Golden Tempo goes to Saturday's 2026 Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course as the 5-2 morning-line favorite, even though he has not raced since the Belmont Stakes because of an illness. The 10-horse field for the Midsummer Derby goes postward at 6:35 p.m. ET, with the Derby-Belmont winner trying to complete another major step in his 3-year-old season.
That is the kind of setup that turns a race preview into a betting decision. Golden Tempo, trained by Cherie DeVaux, has the résumé that usually forces bettors to lean in, but the layoff gives the race a different shape than a simple favorite-and-favorites story. Renegade is next on the board at 3-1, while Sea Strike is 5-1 and Napoleon Solo and The Puma are both 8-1.
For readers searching Traverse Stakes 2026, that price is the point. The favorite is still being treated as a major contender after winning the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes this spring, but the missed prep race leaves one obvious question hanging over the tote board: how much trust should be placed in form that is months old? In a race this short on margin, that matters more than past trophies.
Gene Menez, SportsLine's horse racing expert, is not buying the favorite at the price. He said he could not back Golden Tempo as the 5-2 choice because the colt missed his prep race for the Travers due to the illness, and he added that his top pick should get the perfect trip. Menez also pointed to a longshot that has trained up a storm, a profile that hints at a race where the board may tell a better story than the pedigree.
Menez has earned some credibility with big-money races before. He finished 115th out of 643 entries in last year's Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge, and he correctly predicted Super Saver to win the Kentucky Derby in 2010. He has also connected on a string of recent paydays in major races, which makes his dismissal of the favorite harder to ignore.
The 2026 Travers Stakes will be run Saturday at Saratoga Race Course, and the market already says Golden Tempo is the horse to beat. The bigger question is whether the layoff matters enough to make the favorite vulnerable, and whether Menez is seeing the race one step ahead of the public before the gates open at 6:35 p.m. ET.
