Kentucky Derby 2013: Projecting Favorites for Preakness After Exciting Race

With the Kentucky Derby now behind us, it is time to turn our attention to the Preakness Stakes.

It has been 35 years since a horse won the Triple Crown, and fans have been dying to see another one. After Orb's victory at Churchill Downs, the question remains whether or not the horse has the ability to break this long drought. 

Of course, it will not be that easy. There will be a number of competitors ready to avenge their losses in the Kentucky Derby and looking to get a win in at least one of the Triple Crown races. While the field will not be exactly the same, here are the horses that will be the early favorites at Pimlico on May 18. 

Verrazano

Things did not go as planned for Verrazano at the Kentucky Derby. The horse was one of the favorites after winning the first four races of its career, although its lack of experience became a problem during this race.

Verrazano had never had to deal with a wet track or a congested field, and the moment was simply too much for the contender.

However, the things that made it such a great bet at Churchill Downs will not go away heading into the next major race. As long as it does not rain again, the pure speed should come out as the horse looks to improve upon its 14th-place finish.

In a more open track, Verrazano is as good of a bet as any.

Revolutionary

Thanks in part to the respect given to jockey Calvin Borel, Revolutionary saw its odds climb a lot before the Kentucky Derby and it came into the race with the second-best odds at 6-1.

On a muddy course, it generally lived up to expectations with a third-place finish behind Orb and Golden Soul.

While Borel has had much more success at Churchill Downs over his career, he did win the Preakness in 2009 aboard Rachel Alexandra. This experience is certain to help as he looks to win yet again.

Todd Pletcher has too many talented horses this year to get shut out of the Triple Crown races.

Orb

While the Preakness is not the exact same length of the Kentucky Derby, they are similar distances. This is part of the reason that so many horses are able to win these two events back to back.

Since 1997, eight horses have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, all of which coming up short at Belmont. Last year, I'll Have Another seemed like a good bet to break the streak, but it was forced to scratch with a late injury.

While the final race will be a challenge, there is reason to believe Orb can at least win the Preakness.

It has now won five starts in a row and continues to show that it can handle anything. It overcame a tough post at No. 16, it overcame the mud at Churchill Downs and it was able to come back from a relatively mediocre start.

Orb was the best horse in the field on Saturday and it should remain in that spot once again at the Preakness.

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