LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) — For the second straight year, the Kentucky Derby champion will skip the second leg of racing’s Triple Crown, leaving the Preakness Stakes without a single horse from last weekend’s Derby field.

Trainer Cherie DeVaux announced this week that Derby winner Golden Tempo will bypass the Preakness Stakes. The decision mirrors what happened in 2025, when that year’s Kentucky Derby champion Sovereignty also skipped the Preakness, denying fans a potential Triple Crown bid for the second consecutive season.

Golden Tempo, ridden by jockey Jose L. Ortiz, won the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby on May 2 at Churchill Downs in Louisville. Despite the impressive victory, connections for the horse determined that a quick two-week turnaround to the Preakness was not in the colt’s best interest.

Potente, who finished 12th in Louisville, was the last possible starter from the Derby that could have entered the Preakness, but his trainer, Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, ultimately pulled the horse from consideration. Baffert may instead start Crude Velocity, a horse that skipped the Derby entirely, giving the veteran conditioner a fresh option heading into Baltimore.

None of the 18 horses who ran in last weekend’s Kentucky Derby have entered the Preakness, making this a rare and unusual situation in American thoroughbred racing. The development opens the door for a different kind of Preakness story — one built around fresh contenders rather than Derby veterans.

The Preakness Stakes will be run on May 16 at Laurel Park, marking the first time the race is held at the Maryland venue following renovations at its traditional home, Pimlico Race Course.