away some of the aches and pains from one race to the next. But now these horses have such strict protocols in terms of their going to post without those medications and things that people are making sure that that horse is feeling his best and up to top condition on race day.”
Because Golden Tempo dominated both in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, there was some immediate speculation as to whether they could win the Triple Crown.
As The Associated Press reported, Renegade went into the day as the favorite to win the Belmont Stakes.
“The Kentucky Derby runner-up trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher has been bet down to 8-5 after opening at 2-1 on the morning line,” the report noted. “The rest of the money has spread out significantly, with Derby winner Golden Tempo, Chief Wallabee, Commandment and Emerging Market all 5-1. The long shots in the field of nine are Pletcher-trained Powershift at 12-1, Growth Equity at 13-1, Ottinho at 19-1 and Vitruivian Man at 20-1.”
Belmont Stakes 2026 Results & Payouts After Golden Tempo Win