The roar of the crowd had barely faded at Churchill Downs when the real question began: Can Golden Tempo capture the Triple Crown? After a stunning victory in the 152nd Kentucky Derby, all eyes now turn to the Preakness Stakes—the second leg of horse racing’s most elusive prize.

It’s been eight long years since a horse swept all three races. Justify was the last to do it back in 2018, and since then, seven Derby winners have tried and failed. What’s more telling? Four of those champions never even attempted the Preakness, skipping the race entirely to focus on longer-term goals.

Last year’s winner, Sovereignty, trained by Bill Mott, made that exact call just days after his Derby win. It was a move rooted in modern training philosophy—prioritizing the horse’s health and spacing out races for peak performance. Sovereignty went on to capture the Belmont Stakes and earn Horse of the Year honors, proving Mott’s strategy was right. But it also reignited the debate: Should the Triple Crown format evolve to keep the sport’s most historic challenge alive?

Now, the spotlight is on Golden Tempo’s connections. Will they take the shot? The Preakness is just two weeks away, and the clock is ticking. For fans dreaming of a new Triple Crown champion, the answer can’t come soon enough.