Kentucky Derby 2013: Horses to Watch in Upcoming Preakness Stakes

The weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby are full of excitement and anticipation. By the time the winning horse is draped in the garland of roses, the focus shifts to the second leg of the Triple Crown, and all eyes are fixed on potential winners.

Orb entered the Run for the Roses the co-favorite at 6-1 and proved it was the best choice for the role. With a time of 2:02.89, the three-year-old colt beat long shot Golden Soul by 2.5 lengths and became the prohibitive favorite to win at Pimlico Race Course in less than two weeks, and the only thoroughbred this year able to challenge for the first Triple Crown in 35 years.

Several top Derby challengers are unlikely to make the trip to Baltimore, however. According to Ron Mitchell of BloodHorse.com, trainer Todd Pletcher may not enter any of his five Derby thoroughbreds in the Preakness this year—a list that includes pre-race favorites Revolutionary and Verrazano.

Oxbow and Will Take Charge could both be headed to the second leg of the Triple Crown, however. Mitchell notes that D. Wayne Lukas does plan on entering his two Derby horses in the race at Pimlico on May 18.

The field is yet to be determined, but we have a pretty clear picture of some of the top contenders to race in less than two weeks at the Preakness Stakes. Let’s take a look at three of the top potential challengers and break down their chances of winning the Black-eyed Susan Blanket.

Kentucky Derby Finishers

Place	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Post
1	Orb	Joel Rosario	Shug McGaughey	16
2	Golden Soul	Robby Albarado	Dallas Stewart	4
3	Revolutionary	Calvin Borel	Todd Pletcher	3
4	Normandy Invasion	Javier Castellano	Chad Brown	5
5	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	6
6	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	2
7	Lines of Battle	Ryan Moore	Aidan O'Brien	11
8	Will Take Charge	Jon Court	D. Wayne Lukas	17
9	Charming Kitten	Edgar Prado	Todd Pletcher	15
10	Giant Finish	Jose L. Espinoza	Anthony W. Dutrow	7
11	Overanalyze	Rafael Bejarano	Todd Pletcher	9
12	Palace Malice	Mike Smith	Todd Pletcher	10
13	Java's War	Julien Leparoux	Kenny McPeek	19
14	Verrazano	John R. Velazquez	Todd Pletcher	14
15	Itsmyluckyday	Elvis Trujillo	Eddie Plesa Jr.	12
16	Frac Daddy	Victor Lebron	Kenny McPeek	18
17	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O'Neill	8
18	Vyjack	Garrett Gomez	Rudy Rodriguez	20
19	Falling Sky	Luis Saez	John Terranova II	13

 

Itsmyluckyday

Itsmyluckyday wasn’t so lucky on Saturday, but the three-year-old has plenty of good races left to run this season.

The Eddie Plesa Jr.-trained colt was expected to put on a good show at Churchill Downs, but it seems the sloppy track conditions slowed one of the fastest sprinters in the field. Starting in the No. 12 post position wouldn’t have ordinarily been a problem for the versatile horse; the conditions just weren’t ideal for an upset bid.

Should Plesa’s best three-year-old run at the Stakes, it will definitely be worth keeping an eye on as a pre-race favorite and potential Preakness winner. Itsmyluckyday has the speed and stamina to run from anywhere in the pack from any starting position, and jockey Elvis Trujillo now has a big race under his belt on the back of the Holy Bull Stakes winner.

Goldencents

Like Itsmyluckyday, Goldencents failed to live up to lofty expectations at Churchill Downs. The highly regarded colt finished the Derby in 17th place, dashing the hopes of trainer Doug O’Neill in the process.

But according to Mitchell, O’Neill may take another crack at it with Goldencents at the Stakes. Should the three-year-old run on a dry track at the Preakness, there’s no reason it shouldn’t be considered an early favorite to win.

Easily one of the fastest-sprinting horses at the Derby, Goldencents has the speed to make any race competitive. Sloppy track conditions at the Derby prohibited it from getting a good break from the gates and setting the pace (something Goldencents excels at), but things may turn out a little different at the Preakness.

Orb

Orb will be the favorite entering the Preakness, and why not? Everyone is hoping to see a Triple Crown winner for the first time in 35 years, and Orb is the only horse with the chance of accomplishing that feat this year.

Shug McGaughey’s only Derby-winning horse hasn’t lost a race since last November and has the makings of a true Triple Crown contender. It’s still early, but there’s reason to be hopeful.

One of the most exciting aspects of Orb’s style is its ability to burst from the pack down the stretch. One of the best closers among all three-year-old racing thoroughbreds, the McGaughey-trained horse can’t be ruled out until the race is complete.

Provided Orb doesn’t sustain any major injuries in the two weeks leading up to the Stakes, expect the Derby winner to be an overwhelming favorite to secure the second leg of the Triple Crown.