2013 Kentucky Derby: Horses Most Likely to Rebound at Preakness Stakes

The 2013 Kentucky Derby turned out to be a shining moment for Orb and his jockey Joel Rosario as the duo claimed victory at Churchill Downs. For some of the other contenders, it was a bitter disappointment.

Sloppy track conditions and a competitive field forced some favorites to underperform in the biggest race of them all. While some long shots like Golden Soul put together great runs and shocked spectators, other favorites failed to live up to expectations.

Fortunately for those horses, the Derby is just the first leg of the big-money trilogy.

While the Triple Crown is the path to horse racing immortality, there's no shame in winning just one of the big three races—not to mention plenty of money.

These horses may not have put on their best performance in the Kentucky Derby but will still be contenders at Pimlico.

Goldencents

Goldencents entered the race as a favorite to put in a good showing. Part of that hype was because he's partially owned by Louisville Cardinals basketball coach Rick Pitino, but he earned some of the credit too.

Wins in three of his last four races leading up to the race showed that he was capable of big things, but a 17th-place finish was far from what was expected.

Ultimately, it was the length of the track that really cost Goldencents. According to USA Today, he was second after a quarter of a mile, fourth after a half-mile and fifth after three-quarters of a mile.

With Goldencents' track record of success and a shorter track at Pimlico, he's a good bet to have a bounce-back performance.

Verrazano

Verrazano was another trendy pick to win the race that disappointed with a bad finish.

He had impressed bettors with wins at the Wood Memorial and Tampa Bay Derby but came up short at Chuchill Downs by finishing 14th in the field of 20. Much of those struggles can be attributed to a gash that was opened up while Verrazano was trying to separate from the pack.

As LGS Racing tweeted out after the race, Verrazano will be back. The disappointment could be wiped away if he rallies back to put on a great performance at the Preakness.

Palace Malice

Palice Malice wasn't exactly expected to be a contender in the Run for the Roses, but his start showed that he has the top-end speed to be a factor.

He jumped out to the early lead at Churchill Downs and appeared to be primed for a surprise run.

Unfortunately, he didn't have the endurance to keep up his torrid pace and he ended up in 12th place. With a better idea of his limitations, Mike Smith may be able to come up with a better strategy at the shorter Pimlico track.

If he can utilize his top speed down the stretch, he'll be a serious threat.