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Belmont Stakes 2013: Predicting Top 3 Finishers in Triple Crown's Final Leg

Maxwell Ogden — Sat, 18 May 2013 21:21:22 -0400

In what can be described as nothing short of a stunning display of dominance, Oxbow led from start to finish en route to a victory at the 2013 Preakness Stakes. With the win, Orb's pursuit of the Triple Crown was crushed and Oxbow entered his name into the hat of favorites for the Belmont Stakes.

The question is, how will the Triple Crown's final leg play out?

Orb entered the race as the odds-on favorite, but it was Oxbow that was led by multi-time Preakness Stakes winners in jockey Gary Stevens and trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Stevens took home his third career Preakness Stakes crown, while Lukas corralled his sixth.

With both men experiencing success at the Belmont Stakes, another win could be on the horizon.

Just don't sell the field short before the action even begins; some horses that ran well in the Kentucky Derby but skipped the Preakness might contend as well.

Oxbow enters the race in fierce competition with Orb to own the label of the favorite, as both have won major races this season. With Oxbow taking the Preakness Stakes and Orb earning the Kentucky Derby nod, the top two contenders at the Belmont Stakes could be the previous winners.

The question is, how will it all play out when it's all said and done?

Date: Saturday, June 8

Time: 6:40 p.m. ET

TV: NBC

Venue: Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

3. Orb

Orb may have finished in fourth at the 2013 Preakness Stakes, but he was starting off of the rail in the No. 1 post. Not only is that unfavorable position, but it's a sign of things to come—no horse has won the event from the rail since 1994.

Even still, Orb finished in strong position considering the way he came out of the gates.

With this in mind, there's no reason to believe that Joel Rosario will be unable to ride Orb to yet another victory. After all, legendary trainer Claude R. "Shug" McGaughey has won at this event before, taking home the 1989 Belmont Stakes title.

The question here is simple—what post position will Orb draw?

If Orb starts in favorable position, there's a powerful possibility that he walks away with the victory. With that being said, confidence and focus is a key here, and Orb cannot be thrilled with the way the Preakness turned out.

Even still, this horse will be in it until the bitter end.

2. Oxbow

Fresh off of a win at the Preakness Stakes, it's not hard to see why Oxbow will be a favorite at the 2013 Belmont Stakes. It certainly doesn't hurt that Oxbow has the supporting cast to lead a charge toward a victory.

Both jockey Gary Stevens and trainer D. Wayne Lukas have each won the event before.

Stevens enters this race having won the Belmont Stakes in 1995, 1998 and 2001. For what it's worth, the 1995 title came alongside none other than Lukas.

The two helped lead Thunder Gulch to the crown.

Individually, Lukas has won the Belmont Stakes on four separate occasions. He won the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes consecutively in 1994 and 1995.

There's a high probability that Lukas' reign of terror continues in 2013 with Oxbow.

1. Mylute

One of the most surprising finishes at the 2013 Preakness Stakes was held by Mylute. Starting out of the No. 5 post, Mylute ended up finishing third and surprising the field by finishing ahead of Orb by a relatively wide margin.

Expect history to be made at the Belmont Stakes.

Mylute is guided by jockey Rosie Napravnik, a 25-year-old from Morristown, N.J. Not only is she one of the fastest-rising jockeys in the world, but she's on pace to reach the height of legends with a win at Belmont.

Napravnik can become the first female jockey to win the Belmont Stakes since Julie Krone in 1993.

Napravnik and trainer Tom Amoss appear to have limitless potential together, which will shine through in Elmont, New York. Together, they could join the ranks of history and place Napravnik in a class of her own in terms of modern riders.

Bank on it.

NASCAR Sprint Showdown 2013 Results: Reaction, Leaders and Post-Race Analysis

Matt Fitzgerald — Sat, 18 May 2013 21:03:58 -0400

Jamie McMurray won the NASCAR Sprint Showdown on Saturday evening at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. McMurray, along with runner-up Ricky Stenhouse Jr., clinched a spot in the forthcoming All-Star Race.

To the surprise of few, Danica Patrick, who finished ninth, won the fan vote to get the 22nd and final spot, per NASCAR on ESPN:

No points were at stake in this precursor to the All-Star Race, but it didn't diminish the excitement or the significance for McMurray, as documented by NASCAR Stats on Twitter:

McMurray finished the first of two segments of 20 laps in front of pole-sitter Martin Truex Jr. by approximately nine-tenths of a second, and he never relinquished his lead. The wire-to-wire victory got McMurray a well-deserved spot in the marquee showcase set to take place later on Saturday.

Below is an overview of the top finishers in the field, followed by further analysis of how the action played out.

2013 NASCAR Sprint Showdown Top 10 Results

Place	Driver	Car
1	Jamie McMurray	1
2	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	17
3	Jeff Burton	31
4	Paul Menard	27
5	Martin Truex Jr.	56
6	Juan Pablo Montoya	42
7	Aric Almirola	43
8	Travis Kvapil	56
9	Danica Patrick	93
10	Casey Mears	13

Casey Mears boldly decided to stay out on the track in an effort to get a leg up on the competition. USA Today's Jeff Gluck wondered if that was the soundest strategy:

Unfortunately, things didn't quite work out for Mears. He couldn't improve upon his career-best sixth-place finish in the Sprint Showdown and wound up in 10th.

After that, Mears and McMurray went to pit lane to get all four tires changed, and McMurray's stop was particularly effective, as his team enhanced the control he had on his car in a matter of just six seconds.

Juan Pablo Montoya, an Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing teammate of McMurray's, was penalized coming out of the pits, as the team's official Twitter page documented:

Though he jumped the gun somewhat in that instance, his crew gave him a strong set of adjustment, and he ran all the way to sixth position in the end.

Truex bumped the wall while battling with third-place finisher Jeff Burton with 12 laps to go. That made an indent in Truex's car and caused him to finish in fifth in the end—just outside of automatic qualification for the All-Star Race.

Patrick obviously didn't qualify, and reaction to her selection has been polarizing. On one negative end is Shawn Courchesne of RaceDayCT.com:

It makes some sense, since Patrick has just one Top-10 finish and sits 26th in the Sprint Cup points standings. However, her marketability and appeal are undeniable, and she is popular with the fans.

She will gladly take the spot, and upon hearing the news, Patrick was fired up, according to Claire B. Lang of NASCAR Sirius XM Radio:

The 40-lap thrill ride lent itself to all-out, aggressive styles rarely seen from some of stock car racing's premier drivers in regular races. That didn't deter McMurray from dominating and putting himself in ideal position to succeed against the tougher field he'll face next.

2nd-Round Draft Prospects Guaranteed to Interest the Detroit Pistons

Jakub Rudnik — Sat, 18 May 2013 20:50:18 -0400

In the 2013 NBA draft, the Detroit Pistons will have the No. 8 pick in the second round. Players available that late rarely turn into All-Stars, but the Pistons should be able to find a player who can play valuable minutes in their rotation next season.

The Pistons need to upgrade their starters on the wing, but they also need to find reliable backups at point guard and in the frontcourt. Here is one player at each position that the Pistons should strongly consider drafting in the second round.

Point Guard: Myck Kabongo, Texas

The Pistons only have two players under contract that can play point guard, Brandon Knight and Rodney Stuckey, and both struggle running an offense.

Texas' Myck Kabongo has very good upside and plays like a traditional point guard.

Kabongo's draft stock dropped a bit after he was suspended for the first 23 games of the 2012-13 season, but there is no question that he is a very talented player. When he was eligible, he led the Longhorns in scoring (14.6), assists (5.5) and steals (2.0) and was second in rebounding (5.0).

He is on the small side, measuring just 6'1" and 180 pounds at the combine, but he makes up for it with great quickness and the ability to finish in traffic. Listen to Texas head coach Rick Barnes break down Kabongo's ability to finish on a fast break:

Kabongo has also shown a willingness to work on the defensive end, something that not all young guards have. That, combined with his ability to run an offense, will make Kabongo a solid backup point guard right away.

Shooting Guard: Tim Hardaway Jr., Michigan

If the Pistons don't get a chance to draft Victor Oladipo or Ben McLemore in the first round, they would be incredibly happy to see Michigan's Tim Hardaway Jr. fall to them in the second round. Hardaway has the talent to be a first-round pick, but it is not even close to a lock at this point. ESPN's Chad Ford has him ranked No. 34 on his most recent big board.

Hardaway can score in a variety of ways, has NBA three-point range and is a solid athlete. He was the second-best player on a Michigan team that lost in the NCAA championship game and has NBA pedigree, as his dad (Tim Hardaway Sr.) was a five-time All-Star.

Scouts worry that Hardaway is not elite at any aspect of the game, and that he is shorter than a prototypical shooting guard (he measured 6'4.5" at the combine).

Regardless, Hardaway has the talent and athleticism to be, at the minimum, a valuable role player on the wing for the Pistons. With more focus on defense, Hardaway could develop into a starter at some point.

Small Forward: Reggie Bullock, North Carolina

Small forward is another position where the Pistons desperately need to add talent. Reggie Bullock from North Carolina could become a solid 'three and D" player for the Pistons on the wing.

Bullock became a very effective shooter during his three seasons at North Carolina. He shot 48.3 percent from the field and 43.6 from behind the arc in his junior year. He also proved to be an effective rebounder, averaging 6.5 per game.

He is an excellent athlete, but, like many other second-round prospects, Bullock is short for his position (he measured under 6'6" at the combine).

Bullock's offensive game is not as versatile as Hardaway's, but he has better range. His shooting alone will allow him to find playing time on an NBA roster from Day 1.

Power Forward: C.J. Leslie, North Carolina State

The Pistons already have Greg Monroe at power forward, but they have very little depth in the frontcourt. C.J. Leslie from North Carolina State has the ability to play as an undersized stretch-4 in the NBA.

Measuring 6'7.5" at the combine, Leslie is a classic "tweener." He has elite athleticism and can rebound the ball (he averaged over seven in each of his three seasons at N.C.State), but at just 209 pounds he won't be able to guard bruising power forwards in the post.

With two true low-post players on the roster, Leslie could be a great change-of-pace player off the bench for the Pistons. He could also be very useful against teams like the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets that consistently use small-ball lineups.

Center: Lucas Nogueira, Brazil

There will be very few legitimate big men available in the second round of this year's draft. Lucas Nogueira from Brazil is one of them.

Nogueira is a very raw prospect and has little offensive talent, but he has the potential to be a difference-maker on the defensive end.

Nogueira is listed at 6'11" and 218 pounds with a 7'5" wingspan. He is clearly very thin for his position, but that is something that many international prospects address once they reach the NBA.

The Pistons already have Andre Drummond as their starting center of the future, but Nogueira has more potential than any big man available this late in the draft.

ESPN Insider Chad Ford wrote of Nogueira:

Nogueira has excellent potential as a rim protector at the NBA level, and even if he is stashed for another season or two -- he is under contract with Estudiantes until 2014 -- there are few defenders like him in this draft.

At this point in their rebuilding process, the Pistons have more pressing needs than a backup center and will likely want a player that can be on the roster this fall. However, Nogueira could be very valuable down the road.

Preakness 2013: Winners and Losers from Pimlico

John Scheinman — Sat, 18 May 2013 20:41:40 -0400

The overwhelming number of opinions said that Orb was a powerful likelihood to win the Triple Crown, so authoritative was his Kentucky Derby two weeks ago at Churchill Downs.

But what a difference two weeks make.

Orb was nowhere and old-timers were everywhere, as two Hall of Famers, trainer D. Wayne Lukas, 77, and jockey Gary Stevens, 50, teamed to win the 138th Preakness Stakes.

The race was the kind of feel-good spoiler that you can't get too upset about, considering the connections of the winners.

Here are five winners and five losers from this year's second leg of the Triple Crown.

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2013 Preakness Payout: How Top Favorites and Longshots Made out

Tyler Conway — Sat, 18 May 2013 20:34:00 -0400

The owners of Affirmed can crack the proverbial champagne, as the Triple Crown drought will continue pushing into its fourth decade after Saturday's 138th Preakness Stakes.

Starting from the sixth post, underdog Oxbow came from 16-1 pre-race odds (via Bovada) to end Orb's quest for history. The Kentucky Derby winner was unable to find that extra gear against the nine-horse field, getting lost in a sea of horses down the stretch en route to finishing fourth.

The John Velazquez-jockeyed Itsmyluckyday finished second, while Rosie Napravnik's Mylute came in third place.

But Saturday's story was all about Oxbow. Jockeyed by Gary Stevens and trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Oxbow got off to a roaring start. The three-year-old colt took the lead from the opening gate and never once relinquished the advantage for a wire-to-wire triumph. You can take a look at the full results of Saturday's race on the video embedded below.

Meanwhile, the run was one of disappointment for Orb, who burst onto the scene with a dominant performance at Churchill Downs. Shug McGaughey's top colt came in as the heaviest favorite in a Preakness since Big Brown and was thought of as a legitimate Triple Crown threat.

However, it was clear that the horse didn't have an extra gear to come from behind as the folks at Pimlico Race Course saw one of the more shocking upsets in the sport's recent history.

As always is the case in major horse-racing upsets, the payout fallout is often as intriguing as the race itself. With that in mind, here is a look at the complete results for the 2013 Preakness Stakes along with the payout for each of the three top finishers:

Pos.	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Post	Payout
1	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	6	$32.80, $12.00, $6.80
2	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	9	$7.80, $5.00
3	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	5	$5.20
4	Orb	Joel Rosario	Shug McGaughey	1
5	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O'Neill	2
6	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr	Albert M. Stall, Jr	4
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	7
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	8
9	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	D. Wayne Lukas	3

Results via NBC telecast, payouts via America's Best Racing.

Notable Results

Underdog Oxbow Steals the Show

Of the horses thought most likely to prevent Orb's run at a Triple Crown, Oxbow was at or near the bottom of the list. The D. Wayne Lukas-trained horse was one of three thoroughbreds ending the event for the legendary racing figure and had the second-highest odds of any entrant in Saturday's race.

Then the race started, and it became clear just what fine form Oxbow was in on Saturday. The colt burst out of the starting gate and was dominant from the outset. Oxbow's wire-to-wire win was the first time since Aloma's Ruler captured the 1982 Preakness that any horse has led the entire way, per Derby Contenders' Twitter feed:

Perhaps, we should have seen this coming, though. The 77-year-old Lukas is arguably the greatest trainer in the sports history, a man now with a record 14 Triple Crown victories. Speaking on NBC's telecast after the race, Lukas noted his penchant for shocking the world.

I get paid to spoil dreams," said Lukas (h/t USA Today's Reid Cherner).

And while it's easy to have 20/20 hindsight, Oxbow's post draw also indicated a strong impending performance. As ESPN Stats & Information points out, the No. 6 post has produced the most Preakness winners in the storied race's history:

For those who had faith in history repeating itself from a gambling standpoint, Oxbow was obviously a major win for anyone who took a chance. The $32.80 payout for a win bet is one of the largest in history and a signal that anything truly does happen in horse racing.

Orb Fails to Finish in Money

Oxbow's scamper to a dominant win may have shocked the world, but Orb's fall from grace disappointed it. The Kentucky Derby winner came into Saturday's race with the largest hype of any horse in a half-decade and it felt anticlimactic seeing Orb drop from contention down the stretch.

Granted, Orb was racing against a good bit of history. There hadn't been a Preakness winner from the inside post since Tabasco Cat in 1994—and that's the only one over the past five-plus decades. Even in smaller fields, the inside post is a death knell for plenty of top-notch horses, as opponents scamper to get inside position.

And as Chris Brown's Smart Football Twitter feed pointed out, starting on the inside gate left Orb squeezed a little too tight at a couple different points:

Nevertheless, it was obvious Orb did not have that extra gear on Saturday. Even when Joel Rosario finally got his horse some breathing room, the burst to the front was just not there. A horse that came in as -500 to finish inside the top three (per Bovada) came up one spot short.

Speaking after the race, trainer Shug McGaughey said he was disappointed mostly because of the fan letdown, per John Clay of the Lexington Herald-Leader:

It's a great sentiment from McGaughey, who is one of the sport's most beloved faces. But as we begin the lead-up to the Belmont Stakes, the sport again feels like something major is missing. There was no second triumph for McGaughey, Orb or any of the folks who spent countless dollars riding the hot hand.

Mylute Jockey Rosie Napravnik's Success at Pimlico Continues

Mylute was a fast-riser up the odds boards heading into Saturday's race, and it was likely a little puzzling for those who hadn't been paying attention. The three-year-old colt had run 10 races in its short career and only won twice—and not once during this calendar year.

Mylute's biggest banner performance of the 2013 racing season was a fifth-place spot in the Kentucky Derby. And while that made the Tom Amoss-trained horse the second-highest Derby finisher in this Preakness field, that was something of a backhanded compliment. This field had three different new shooters at the starting gate, all of which put this field in massive flux prior to Saturday.

However, the major reason Mylute being bet hard made sense was the presence of jockey Rosie Napravnik. The 25-year-old Napravnik came into the Preakness Stakes with an intricate knowledge of how Pimlico works. Her first victory was at the legendary track, where the New Jersey native spent much of her youth building up a strong reputation.

You could see that familiarity on display throughout Saturday's festivities. Napravnik expertly navigated Mylute through a sea of horses midway through the race, emerging and blowing past Orb en route to a third-place finish.

While not quite the history-making victory Napravnik was hoping for, she did become the highest-finishing female jockey in Preakness history. And as Amoss points out, Mylute looks like he's only going to get better going forward, per Derby Contenders' Twitter feed:

It's unclear whether Mylute will race in the Belmont, but Napravnik might just make history after all if he does.

Preakness Results: Oxbow and Most Surprising Finishes

Tim Keeney — Sat, 18 May 2013 20:33:15 -0400

If you were disappointed with the Kentucky Derby's lack of surprises, the 138th running of the Preakness more than made up for it.

Oxbow, of course, led the way with one of the most dominant, unsuspecting runs at Pimlico in the history of the prestigious race, but the nine-horse field was littered with unforeseen results.

Here's a look at the final standings, courtesy of NBC's telecast:

Pos.	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Post	Payout
1	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	6	$32.80, $12.00, $6.80
2	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	9	$7.80, $5.00
3	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	5	$5.20
4	Orb	Joel Rosario	Shug McGaughey	1
5	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O'Neill	2
6	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr.	Albert M. Stall Jr.	4
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	7
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	8
9	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	D. Wayne Lukas	3

Surprising Finishes

Oxbow (First Place)

With the trip that 50-year-old Gary Stevens made atop Oxbow on Saturday afternoon, you'd think he had been the odds-on favorite, per Yahoo! Sports:

But he wasn't. Oxbow's final line stood at a staggering 14-1, per NBC's telecast, which put him as the second biggest long shot.

But it didn't matter. Oxbow, led by a Hall of Fame combo in Stevens and trainer D. Wayne Lukas, was absolutely dominant from start to finish.

I'm not even sure many were expecting Orb, the odds-on favorite, to run that transcendent of a race, let alone one of the biggest underdogs. The Preakness often goes according to plan—at least more than the other two Triple Crown races—but Oxbow gave us the complete opposite of that.

Orb (Fourth Place)

Unfortunately for Orb, he finds a spot on this list for a different reason than Oxbow.

The Kentucky Derby was expected to trounce an unspectacular nine-horse field, but coming out of the No. 1 post, he got boxed in on the inside and was never able to showcase his closing speed.

It's not exactly warranted, but the surprisingly poor finish has made the unlucky horse the butt of many jokes, much like this one:

Nevertheless, Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey's pride and joy is no less talented than he was at the start of the day, and if Orb goes to Belmont, he will once again be a legitimate favorite.

Will Take Charge (Seventh Place)

In a field of 19 horses at the Kentucky Derby, Will Take Charge finished eighth.

In a field of nine horses at the Preakness, he finished seventh.

I'm not exactly sure you can call that improvement.

Will Take Charge entered Saturday with some momentum. Not only did he secure an encouraging finish at Churchill Downs, but he was led by the all-star tandem of Lukas and Mike Smith.

Everyone was jumping on the bandwagon, and by the morning, his odds were all the way down to 11-1, according to NBC. That certainly didn't suggest he was going to win the second jewel of the Triple Crown, but finishing in the money wasn't out of the question.

Then this happened:

But while the jockey is disappointed, something tells me the trainer—Lukas—isn't too upset with his day overall.

Follow @t_keen

Gary Stevens' Incredible Comeback Makes Him a Deserved Preakness Champion

Dan Talintyre — Sat, 18 May 2013 20:28:30 -0400

Had you asked someone prior to the 2013 Preakness Stakes as to which jockey that person thought would ride the winning horse, you'd have received a lot of different responses.

Many would have gone for the in-form Joel Rosario, who guided Orb to a sensational victory at the 2013 Kentucky Derby. Others still might have opted for Rosie Napravnik on board of Mylute or Kevin Krigger on Goldencents—both of whom were looking to create their own slice of history with a victory at the Pimlico Race Course this weekend.

You would have found few people suggesting that Oxbow jockey Gary Stevens would win—especially not riding the long shot horse that he was this year.

And oh, how wrong we all were!

Stevens was able to lead Oxbow to an incredible wire-to-wire victory and consolidate himself even further as one of the great Preakness (and career) jockeys of all time.

Yet whilst Stevens' success might simply seem like another big win for a big-name jockey, the reality was that it was much more than that.

For not only did he become the oldest ever jockey to win the Preakness Stakes with his victory here, the 50-year-old also did it after seven years of retirement.

Plagued by knee problems in the back end of his career (the first time, that is), Stevens was able to push through the pain and shed an incredible 25 pounds and eight percent body fat in two months. As his personal trainer Clark Masterson said to Don Markus of The Baltimore Sun, "Gary was clearly focused and driven... he was ready to hit the ground running and he did."

Which, given where he'd been, was simply astonishing.

His 13 knee operations and other aching surgically repaired parts forced Stevens to quit in 2005, and yet somehow, he was back riding in the saddle once more.

Now he's back in the winners circle in a Triple Crown event and feeling great about his new lease on life, according to comments he made to Markus of The Baltimore Sun.

"To me, 50 [now] is the new 30," Stevens said.

Where Stevens will go from here still remains to be seen, with the NBC analyst no doubt likely to continue that role when he hangs it up for a second time.

He will take Oxbow on to the Belmont Stakes this year and then, well, who knows?

So much of the past few years has been a journey that few thought Stevens would take, and his performances this year have been something that hardly anyone saw coming either—so where he'll go from here could very well be a myriad of different options. But with the taste of success in his mouth once more, you get the feeling that Stevens will no doubt push on for a few more years.

And with 50 being the new 30, he might well chalk up a few more big-race wins like he did this weekend—something that he would completely and utterly deserve.

Hit me up on Twitter for more sport goodness: Follow @dantalintyre

Indy 500 2013 Qualifying Results: Time Trials and Pole Positions

Brian Mazique — Sat, 18 May 2013 20:18:28 -0400

Before the qualifying runs began on Saturday, Mother Nature's intervention delayed the beginning of the time trials by more than two hours at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Once things finally got going, 24 cars qualified for the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500. The final nine positions will be determined on Sunday during Old National Armed Forces Bump Day.

Ed Carpenter took the pole position with an average speed of 228.762 mph in the Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka No. 20 car.

Here are the rest of the times from the three rows of the Fast Nine.

Row	Driver	Four-Lap Average
1	Ed Carpenter	228.762
1	Carlos Munoz	228.342
1	Marco Andretti	228.261
2	E.J. Viso	228.150
2	A.J. Allmendinger	228.099
2	Will Power	228.087
3	Ryan Hunter-Reay	227.904
3	Helio Castroneves	227.762
3	James Hinchcliffe	227.070

Per Dave Lewandowski of IndyCar.com, rookie Carlos Munoz's front-row start earned him $50,000 of the Verizon Front Row awards and Marco Andretti was awarded a $40,000 bonus.

Here are the other drivers who have already made it into the field. They are listed with their four-lap speed averages.

Grid Spot	Driver	Four-Lap Average
10	JR Hildebrand	227.441
11	Alex Tagliani	227.386
12	Tony Kanaan	226.949
13	Oriol Servia	226.814
14	Justin Wilson	226.370
15	Sebastien Bourdais	226.196
16	Scott Dixon	226.158
17	Dario Franchitti	226.069
18	Takuma Sato	225.892
19	Charlie Kimball	225.880
20	James Jakes	225.809
21	Simon Pagenaud	225.674
22	Townsend Bell	225.643
23	Ryan Briscoe	225.265
24	Simona De Silvestro	225.226

Big Names Still Yet to Qualify

Graham Rahal

The 24-year-old son of racing legend Bobby Rahal seemed to struggle with his engine all day. After two attempts to solidify a position in the top 24, a noticeably frustrated Graham Rahal decided to regroup and take another shot on Sunday.

Don't you just love it when folks say they don't have much to say, but then go on a rant:

Pippa Mann

Pippa Mann didn't fare much better than Rahal. She did seem at least encouraged about her chances on Sunday. If positive energy is worth anything, she's in a good space for her run at one of the last nine spots.

Michel Jourdain

Michel Jourdain's times were woefully short of qualifying. It seems very unlikely he'll be able to recover from such a poor performance on Saturday.

Unless he and his team can truly work some magic, it is hard to see a scenario where he works his way onto the grid.

Follow me for Sports Did-You-Knows, News and Spirited Opinions

Stats You Wouldn't Believe from the NBA Combine

Daniel O'Brien — Sat, 18 May 2013 20:14:18 -0400

At the 2013 NBA draft combine in Chicago, top prospects from the NCAA and around the globe posted mind-blowing numbers in the measurements and athletic testing.

One international player registered a jaw-dropping wingspan flirting with eight feet, while a 6'9" forward proved to be more agile than any guard.

Other prospects wowed scouts with their three-point prowess and leaping ability, and some fell surprisingly short in the drills and measurements.

Which ballers made our list of unbelievable stats? Find out as we size up the most ridiculous numbers of the combine.

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Spike Lee Scores 2 Seats to Knicks Game 6 in Indy, Minus the Pacers T-Shirts

Grant Hughes — Sat, 18 May 2013 20:13:35 -0400

Spike Lee's persistence finally paid off: The New York Knicks' most ardent (and visible) supporter managed to secure a pair of tickets to Game 6 in Indianapolis.

You might remember that his efforts to score seats didn't work out so well last time, as an Indiana Pacers season-ticket holder somewhat awesomely turned down the director's offer to purchase his courtside tickets for $40,000.

The Pacers apparently took Lee's money this time, but they didn't miss an opportunity to show their displeasure at his presence. There would be no free swag for the only New York fan in the building:

Lee has been through the war between these two teams since the beginning, so he was smart enough to bring a human shield into the hostile environment with him:

I don't know who the kid in the picture is, but you can bet he's there to deter insults—and possibly a few projectiles intended for Reggie Miller's mortal enemy.

Speaking of which, Lee has been taking every opportunity to irritate Miller, popping up on camera in more than one instance behind the former Pacers great. Reggie might have been the king of the long bomb, but Lee is proving to be just prolific in the "photo" and "video" categories.

In addition to terrorizing Miller, Lee has come up with some pretty odd ways to motivate his favorite team. Anything to get a win, huh, Spike?

Not every Knicks fan is quite so "enthusiastic," though.

It's great that Lee is such a diehard supporter of his team. There's no question about his devotion. It would just be nice if he didn't have to snatch the spotlight so often. The rest of the fans in Indy are there to enjoy a game—not to suffer retinal damage from Lee's neon, Hi-Liter-toned apparel.

Preakness Results: Orb and More Horses That Let Us Down

Matt Fitzgerald — Sat, 18 May 2013 20:03:59 -0400

Oxbow, the 15-to-1 long shot, won the 138th running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, putting an end to a Triple Crown bid for Orb, who began at the No. 1 post position and couldn't recover in time, as he wound up in fourth.

Finishing outside of the money has to be an extreme disappointment for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey, who has never won the big one at Pimlico Race Course in his illustrious career.

While Orb is going to steal many of the headlines, there were a couple of other horses who were expected to threaten and did not run very well. Goldencents, a sprinter who was thought to benefit from a shorter track at this leg of the Triple Crown, turned in another underwhelming performance.

Also among the letdowns was Bob Baffert's Govenor Charlie, who picked up steam with oddsmakers before the race but wound up next-to-last.

Below is an overview of the entire field, followed by detailed analysis of the horses who fared worse than expected.

Note: Statistics, odds and prior results, unless otherwise indicated, are courtesy of Preakness.com.

Pos.	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Post
1	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	6
2	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	9
3	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	5
4	Orb	Joel Rosario	Shug McGaughey	1
5	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O’Neill	2
6	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr	Albert M. Stall, Jr	4
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	7
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	8
9	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	D. Wayne Lukas	3

Orb (Odds: 3-5; Place: 4)

Earlier in the week, Dave Grening of The Daily Racing Form warned those expecting Orb to run away with the Preakness as the unquestioned favorite to tread with caution:

That turned out to be a pseudo-prophetic statement, as Orb was a shade of the horse that ran and won the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. A significant factor was being close to the rail, as well as the pace of the race as it unfolded.

Agree or disagree with his opinions, but ESPN First Take television personality Skip Bayless nicely summarized what went wrong for Orb and prolific jockey Joel Rosario at Pimlico:

Rosario was the winningest jockey and leading money winner amongst all of his peers on the 2013 season entering this race. Unfortunately, it took too long for him to get Orb going. Moving to the outside initially would have been the best move, but there was simply no room.

Orb gave horse racing fans a glimmer of hope at the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978, but alas, capturing the elusive trio of accolades was not meant to be yet again.

Goldencents (Odds: 9-1; Place: 5)

Kevin Krigger was bidding to become the first black jockey to win the Preakness since 1898, but he also struggled with traffic issues with his slender but swift Goldencents.

Though the colt won the Grade I Santa Anita Derby in impressive fashion leading up to Churchill Downs, he hasn't been the same since then. Trainer Doug O'Neill had some distressing news to report after the race, per KY Derby Contenders on Twitter:

When victory was out of reach in the Run for the Roses, Krigger wisely pulled Goldencents back in an effort to better prepare him for Saturday's race.

Now it looks like Goldencents will come up empty-handed in all three legs of the Triple Crown. For such a talented horse, it has to be disappointing for the team around him. O'Neill was definitely hoping to mount a better defense of his Preakness title.

As strong of a jockey as Krigger is, he will have more chances moving forward. However, this was a formidable horse with a ton of potential, so it will be viewed as a golden opportunity missed.

Govenor Charlie (Odds: 9-1; Place: 8)

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert didn't have any entrants in the Kentucky Derby and felt that Govenor Charlie was good enough to go after the horse's stellar work earlier in the week.

Apparently oddsmakers were buying what Baffert was selling, because Govenor Charlie wound up knotted with Goldencents as the No. 3 contender in their eyes. That didn't translate to the track, though.

Govenor Charlie sagged behind even the moderate pace that Oxbow set and could never gain any traction at Pimlico.

That may have been a result of rust. After registering the fastest time in stakes history in a romp at the Sunland Derby, Govenor Charlie was held out of competition in Louisville due to a foot bruise suffered while training.

Whether health was still a factor is unknown, but his run in Baltimore with Martin Garcia aboard proved Govenor Charlie wasn't quite cut out for this type of competition.

WWE Extreme Rules: Live Results, Reaction and Analysis

The Doctor Chris Mueller — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:59:07 -0400

Welcome to the Bleacher Report live coverage for WWE Extreme Rules 2013. This year's event will take place at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

WWE has done everything it can do to sell the event at this point, and we know the card will consist of eight matches on the pay-per-view and one on the pre-show.

The Miz vs. Cody Rhodes (Pre-Show)
Randy Orton vs. Big Show (Extreme Rules Match)
Sheamus vs. Mark Henry (Strap Match)
Chris Jericho vs. Fandango
Dean Ambrose vs. Kofi Kingston (U.S. Title Match)
Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns vs. Team Hell No (Tag Title Match)
Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger (I Quit Match for No. 1 Contender to World Title)
Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H (Steel Cage Match)
John Cena vs. Ryback (Last Man Standing WWE Title Match)

There is always a chance WWE could add another match on the fly, but the odds seem doubtful with a stacked card of stipulation matches.

Will The Shield walk out of Extreme Rules with the U.S. and Tag titles? Can John Cena fend off Ryback? Will Brock Lesnar redeem himself for his WrestleMania 29 loss?

Make sure to bookmark this page and come back on Sunday at the start of the pre-show for coverage of all the action as it happens live on PPV.

Follow me on Twitter @BR_Doctor

WWE SmackDown, May 17: GSM's Analysis and Aftermath

Graham 'GSM' Matthews — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:45:36 -0400

Two days away from WWE Extreme Rules, Friday Night SmackDown was the final stop before the pay-per-view event on Sunday. As expected, the blue brand did an effective job of hyping most matches on the scheduled card and presented a night of entertaining action as well.

Here, I will analyze each significant segment presented on the show. I will also provide a combination of predictions and wishful thinking about what I hope to see in the coming weeks.

The Miz Hosted Miz TV with Randy Orton, Big Show, Jack Swagger, Alberto Del Rio, Mark Henry and Sheamus

Standard segment to kick off the show featuring Randy Orton, Big Show, Jack Swagger, Alberto Del Rio, Mark Henry and Sheamus. Everyone played their roles well and respectively hyped their matches for Extreme Rules.

It was a paint-by-numbers promo, but it served its purpose in setting up the main event match for later in the night. The only person who didn't seem to belong was The Miz, who hardly spoke at all during the course of the segment.

Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns w/Dean Ambrose def. The Usos

Brief match with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns defeating The Usos. It was only a mere minute long and was nothing more than a glorified squash match.

I would have liked to see the match go a bit longer, especially since The Usos were made to look like equals on WWE Main Event this week. The post-match run-in from United States Champion Kofi Kingston was a logical way of building toward his title defense against Ambrose at Extreme Rules.

Tons of Funk def. Prime Time Players

Throwaway match with Tons of Funk defeating Prime Time Players. Similar to their match on this week's Raw, the bout wasn't given enough time to truly mean anything.

The sole purpose of this match was to give Tons of Funk their win back, which is unfortunate. The in-ring action wasn't bad at all, but it simply felt like an unnecessary waste of time.

Chris Jericho def. Antonio Cesaro

Great match between Chris Jericho and Antonio Cesaro. These two work well together and developed awesome chemistry over the course of the contest.

It featured excellent action that concluded with Jericho forcing Cesaro to tap out to the Walls of Jericho to score the victory. Fandango's post-match attack on Y2J was a nice way of hyping their upcoming match against one another.

The Miz def. Damien Sandow

Good match between The Miz and Damien Sandow. It should have gone longer than just three minuets, but they made the most out of the time they were allotted.

The pre-show matchup at Extreme Rules has zero buildup, so it was nice to see Cody Rhodes on commentary in effort to make the match mean something. I also like the idea of Sandow having his own talk show, which could prove to be extremely entertaining.

Divas Champion Kaitlyn def. Aksana (non-title)

Fine match between Divas champion Kaitlyn and Aksana. These two have worked with one another countless times, so this bout was nothing out of the ordinary.

However, there weren't as many botches as usual and wasn't all that atrocious, which was encouraging. If nothing else, the commentary from JBL, Michael Cole and Josh Matthews was hilarious during this match and is worth listening to if you happened to miss it.

Randy Orton, Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio def. Jack Swagger, Mark Henry and Big Show

Entertaining six-man tag team match with Orton, Sheamus and Del Rio defeating Swagger, Henry and Big Show. They kept the pace consistent throughout the bout and everyone was able to hit their signature spots.

Additionally, the final few moments of the contest were suspenseful and well done. I would have preferred to see the heels go over since I fully expect the faces to go over on Sunday, but that's only nitpicking things.

Overall Show

Overall, a good show that featured enjoyable action and a handful of hype for the Extreme Rules event. There was very little filler and instead primarily focused building the matches on Sunday's card.

Once again, SmackDown outperformed Raw this week, which shouldn't come as any surprise. The blue brand has been the better show for weeks now and certainly sold me on the pending pay-per-view.

GSM out.

Visit my website at Next Era Wrestling and listen to my wrestling radio talk show SAVE US GSM every Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET.

Follow @SAVE_US_GSM

2013 Preakness Winner: Gary Stevens Writes Script Hollywood Wouldn't Buy

Steve Silverman — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:43:56 -0400

Gary Stevens had a gameplan for the Preakness, but he never got around to convincing Oxbow to go along with him.

Stevens, the Hall of Fame jockey, was going to ease his mount into third or fourth place off the start and then try to mount a winning rally.

However, that plan went out the window when Oxbow took off running out of the gate and made the lead easily. "His ears were up and he was happy," Stevens told the NBC Sports Network in interviews after the race. "I was hoping the boss (trainer D. Wayne Lukas) wouldn't be mad at me."

There was no chance of that happening since the fractions in the race were slow. Oxbow held onto his lead without any trouble. He was able to hold it down the stretch.

Oxbow's victory in the Preakness meant there would be no triple crown winner for the 35th consecutive year. Orb, the Kentucky Derby winner, finished fourth and was never in serious contention.

Stevens, 50, became the oldest jockey to win the Preakness. It was his third victory in the classic Baltimore race.

The victory capped a remarkable comeback for Stevens, who had turned to acting and horse racing analysis on television after retiring in 2005.

Stevens had eight Triple Crown victories on his resume, including a 1988 Kentucky Derby victory on Winning Colors that he he had previously described as the biggest thrill in his career.

Stevens had decided to retire because of the damage that had been done to his body by the sport. While there were other injuries, he had particularly bad knees. Don Markus of The Baltimore Sun reported he had 13 operations on his knees.

Stevens fell easily into his second career of acting. He played the role of jockey George Woolf in the 2003 blockbuster hit Seabiscuit and also had a starring role in the HBO series Luck, which premiered in 2012 and was well received by critics.

After the second season of the show was signed and agreed to, the series was abruptly cancelled. Three horses had reportedly died on the set, and HBO pulled the plug.

After the series was halted, the racing siren sang in Stevens' ear. He told his wife, Angie, that he wanted to ride again. He hooked up with kickboxer Clark Masterson, who helped Stevens get into shape.

Former rider Chris McCarron was not the least bit surprised when he heard that Stevens was about to make a comeback. He told the Baltimore Sun:

He's an incredibly competitive individual and I'm sure there were plenty of times when he was sitting on the set at HRTV or NBC and he was watching some rather poor rides out there, scratching his head and wondering "Man, if I was on that horse, I wouldn't have done that." That's the way I've felt [working as an analyst].

When he began his quest to get into shape, he was a pudgy 140 pounds. After he concluded his training, he was down to a rock-hard 114 pounds.

He returned to racing in January and quickly made it back to the winner's circle.

However, while Stevens could dream of winning a Triple Crown race, the reality of it floored him. The cameras caught him talking to himself as he crossed the finished line. He told NBC what he was saying.

"Are you kidding me?"

He was not kidding. Stevens, after nearly eight years of retirement from racing, had just won his ninth Triple Crown race.

Stevens explained how Oxbow had been strong in the warm-up before the race and that he just started running when the gates opened.

"He simply pulled me to the lead and he was running easily," Stevens said. "He managed to hold his position and he was at his best when we got to the head of the lane. I felt good about our chances because he wasn't laboring."

Neither was Stevens. He may have spent most of the last seven years pursuing acting and horse racing analysis, but his heart was never far from the excitement of race day.

And the thought of competing in the Triple Crown races is what stirred his passions more than anything.

He showed that his talents and abilities were still a match for his passion as he came home a winner.

The only thing left now is to figure out who plays Gary Stevens in the movie.

—

Preakness Results: Full Breakdown of Finishers and Payouts

Justin Onslow — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:38:31 -0400

Pre-race 14-1 long shot Oxbow completed an unlikely upset of Triple Crown hopeful Orb with a wire-to-wire first-place finish at the 138th running of the Preakness Stakes Saturday, edging out Itsmyluckyday and Mylute to earn the Black-Eyed Susan Blanket.

Jockey Gary Stevens got his horse out of the gates at a torrid pace and set the tone throughout the race. Oxbow wasn’t slowed by the No. 6 post, avoiding some clustering along the rail that kept Orb from ever bursting free from the pack.

It looked like Goldencents would challenge Oxbow from the No. 2 post, but after staying close to the eventual winner through the first turn, the Doug O’Neill-trained colt faded to a fifth-place finish behind Orb. Despite boasting some of the fastest sprinting speed in the field, Goldencents was unable to break free and keep pace with Oxbow—as was the case with rest of the field.

Place	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Earnings	Payouts
1	Oxbow	D. Wayne Lukas	Gary Stevens	$620,000	$32.80 (win) $12 (place) $6.80 (show)
2	Itsmyluckyday	Eddie Plesa Jr.	John Velazquez	$200,000	$7.80 (place) $5 (show)
3	Mylute	Tom Amoss	Rosie Napravnik	$100,000	$5.20 (show)
4	Orb	Shug McGaughey	Joel Rosario	$50,000
5	Goldencents	Doug O’Neill	Kevin Krigger	$30,000
6	Departing	Albert M. Stall Jr.	Brian Hernandez Jr.	$0
7	Will Take Charge	D. Wayne Lukas	Mike Smith	$0
8	Govenor Charlie	Bob Baffert	Martin Garcia	$0
9	Titletown Five	D. Wayne Lukas	Julien Leparoux	$0

Payouts based on $2 bet. Via America's Best Racing on Twitter ($1 million purse).

Itsmyluckyday was as close to overtaking Oxbow as any horse in the field. Starting from the No. 9 post, the colt merged from the outside and grabbed hold of the stalking position in place of Goldencents. Jockey John Velazquez did his part to position Itsmyluckyday for a late surge, but Oxbow had established too great a lead with his tremendous break from the gate.

Rosie Napravnik set out to make history at Pimlico Saturday but came up just short of becoming the first female jockey to ever win the Preakness. Still, the 25-year-old built on a strong showing at the Kentucky Derby (fifth place) with another quality Triple Crown performance, netting a nice payday for those bold enough to wager on the 10-1 long shot.

One of the biggest stories of the day was Orb’s inability to break free from the pack to secure the second leg of the Triple Crown. Starting from the rail position, Joel Rosario was unable to avoid the clustering of horses on the inside, eventually fading from just off the pace to a fourth-place finish.

Orb was vying to become the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win the Triple Crown. While he was the 3-5 post-time favorite to do so, it wasn’t to be. As is often the case for a late closer like Orb, the inside post position was too much to overcome.

All three New Shooters failed to secure a top-five finish at Pimlico. Departing didn’t participate at Churchill Downs in preparation for the Preakness and was considered a 10-1 long shot to win, though pre-race odds were considerably more favorable.

The late shift in odds was appropriate, though, as the Albert Stall-trained colt was never able to establish good position in the race. Departing remained in the middle of the pack en route to a sixth-place finish.

Will Take Charge, Govenor Charlie and Titletown Five rounded out the final three finishers, respectively, the final two each having missed the Derby. Both New Shooters didn’t stand much of a chance from the onset, though Titletown Five did manage to pull into second place near the halfway point in the race.

With the win, Oxbow becomes the first thoroughbred in 31 years to win the Preakness with a wire-to-wire lead, as pointed out by Yahoo! Sports:

The colt also netted a hefty payday for Bluegrass Hall LLC, taking home the biggest portion of the $1 million purse. Those who were bold enough to bet on the long shot earned (on a $2 bet) $32.80 to win, $12 to place and $6.80 to show.

With Orb’s Triple Crown hopes dashed, all eyes will be on Oxbow as the Belmont Stakes approaches. The final leg of the Triple Crown is up for grabs, and Oxbow will try to prove his run at Pimlico was a sign of things to come.

Official Odds acquired from NBC telecast. Final odds can also be found at Bovada.lv.

Rafael Nadal's Consistency Is Enough to Prove That He Is Back

Rob Goldberg — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:38:20 -0400

It is hard to know when an athlete has returned to his true form after missing time with an injury, but Rafael Nadal is clearly back.

The tennis star missed seven months with a knee injury and then struggled when he returned to the court. In his first tournament in Chile, he went far against the weak field but then lost to Horacio Zeballos in the finals.

At that point, the question remained about whether he would be able to compete at a high level ever again. If he were to get back to that point, fans did not know how long it would take.

However, Nadal has been impressive since then. He won five singles titles and lost only one match in that stretch. While the loss ended his run of wins at the Monte Carlo Masters, one defeat is nothing to be alarmed about.

Instead, it is the consistency that should have fans excited.

Nadal has stepped into the season without missing a beat. He is barely losing any sets on clay, and his statistics are as good as ever. So far this year, he has won 37 percent of return games, which ranks second on the tour.

Additionally, he ranks first in the world in FedEx Reliability Index, which includes every factor of winning and accounts for high-pressure situations.

While the Spanish player has had the advantage of playing most of his matches so far on clay—where he has done so well in his career—the fact that he looks like the Nadal of old is encouraging.

Of course, this success has not come without a bit of struggle. Ernests Gulbis came close to knocking off the King of Clay in the third round of the Italian Open. David Ferrer also provided a tough challenge in the quarterfinals.

Still, his resilience has been impressive. He continued to battle against tough opponents and did what was necessary to come out on top.

In the finals, he is set to face an old nemesis in Roger Federer. Regardless of who wins, Nadal has done enough to prove that he is ready to take on the rest of the world at the French Open.

After winning seven of his last eight appearances at Roland Garros, there is every reason he should be the favorite heading into this Grand Slam event.

Follow @TheRobGoldberg

Preakness Results: What We Learned from a Thrilling Run at Pimlico

Dan Talintyre — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:37:24 -0400

Oxbow has stunned the field to take out the 2013 Preakness Stakes ahead of Itsmyluckyday and Mylute, with pre-race favorite Orb finishing in fourth spot.

Trained by the legendary D. Wayne Lukas and ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, Oxbow came into the race as one of the outsiders of the nine-horse field.

However, after he was able to get to the front and set the pace, the star colt had a commanding lead coming into the home stretch and proved too strong over the final furlong for the chasing field to reel him in.

Read on to see the biggest lessons learned from a thrilling run at Pimlico.

Orb's Biggest Problem Was Not the No. 1 Post

Having dominated the field at the 2013 Kentucky Derby, the general consensus was that Orb was going to do the same again at the Preakness Stakes.

He received a slight hitch when drawn closest to the rail in the No. 1 post, but even then, it was still assumed he would win here. After all, given the form that Joel Rosario was in and the sprinting pedigree existent in Orb, it wasn't going to really matter what post position he found himself in.

And whilst it might not seem like it given he didn't even finish inside the top three this year, the reality was that the No. 1 post was not the biggest problem for Orb.

Rosario was able to drop back in the field and work his way up behind the leaders around the halfway mark of the track, and he was seemingly poised in a great position.

And then he was just squeezed a little by Titletown Five when Oxbow started to pick the pace up. Not by much, but by enough that he was forced to lose stride and dropped several lengths on the leaders—which he was never going to be able to make up over the shorter home straight.

He ran on gallantly to finish in fourth—perhaps showing just how strong a sprinter he really is—but it was still a huge disappointment for the pre-race favorite.

Orb simply got stuck in traffic when he thought he had a clear running lane, and that's what proved to be his undoing—not being drawn in the No. 1 post.

The Smaller Field Made It Easy Going in Front

According to Yahoo! Sports, Oxbow's victory here was the first wire-to-wire win at the Preakness Stakes in over three decades of racing.

Which, given how easy Gary Stevens and Oxbow found it in front here, might seem like somewhat of a surprise to many people.

However, it must be noted here that the smaller field (just nine horses in this one) made it very easy going in front and meant the race suited the front-runners.

Oxbow was able to find the lead heading into the first turn and was then able to drop the speed significantly. It was nothing like the frenetic pace that Palace Malice set at the Kentucky Derby—which suited those horses at the back of the field—and Oxbow was therefore able to come into the home straight with a strong lead and plenty left to give.

There were runs that came from the back—notably that of Mylute and Orb—but they were never going to be able to gun down Oxbow over the final part of the race. The field allowed him to get away with such an easy pace here, and they paid the ultimate price as a result of that.

Another Strong, but Frustrating, Run for Mylute

Having chalked up a strong run at Churchill Downs earlier this month, Mylute again showcased just how strong of a runner he is with a great performance here.

Rosie Napravnik waited patiently at the back of the field for a great deal in this race and made her move perfectly as they approached the home straight—quickly passing through a number of horses in traffic and was seemingly poised to launch a huge challenge at Oxbow down the stretch.

However, Mylute would again finish there-but-not-quite in third position.

He was forced to run a little wide as they circled for the finishing post, and he just had to check his run a little bit as Itsmyluckyday pushed outside of Goldencents. That forced him to run off stride for a length or two, and he was never able to recover.

Mylute still finished with a strong run in third position that was quickly closing in on the second-placed Goldencents, and connections must be happy with another good result. However, there's little doubting that they—along with Napravnik—would love to take the next step and finish with a win, something which they will look to do at the Belmont Stakes in two weeks' time.

The Wait for a Triple Crown Lives On

But perhaps the biggest talking point to come out of the Preakness Stakes was not the thrilling upset of Oxbow's win, but the fact the wait for a Triple Crown winner must wait for at least another year.

Orb appeared like one of the best chances in recent history to achieve the illustrious three-race title with his strong showing at Churchill Downs, but that is all out of the equation now after a frustrating and disappointing run at the Pimlico Race Course.

All attention will now turn on the third jewel of the Triple Crown—the Belmont Stakes.

And whilst the chance to create history might not be available, it'll still no doubt be a thrilling race as the best horses in the country at the moment square off for one of racing's most illustrious events.

Who knows? Maybe next year will be the year for a Triple Crown champion. After all, we've already waited long enough, so what's enough 12 months on top of that?

2013 Preakness Stakes: Full Results

Pos.	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Post
1	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	6
2	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	9
3	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	5
4	Orb	Joel Rosario	Shug McGaughey	1
5	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O’Neill	2
6	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr	Albert M. Stall, Jr	4
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	7
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	8
9	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	D. Wayne Lukas	3

Hit me up on Twitter for more sports goodness: Follow @dantalintyre

Preakness Results: Biggest Disappointments from Pimlico Race Course

Jesse Reed — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:33:42 -0400

Oxbow won the 138th annual Preakness Stakes in wire-to-wire fashion, but perhaps the biggest story on Saturday was the horses that didn't finish in the money.

Finishing in second place behind Oxbow was Itsmyluckyday, followed by Mylute.

The big name missing from the top three was certainly Orb—the Kentucky Derby winner and heavy betting favorite before the race.

Goldencents and Departing were also notably absent.

Here's a quick look at the final standings from Saturday's big race, courtesy of Bovada:

Pos.	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Post
1	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	6
2	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	9
3	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	5
4	Orb	Joel Rosario	Claude McGaughey	1
5	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O'Neill	2
6	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr.	Albert M. Stall Jr.	4
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	7
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	8
9	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	D. Wayne Lukas	3

Now it's time to take a look at the biggest disappointments from Pimlico Race Course on Saturday.

Orb: Post No. 1

Orb got stuck up against the rail from the get-go on Saturday, and jockey Joel Rosario had trouble getting him out of that troublesome spot.

By the time the horses had cleared the second turn, however, Orb was on the outside and made a nice push to move into third place. That was a tentative arrangement, however, as Orb was then forced back inside.

By the time the field cleared the final turn, Orb was fully boxed in, and Rosario was unable to find an opening to the front of the pack.

Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised at this outcome. After all, the No. 1 post has been traditionally damning over the course of the past 40-plus years, per David Grening of the Daily Racing Form:

Still, given the level of hype surrounding this horse, a finish outside the money was the last thing anyone expected. Orb's 2013 Preakness failure puts to rest any notion of a potential Triple Crown in 2013.

Departing: Post No. 4

Departing had a couple of things working in his favor entering the race.

Not only was this a fresh horse (Departing didn't race at the Derby), but a favorable draw with the No. 4 post should have produced a better start than we saw on Saturday. Indeed, Departing got off to a flawless start, but by the time the field hit the first turn, this horse was in the middle of the pack.

Oxbow pushed the pace, and Departing's jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. was unable to get his horse back into the front.

Heading into the final stretch, however, Departing had prime position on the inside, but the horse ran out of steam in the final couple of furlongs.

Perhaps Chicago Now's Paul Mazur stated Departing's disappointing finish the best:

Goldencents: Post No. 5

After the first two legs of the Triple Crown, it has become clear that the hype surrounding Goldencents was nothing but hot air.

This horse won the Santa Anita Derby earlier in the year and was considered to be one of the favorites to win the Kentucky Derby. A 17th-place finish at Churchill Downs seemed to be easily explained, as the mud appeared to be the culprit.

Goldencents proved to be the opposite of a mudder, but a firm, mostly dry track at Pimlico should have been a perfect stage for this horse to prove his worth.

Instead, the fifth-place finish on Saturday proved that Goldencents isn't a premier racing horse.

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78

Preakness 2013 Replay: Video Highlights of Oxbow's Win

Alex Ballentine — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:22:53 -0400

Oxbow's win at the 2013 Preakness may have ruined any chance of a Triple Crown winner this year, but it was still an amazing display that horse racing fans won't soon forget.

The 15-1 long shot took the lead out of the gate and never surrendered it, staving off Itsmyluckyday and Mylute, who finished second and third, respectively.

According to Yahoo! Sports, it was the first time that a horse has been a wire-to-wire winner of the Preakness in 31 years.

CBS Sports' Andrew DeWitt tweeted out Oxbow trainer D. Wayne Lukas' and rock star Gene Simmons' reaction to Oxbow's victory. Needless to say, it was a huge day for Oxbow, who faced the second-longest odds of any horse in the field.

As you can see in the replay, Kentucky Derby winner Orb never had a chance of winning. Starting from the No. 1 post, he was boxed in early on and was never able to get off the rail, effectively ruining his chance at winning the ever-elusive Triple Crown.

Here's a full breakdown of where each horse finished:

Pos.	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Post
1	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	6
2	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	9
3	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	5
4	Orb	Joel Rosario	Claude McGaughey	1
5	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O'Neill	2
6	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr.	Albert M. Stall Jr.	4
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	7
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	8
9	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	D. Wayne Lukas	3

Although heavy favorite Orb failed to land in the money, this was still an exciting race and a true show of dominance from a horse that had been counted out by just about everyone.

Preakness 2013 Winner: Breaking Down Oxbow's Racing Career

Tyler Brooke — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:22:20 -0400

There will be no Triple Crown winner in 2013, but Oxbow had a dominating race at the Preakness on Saturday.

Although Oxbow looked good at the Preakness, the rest of his career wasn’t exactly pretty.

It took Oxbow four races in the Maiden Special Weights before finally winning and going on to the bigger races. He jumped around jockeys before winning with Joseph Rocco Jr.

In his first race out of the MSWs, Oxbow came in fourth at the CashCall Futurity in Hollywood. It wasn’t the best finish, but things starting looking up in the next race.

Oxbow got his first career win at the Grade 3 LeComte at New Orleans back in January with Jon Kenton Court as his jockey. After this race, Oxbow seemed to have a shot to make an impact during the Triple Crown.

The next two races at the Grade 2 Risen Star and Rebel Stakes ended in a fourth place and second-place finish, respectively. Only two wins in the young colt’s first eight career races likely made D. Wayne Lukas a bit antsy.

After eight races, Oxbow was about to have a big change.

Heading into the Arkansas Derby, it was announced that the legendary Gary Stevens would become his jockey. Stevens has had an incredible career with plenty of major racing wins. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.

The duo came in fifth at the Arkansas Derby, which wasn’t what they were looking for. However, it was only their first race together, and finding a solid chemistry was going to take some time.

The Kentucky Derby was a chance for Oxbow to finally prove that he was an impressive horse. However, the muddy conditions weren’t ideal for him or Stevens. The two finished sixth, with Orb getting all of the attention.

That all changed on Saturday at the Preakness.

The conditions were fine, unlike the Derby a few weeks ago. Right out of the gate, Oxbow got off to a great start. He seemed to have control of the entire race and held the lead the whole time.

According to a tweet by Yahoo! Sports, Oxbow was the first wire-to-wire winner at the Preakness in 31 years.

Being trained by D. Wayne Lukas and ridden by Stevens gave Oxbow an advantage heading into this race. With two Hall of Famers surrounding this horse, it's clear why this horse was able to win.

Sure, the Triple Crown didn’t happen, but Oxbow and his owners certainly don’t mind.

Preakness 2013 Payout: Complete Details of Winning Purse and Overall Earnings

Rob Goldberg — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:19:58 -0400

Oxbow surprised many by winning the 138th Preakness Stakes. With this win, there is plenty of money changing hands.

The event comes with a $1 million guaranteed purse, which brings a lot of money to those that finish in the top five. Considering there were only nine entries in the race, most of the competitors came away with money.

In this year's event, veteran jockey Gary Stevens broke convention by getting out to an early lead and
winning with a wire-to-wire victory. He earned the win at Pimlico for the third time in his career.

This gives Oxbow and everyone involved a nice payday of $620,000. Here is a look at the final standings and total earnings for each horse.

Place	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Earnings
1	Oxbow	D. Wayne Lukas	Gary Stevens	$620,000
2	Itsmyluckyday	Eddie Plesa Jr.	John Velazquez	$200,000
3	Mylute	Tom Amoss	Rosie Napravnik	$100,000
4	Orb	Shug McGaughey	Joel Rosario	$50,000
5	Goldencents	Doug O’Neill	Kevin Krigger	$30,000
6	Departing	Albert M. Stall Jr.	Brian Hernandez Jr.	-
7	Will Take Charge	D. Wayne Lukas	Mike Smith	-
8	Govenor Charlie	Bob Baffert	Martin Garcia	-
9	Titletown Five	Eddie Plesa Jr.	John Velazquez	-

This was an exciting race from start to finish as it featured a big-time favorite being toppled by a relatively unknown underdog. Oxbow finished sixth at the Kentucky Derby, but it certainly will receive much more attention after winning the Preakness.

Of course, you do not have to own a horse, race one or even train one in order to make money.

The Preakness brings out plenty of bettors from people around the nation and around the world. Those that bet on Orb were certainly disappointed as the favorite failed to live up to expectations. The Kentucky Derby winner entered at 3-5 odds, but he finished outside of the money at Pimlico.

On the other hand, Oxbow earned those who bet on him quite a bit of money. The horse was one of the bigger long shots in the event and ended up providing a payout of $32.80 on a $2 bet. This was actually the second highest odds of any horse in the race after Titletown Five.

It seems like it is sometimes a good idea to go against the grain.

Here is a look at the full betting payouts for each of the top-three finishers.

Pos.	Horse	Win	Place	Show
1	Oxbow	$32.80	$12.00	$6.80
2	Itsmyluckyday		$7.80	$5.00
3	Mylute			$5.20

Now the attention turns to the Belmont Stakes, which is the final leg of the Triple Crown. Although Saturday's results guarantee that no horse will win all three races, there should still be plenty to watch in the next race.

Orb will try to get some redemption after a disappointing fourth-place finish. Rosie Napravnik will continue breaking down barriers as a female jockey. Oxbow will look to win two out of the three biggest races on the calendar.

There will be a lot of prestige on the line in the final race, and once again plenty of money.

Why a Triple Crown Winner Has Been So Elusive

Michael Dempsey — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:16:42 -0400

Three decades and counting, horse racing fans have waited. A dozen times since Affirmed won the last Triple Crown, a horse has shown up at Belmont Park looking to win the Triple Crown, and they all exited New York without it.

The Triple Crown talk heated up after Orb’s impressive victory in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago, sending him into the Preakness Stakes as the 3-5 betting favorite, but a heady gate-to-wire ride by Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens aboard Oxbow extinguished Orb's bid for history.

Alas, we will have to wait at least another year.

After three Triple Crown winners in six years in the 1970s, why has there been a void for more than three decades?

The Durability and Pedigree of Thoroughbreds

The most common reason given for a lack of a Triple Crown winner is the theory that horses are not as durable as they were generations ago.

It is true that horses are bred more for speed than stamina, and they race less often than generations ago.

However, Dr. Dean W. Richardson, chief of large animal surgery at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, does not agree that horses today are more fragile (via Liz Clarke of the Washington Post).

"There is a widely held belief that horses are less sound today than they were 30 to 50 years ago because horses back then raced more frequently and more horses had longer visible careers," Richardson said.

"“The problem I have with that interpretation is that I believe trainers actually are more tuned in to their horses’ problems today and are less inclined to race a horse with a known musculoskeletal lesion that increases risk of further injury."

Still, the fact remains that horses do race less today than their predecessors. When Secretariat won the Kentucky Derby in 1973, it was his 13th career start. It was start No. 14 for Affirmed. Citation, the 1949 Triple Crown champion, won the Derby in his 17th start.

Two Triple Crown winners, Sir Barton (1919) and Count Fleet (1943), both won the Withers Stakes in between their wins in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. That would never happen today.

With horses bred more for speed, top-class horses rarely run in races longer than one-and-one-eighth miles, yet the Triple Crown races are all longer and contested in a five-week span. Most top horses only race once every five or six weeks. Last year's Horse of the Year, Wise Dan, only raced six times all year.

No Incentive for Derby Runners to Come Back for Preakness

Another reason it is so tough to sweep all three races is that there is no incentive for the horses that finish behind the winner in the Derby to wheel back in two weeks for the Preakness. It makes the Preakness easier to win, but then there are more fresh horses waiting to pull off the upset in the Belmont Stakes.

This year Orb did not have to face the Derby runner-up, third-place or fourth-place finisher, as they bypassed the Preakness.

That might explain why a dozen Derby winners were able to come back and win the Preakness, but none of them were able to seal the deal three weeks later in the Belmont Stakes.

We also do not see the rivalries develop as often as we did in previous decades, like in 1989, when Sunday Silence and Easy Goer developed one of the greatest rivalries of all time.

Real Quiet and Victory Gallop ran one-two in all three Triple Crown races in 1998, producing the most excruciating near-miss in the history of the Triple Crown. Bob Baffert trainee Real Quiet swept the first two jewels of the Triple Crown, with the Elliott Walden-trained Victory Gallop finishing second in both races.

In the Belmont Stakes, Real Quiet, purchased for just $37,000, opened up a clear lead in the stretch under jockey Kent Desormeaux, and the first Triple Crown winner in two decades looked like a near certainty.

Victory Gallop and jockey Gary Stevens had other ideas, rallying strong late while Real Quiet started to shorten stride, and nailed the Derby and Preakness winner in the last jump. The margin of victory was a nose.

Except for the Derby winner, there is no real incentive for trainers to put their horses through a three-race grind in a five-week span. There are lucrative races later in the summer for three-year-olds, such as the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park and the Travers at Saratoga. They can pick their spots and skip one of the Triple Crown races if they so choose.

It's Just a Different Game Now, Void of That Special Horse

If there is a Triple Crown winner in the near future, the gentleman who will likely describe the history is veteran race announcer Larry Collmus, who has a theory on why the Triple Crown has been so elusive.

"I think it's because racing has changed so much over the years," NBC's Collmus told Bleacher Report. "Horses are making fewer starts and spacing them apart more than they used to, while the Triple Crown has remained exactly the same. Those three races in a five-week span are unlike anything the modern-day horses have gone through before. That's what makes it so hard, and so special."

"Winning the Triple Crown takes a special horse, a special ride and a special training job," Bruno De Julio, one of the top Triple Crown workout specialists, horse owner and publisher of leading horse racing website Racing With Bruno, told Bleacher Report. "Like Yogi Berra used to say, 'The game is 60 percent physical and 75 percent mental.' Well, winning the Triple Crown is 75 percent horse and 80 percent racing luck."

Perhaps we have just not seen the second coming of Secretariat and Seattle Slew yet, a horse talented and lucky enough to sweep the three races.

Until we do, winning the Triple Crown will continue to be one of the most elusive feats in all of sports.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

Preakness 2013 Video: Highlights, Analysis and Earnings for Every Horse

Maxwell Ogden — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:15:07 -0400

The 2013 Preakness Stakes is in the books, and Oxbow won the prestigious event in stunning fashion.

Oxbow, led by jockey Gary Stevens and trainer D. Wayne Lukas, started from the No. 6 post and got off to a strong start. Surprisingly, Oxbow did not falter down the stretch, leading the race from the start and holding that advantage throughout.

Even with Itsmyluckyday's best efforts, Oxbow managed to hold on.

It was a legendary victory for all parties involved.

With the win, Stevens won his third career Preakness Stakes event after conquering Pimlico Race Course in 1997 and 2001. This is the third time that Stevens has completed the career Triple Crown, as he's won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes three times each.

Nine collective victories in horse racing's prestigious event improves Stevens' status as one of the greatest jockeys to ever ride.

As for Lukas, the legendary trainer now owns six victories at the Preakness Stakes. This is the first time he's won at Pimlico since 1999, though, which suggests that his status amongst the greats has improved, as well.

So how did it all play out at the Preakness Stakes?

Place	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Earnings
1	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	$620,000
2	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	$200,000
3	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	$100,00
4	Orb	Joel Rosario	Claude R. McGaughey	$50,000
5	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O'Neill	$30,000
6	Departing	Brian Hernandez, Jr.	Albert M. Stall Jr.	N/A
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	N/A
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	N/A
9	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	Eddie Plesa Jr.	N/A

Earnings via America's Best Racing.

Perhaps no story is as captivating leaving this race as the fact that Orb fell short in his bid to win the second leg of the Triple Crown. As inspiring as his Kentucky Derby win may have been, this comes with disappointment and underlying expectancy.

No horse has won the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.

The 35-year dry spell continues.

With Orb's defeat, however, comes Oxbow's leap into the ranks of the elite. With a decorated trainer and jockey working with him, Oxbow has proved to be a force to be reckoned with as we approach the 2013 Belmont Stakes.

For what it's worth, both Stevens and Lukas have won multiple races at Belmont Park.

One of the more disappointing finishes belonged to Govenor Charlie, who reunited jockey Martin Garcia with Bob Baffert. The duo won the 2010 Preakness Stakes with Lookin At Lucky but finished in eighth place this year.

The term underwhelming is an understatement.

Fortunately, there were pleasant surprises, such as Oxbow winning and Mylute coming in third. Jockey Rosie Napravnik failed to become the first female winner at the Preakness Stakes but still displayed her upside.

The 25-year-old has a bright future.

With that being said, it all comes back to Oxbow, who shocked the world to win big. Oxbow won in dominant fashion, overcoming the odds and reminding us why the legends will always reign supreme.

It was a marvelous achievement for a deserving group.

2013 NBA Mock Draft: Post-Combine Edition

Jonathan Wasserman — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:14:07 -0400

With the NBA combine wrapped up, we've updated our latest mock draft to reflect the results. This will be the last mock until the NBA lottery is conducted on Tuesday, May 21, when we'll have a better idea of the actual draft order.

Some of the prospects shone at the combine. A few actually moved the needle, a needle that rarely ever budges during an event like this one.

Between measurements, athletic testing and simple drills, scouts and decision-makers were able to get a look at the field standing side by side.

Note: You can find the player measurements right here at NBADraft.net. You can also get the 15-best scores for each athletic test here from NBA.com.

Begin Slideshow

Belmont Stakes 2013: Early Predictions Post-Preakness

Jessica Paquette — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:09:14 -0400

With the dust barely settling from the Preakness Stakes and the disappointment sinking in that horse racing will once again go without a Triple Crown winner, the gaze now switches to the Belmont Stakes.

The Belmont Stakes on June 8 is truly the test of champions. At a grueling 1 1/2 miles, it is farther than any of these horses have ever run in a race and longer than most will ever compete in again. After Oxbow turned in an upset performance in the Preakness Stakes, the Triple Crown is no longer a possibility for Orb.

Here are some early predictions about what to expect three weeks from now in the Belmont Stakes.

Begin Slideshow

Preakness 2013 Purse: Complete Payout List for Each Owner, Horse and Jockey

Tim Keeney — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:04:06 -0400

D. Wayne Lukas and Co. can now afford all the grass and oats that Oxbow desires.

With a clinical, wire-to-wire run at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday afternoon, Oxbow became the winner of the 138th running of the Preakness Stakes and earned his camp a cool $620,000 of the $1 million purse.

Not only that, but anyone who took a chance on the talented horse and his 50-year-old jockey, Gary Stevens, walked away with some impressive earnings themselves—the thoroughbred entered Saturday with 15-1 odds.

Here's a look at the final results (courtesy of NBC telecast):

Preakness 2013 Earnings

Finish	Post	Horse	Jockey	Owner	Earnings
1	6	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	Bluegrass Hall LLC	$620,000
2	9	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Laurie Plesa - Trilogy Stables	$200,000
3	5	Mylute	Rosie Nepravnik	Gold Mark Farm, LLC - Whisper Hill Farm	$100,000
4	1	Orb	Joel Rosario	Stuart S. Janney III - Phipps Stable	$50,000
5	2	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Dave Kenney - W.C. Racing	$30,000
6	4	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr.	Adele B. Dilschneider - Claiborne Farm	$0
7	7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	Willis D. Horton	$0
8	8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Michael E. Pegram	$0
9	3	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	William Davis, Paul Hornung, Ed Martin	$0

Preakness 2013 Payouts

Pos.	Horse	Win	Place	Show
1	Oxbow	$32.80	$12.00	$6.80
2	Itsmyluckyday		$7.80	$5.00
3	Mylute			$5.20

Notable Results

Fourth: Orb ($50,000)

Well, the race for the Triple Crown will last another year.

Kentucky Derby winner Orb entered Pimlico as the odds-on favorite in the second jewel of the Triple Crown, but when it looked like he was going to make another push toward the front of the pack, he got caught inside and wasn't able to make his move.

Nevertheless, a fourth-place finish and $50,000 isn't such a bad consolation prize for jockey Joel Rosario, who entered the race first in 2013 earnings for jockeys.

If Orb races at Belmont, he will still be a favorite.

Third: Mylute ($100,000)

Rosie Nepravnik didn't quite achieve the history she was hoping to make with a victory, though a third-place finish is nothing to be disappointed about.

She entered as the fifth-most successful jockey of the year, and this finish should only further entrench her as one of the world's most talented riders.

Nepravnik and Mylute were closing quickly in the final stretch, and at the mile-and-a-half Belmont Stakes, they should be an extremely popular pick.

Follow @t_keen

Hernandez-Harrison vs. Soto: Live Round-by-Round Updates and Analysis

Alejandro 'A-TRAIN' Burgos — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:02:46 -0400

It's fight night! Dusty Hernandez-Harrison (14-0, 8 KO) faces his toughest professional challenge in veteran Eddie Soto (12-6, 4 KO) on Saturday from the University of the District of Columbia Sports Complex in Washington, D.C.

The entire Champion Class fight card—which also includes up-and-coming prospect Mike "Yes Indeed" Reed—will be streamed live via Go Fight Live.

Hernandez-Harrison is looking to establish himself in the welterweight division with an impressive win against Soto. With Grammy nominated hip-hop artist Wale accompanying Hernandez-Harrison during his ring walk, all eyes will be on the young teenage fighter.

After a successful 12-0 start to his boxing career, Soto is looking to get back into the win column after dropping his last six fights. The Pawtucket, R.I. fighter looked in great shape at the weigh-in on Friday and will need to be on his A-game to hand Hernandez-Harrison his first loss.

Stay with us for live commentary of tonight's action.

Preakness 2013 Replay: Video, Highlights and Recap

Richard Langford — Sat, 18 May 2013 18:58:33 -0400

Oxbow helped derail Orb's chase toward history as Gary Stevens jockeyed his horse to a nearly wire-to-wire upset win in the 138th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday afternoon.

Oxbow, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, finished in one minute, 57.54 seconds and won by one-and-three-fourths lengths.

Two Kentucky Derby also-rans rounded out the money finishers. Itsmyluckyday, ridden by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez and trained by Eddie Plesa Jr., took second. Mylute, ridden by Rosie Napravnik and trained by Tom Amoss, took third.

Orb, who was trying to become the 13th winner of the first two legs of the Triple Crown since Affirmed swept all three races in 1978, just never mounted his finishing kick.

He did not appear to handle starting on the rail well in his fourth-place effort. He was looking to become just the second horse since 1961 to win the Preakness after starting in Post No. 1.

The Associated Press tweeted the results:

The race got off to a clean start with Oxbow and Goldencents setting the early pace. Oxbow never tired and finished strong.

Check out the final results below:

Pos.	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Post	Payout
1	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	6	$32.80, $12.00, $6.80
2	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	9	$7.80, $5.00
3	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	5	$5.20
4	Orb	Joel Rosario	Shug McGaughey	1
5	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O'Neill	2
6	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr	Albert M. Stall, Jr	4
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	7
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	8
9	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	D. Wayne Lukas	3

*Results and payouts according to Bovada.

For Hall of Fame trainer Lukas, this was his sixth Preakness win. He now moves into second place all time on the Preakness victory list. The win moved him out of a tie with Bob Baffert and Thomas J. Healey. It leaves him behind only Robert Wyndham Walden, who won the Preakness seven times.

Lukas certainly stood a good chance at claiming the top spot in the Preakness, as he had 33 percent of the field. Will Take Charge and Titletown Five are also Lukas horses.

Orb was so impressive in workouts leading up to the Preakness that Lukas, via the Block News Alliance's Rick Bozich, was inspired to say, "Orb's work the other day would make you not want to enter."

This was Lukas' 14th win in a Triple Crown race.

Bruce Beck of WNBC-TV tweeted this fun fact:

Hall of Fame jockey Stevens got his horse off to a strong start and was able to take the lead without having to set a punishing pace.

Stevens sounded like he had a blast. ESPN Pittsburgh's David Todd passed along this quote from Stevens:

ESPN highlighted the impressive tally of accomplishments for Stevens:

Oxbow finished sixth in the Derby, and he tired after a fast opening pace. This time he benefited from the smaller field and a strong run.

Oxbow's win leaves the June 8 Belmont wide open. No matter what happens now, we will have to wait at least another year for a Triple Crown winner.

2013 Preakness Results: Winner, Payouts and Order of Finish

Matt Fitzgerald — Sat, 18 May 2013 18:51:56 -0400

Oxbow raced out to first place right out of the gates, and he held off a late charge down the stretch to win the 2013 Preakness Stakes. The colt won by one-and-three-quarters lengths on Saturday at Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course.

Itsmyluckyday and Mylute finished second and third, respectively.

Despite maximum effort from Oxbow's closest competitors near the finish, they could never quite catch him. He also thwarted prohibitive favorite Orb's chances at capturing the Triple Crown.

Below are the full race results:

Pos.	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Post
1	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	6
2	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	9
3	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	5
4	Orb	Joel Rosario	Shug McGaughey	1
5	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O’Neill	2
6	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr	Albert M. Stall, Jr	4
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	7
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	8
9	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	D. Wayne Lukas	3

The No. 6 starting post continued to be magical for Gary Stevens and Oxbow, as ESPN Stats & Info highlighted after the wire-to-wire triumph:

Leading the Preakness the entire time is an extremely rare and impressive achievement, as Yahoo! Sports points out:

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas won his sixth career Preakness, and he set an all-time record with his 14th Triple Crown victory. Lukas is known for entering long shots into races, and fittingly it was the least likely of his three entries that gave him his most recent win.

Stevens set a moderate pace in the beginning, and he confidently pushed his speedy colt further when he saw no one seriously challenging.

Another Hall of Fame jockey in John Velazquez attempted a late charge down the final stretch, but it ultimately wasn't enough.

Rosie Napravnik was attempting to become the first female jockey to win the Preakness at the track she began her career at. Unfortunately, she got jumbled on the straightaway, and she needed to split too far to the outside.

There wasn't much suspense for Orb. He encountered traffic issues starting at post No. 1, and he recovered too late, ultimately finishing in fourth.

Below is the payout listings for the top three horses:

Horse	Win	Place	Show
Oxbow	$32.80	$12.00	$6.80
Itsmyluckyday	—	$7.80	$5.00
Mylute	—	—	$5.20

Exacta: (6-9) paid $301.40; Trifecta: (6-9-5) paid $2,061.40; $1 Superfecta: (6-9-5-1) paid $1,817.80.

This was a thrilling showcase, and it was a dominant performance by Stevens. The 50-year-old jockey retired for seven years before saddling up with Oxbow in the Kentucky Derby, where he ran to a sixth-place effort.

Before the race, Stevens indicated to NBC's Bob Costas that he was inspired by fellow aging jockey Mike Smith's success during his hiatus from horse racing. Stevens' return was clearly worth it, as he won his third Preakness Stakes and captured the coveted Woodlawn Vase.

Stephen Panus logged a clever comment Lukas made after the race, when he clearly had no sympathy over Orb's potential bid for horse racing's ultimate honor:

While some wind may be sucked out of June 8's Belmont Stakes, Lukas and Stevens don't mind. They've simply fortified their status among the best trainers and jockeys of all time.

Note: Statistics, odds and prior results, unless otherwise indicated, are courtesy of Preakness.com.

Preakness 2013 Payout: Full Breakdown of Earnings for Each Horse

Justin Onslow — Sat, 18 May 2013 18:51:40 -0400

Orb was the post-time favorite to take the second leg of the Triple Crown, but Oxbow put that talk to rest with a thrilling first-place finish in the 138th running of the Preakness Stakes with a dominating showing at Pimlico Race Course.

Oxbow started from the No. 6 post with 14-1 odds to triumph, but jockey Gary Stevens got a tremendous start from his horse out the gates and never relinquished the lead. The colt held the lead from gate to finish, staving off a late surge from second-place finisher Itsmyluckyday and third-place finisher Mylute.

It was the first wire-to-wire finish at the Preakness in 31 years, as Yahoo! Sports pointed out with this tweet:

Place	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Earnings	Payouts
1	Oxbow	D. Wayne Lukas	Gary Stevens	$620,000	$32.80 (win) $12 (place) $6.80 (show)
2	Itsmyluckyday	Eddie Plesa Jr.	John Velazquez	$200,000	$7.80 (place) $5 (show)
3	Mylute	Tom Amoss	Rosie Napravnik	$100,000	$5.20 (show)
4	Orb	Shug McGaughey	Joel Rosario	$50,000
5	Goldencents	Doug O’Neill	Kevin Krigger	$30,000
6	Departing	Albert M. Stall Jr.	Brian Hernandez Jr.	$0
7	Will Take Charge	D. Wayne Lukas	Mike Smith	$0
8	Govenor Charlie	Bob Baffert	Martin Garcia	$0
9	Titletown Five	D. Wayne Lukas	Julien Leparoux	$0

*Payouts based on $2 bet. Via America's Best Racing on Twitter.

*$1 million purse

After winning the Kentucky Derby on May 4, Orb was the post-time favorite (3-5) to repeat that feat at the Preakness. But a slow start and an inability to find a clear lane to the front of the pack limited the colt's ability to make a late-race push. Despite being one of the best late closers in the field, jockey Joel Rosario was unable to get his horse through the clutter and into the winner's circle.

After a sixth-place finish at the Derby, Oxbow was a considerable long shot to win the Black-Eyed Susan Blanket Saturday. Veteran jockey Gary Stevens wasn't concerned with the odds, though, as he took the colt on one of the most impressive runs in recent Preakness history.

Itsmyluckyday (8-1) emerged as a late pre-race favorite to turn in a second-place finish with jockey John Velazquez on his back. The colt made a furious push down the stretch, but Oxbow's lead was too substantial to overcome.

Mylute and jockey Rosie Napravnik rounded out the top three with a strong third-place performance. Despite entering with 10-1 odds, Mylute impressed from the No. 5 post, finishing just shy of Itsmyluckyday down the stretch.

*Post-time odds courtesy of NBC telecast. Final odds also found at Bovada.lv.