Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo will not run in the Preakness Stakes next weekend, trainer Cherie DeVaux announced Wednesday.

DeVaux and owners decided to skip the Preakness and set their sights on the Belmont Stakes on June 6 at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York. DeVaux, who became the first woman to train a Derby winner, is from Saratoga Springs, which is hosting the Belmont for a third and final time this year.

“We are incredibly appreciative of the excitement and support surrounding the possibility of a Triple Crown run,” DeVaux said in a statement. “Golden gave us the race of a lifetime in the Kentucky Derby, and we believe the best decision for him moving forward is to give him a little more time following such a tremendous effort. His health, happiness and long-term future will always remain our top priority.”

Golden Tempo is the third Derby winner in the past five years not to be entered in the Preakness. For various reasons, it is the sixth time in eight years the Preakness will happen with no chance of a Triple Crown on the line. American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018 are the only horses to sweep all three races over the past four decades.

The two-week turnaround from the Derby to the Preakness, which used to be commonplace, is considered a nonstarter for many trainers and owners given that most elite thoroughbreds now typically go a month or more between races. It has caused endless debate in horse racing circles about the spacing of the Triple Crown in modern times.

Maryland racing officials are considering moving the Preakness back from the third Saturday in May to the fourth to increase the chances of not just the winner but other horses from the Derby being considered for the second leg of the Triple Crown. None of the 18 who ran this year at Churchill Downs are heading to the Preakness, with Golden Tempo the only one considered.

The Preakness is taking place at Laurel Park between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., this spring while its longtime home, Pimlico Race Course, is rebuilt as part of a massive construction project that included demolishing the debilitating old structure. Pimlico is set to become the site for year-round racing in Maryland beginning next year when the state takes control from 1/ST Racing, with Laurel becoming a training venue.

Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby as a 23-1 long shot in spectacular fashion, making a charge from the back of the pack down the stretch to the finish line a neck ahead of morning line favorite Renegade. DeVaux and co-owner Daisy Phipps Pulito said they would see how the colt came out of the race before making any decisions.

They followed the lead of trainer Bill Mott and Godolphin Racing, which last year chose to bypass the Preakness with Derby champion Sovereignty to give him extra rest for the Belmont. Sovereignty rewarded them by winning the Belmont and the Travers Stakes and is back racing as a 4-year-old.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Some relief is coming for Kentucky drivers.

Gov. Andy Beshear announced Tuesday he is freezing the gas tax and preventing a future price hike.

The current gas tax is about 26 cents per gallon. Without the freeze, it would have risen to 27 cents in July.

Officials said the freeze is projected to save Kentuckians about $1.7 million combined per month.

“The American people are paying the costs of the war, and families are struggling at the gas pump, grocery stores and more – including right here in Kentucky,” Beshear said in a news release. “I recognize the pain our families are feeling and I’m taking steps to help because it’s the right thing to do.”

Beshear also declared a state of emergency related to gas prices. The executive order would reduce the gas tax by 10 cents per gallon.

It will take effect Monday, May 11, for both regular and diesel gas.

The order still needs to be approved by Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman. Coleman said in a statement that he will sign and publish the executive order before May 11, when it takes effect.

The state’s price gouging statute will be activated as well.

Beshear also signed an executive order to freeze the 2026 motor vehicle assessment rate ahead of an expected increase at the beginning of 2027.

This comes weeks ahead of an expected price decrease in Jefferson, Bullitt and Oldham counties.

Beshear requested the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to remove the Louisville area from the federal Reformulated Gasoline Program. It was approved in February.

Kentuckians living in those counties have been paying 10 to 25 cents more per gallon. The change will take place on May 27, 2026.

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• Kentucky’s 2026 primary election is scheduled for May 19.
• Excused in-person absentee voting is available May 6-8 and May 11-13.
• No-excuse in-person absentee voting is available May 14-16.

Kentucky’s 2026 primary election is set for May 19, but those who can’t make it to the polls in person on Election Day have some early voting options.

In Jefferson County, qualifying voters can cast ballots beginning May 6, while anyone can vote in person beginning May 14. Here’s when and where to vote in Louisville.

When is the 2026 Kentucky primary election?

The primary election in Kentucky is on May 19.

When is in-person, excused absentee voting?

In-person, excused absentee voting will take place May 6–8 and May 11–13. Voters can visit the State Board of Elections website at govote.ky.gov to find information on where and when voting will be available in their county.

Find a list of qualifications for excused absentee voting here.

When is in-person, no-excuse absentee voting?

In-person absentee voting that’s open to anyone is scheduled for May 14–16. Voters can visit the State Board of Elections website at govote.ky.gov to find information on where and when voting will be available in their county.

Excused early voting in Jefferson County

In-person, excused absentee voting will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on May 6-8 and May 11-13 at the Jefferson County Election Center, 1000 E. Liberty St.

Learn more: Your guide to candidates running in Kentucky’s 2026 primary elections

No-excuse early voting in Jefferson County

In-person, no-excuse absentee voting is from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 14-16 at the following locations:

• Americana World Community Center, 4801 Southside Drive, 40214
• The Arterburn, 310 Ten Pin Lane, 40207
• Berrytown Recreation Center, 100 Heafer Road, 40224
• Cyril Allgeier Community Center, 4101 Cadillac Court, 40213
• Epiphany United Methodist Church, 7032 Southside Drive, 40214
• Goodwill Opportunity Campus – Broadway, 2820 W. Broadway, 40211
• Goodwill Opportunity Campus – Preston, 6201 Preston Highway, 40219
• The Heritage, 1901 Park Road, 40216
• Immanuel United Church of Christ, 2300 Taylorsville Road, 40205
• The Jeffersonian, 10617 Taylorsville Road, 40299
• Jefferson County Clerk’s Office – Downtown Branch, 200 S. Fifth St., Suite 228, 40202
• Jefferson County Clerk’s Office – East Branch, 12312-A Shelbyville Road, 40243
• Jefferson County Clerk’s Office – Fairdale Branch, 10616 W. Manslick Road, 40118
• Jefferson County Clerk’s Office – West Branch, 228 Amy Ave., 40212
• Kentucky Center for African American Heritage, 1701 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., 40203
• Lyndon Elks Lodge #2052, 904 Ormsby Lane, 40242
• New Zion Baptist Church, 1501 Louis Coleman Jr. Drive, 40211
• Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, 724 Brent St., 40204
• St. Andrew United Church of Christ, 2608 Browns Lane, 40220
• Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Church, 4335 Hazelwood Rive, 40215
• Sun Valley Community Center, 6505 Bethany Lane, 40272
• Teamster’s Local Union #783, 7711 Beulah Church Road, 40228
• Triple Crown Pavilion, 1780 Plantside Drive, 40299
• UofL Shelby Campus – Founders Union Bldg. Rm. 218, 450 N. Whittington Parkway, 40222

Reach Marina Johnson at Marina.Johnson@courier-journal.com.