Kentucky Derby 2013: Why Orb Will Continue Winning Ways

Orb, the posting time favorite at the 139th Kentucky Derby, started out slow but soared down the stretch en route to an impressive Triple-Crown victory.

Now comes the fun part.

Happy as we are for Shug McGaughey and Co., most racing fans—and sports viewers en masse—care less about trainers and more about seeing a Triple Crown. The drought has reached tragic proportions, starting to border on curse rather than trend.

But Orb has the look of a horse that can compete, far from a one-race wonder. Here are three reasons he'll continue to find success in the wake of Saturday:

Superior Training

Orb wasn't always considered a Triple Crown contending thoroughbred. I know, that's hard to believe after Saturday's events, but it's the honest-to-God truth. He finished third, fourth and fourth in three races toward the end of 2012 and looked to have maxed out as a fringe contender to show.

But his trainer, Claude "Shug" McGaughey, isn't in the Hall of Fame for no reason. He never gave up on his horse, working to improve him every day, and in present shape, Orb looks like a champion racer and then some.

He won all four of his races leading up to the Kentucky Derby and, with Saturday's win, now finds himself on an impressive five-game winning streak. In the process, Shug has helped him become a daunting physical specimen and a fearsome runner down the stretch.

McGaughey has never won at the Preakness, but he did win the 1989 Belmont Stakes with Easy Goer. With a win at Pimlico, that experience on Long Island could become paramount.

Joel Rosario

Orb isn't just the hottest horse in the Triple Crown; he's also being ridden by the sport's hottest jockey.

Joel Rosario has been on quite the roll this season. He rose Animal Kingdom to the Dubai World Cup, then cemented his annus mirabilis with Saturday's ride at Churchill.

He stopped riding Orb at one point this season, ceding the reins briefly to John Velazquez, who promptly won two races with the horse himself. But given the choice between Orb and Verrazano to ride on Saturday, Velazquez chose the latter, and there sealed his fate.

Verrazano finished 14th.

Rosario and Orb have a nice rapport, and each seems to be getting better in sync with the other. That could be auspicious down the line. 

Pedigree

I have trouble expressing proper pedigree parlance, so I'll let KentuckyDerby.com do the heavy lifting:

"

Orb is infused with an abundance of stamina from his dam, Lady Liberty, who won over as far as 1 1/2 miles on turf. She is by champion Unbridled, hero of the 1990 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic.

His sire, Malibu Moon...has...lived up to his pedigree by becoming a successful sire. His best son so far is Declan's Moon, the champion two-year-old male of 2004, but most of his headliners have been fillies, including Life at Ten, Devil May Care, Ask the Moon and Funny Moon -- all major winners at 1 1/4 miles.

"

Even if you aren't up to code in horse-breeding jargon, it's not tough to tell how good that is.

Training, jockeying and momentum can only get a horse so far. At some point, like most every sporting contest in the world, genetics come into significant play.

Orb has the pedigree of a champion, and he's certainly starting to live up to that potential. If he keeps making his line this proud, one day his sons will be bragging about their pedigree too.

*View below for a complete list of Kentucky Derby Results

Place	Horse	Odds
1	Orb	5-1
2	Golden Soul	34-1
3	Revolutionary	6-1
4	Normandy Invasion	9-1
5	Mylute	15-1
6	Oxbow	24-1
7	Lines of Battle	31-1
8	Will Take Charge	36-1
9	Charming Kitten	33-1
10	Giant Finish	38-1
11	Overanalyze	16-1
12	Palace Malice	23-1
13	Java's War	21-1
14	Verrazano	8-1
15	Itsmyluckyday	9-1
16	Frac Daddy	25-1
17	Goldencents	7-1
18	Vyjack	18-1
19	Falling Sky	39-1