Kentucky Derby 2013: Ranking Top Contenders from Churchill Downs for Preakness

With the Preakness just two weeks away and presenting a grueling task for any horse looking to compete in the first two legs of the Triple Crown, only the best-equipped horses will be trying to pull off this feat. 

That makes my job for this article a little easier since plenty of horses from the Kentucky Derby can be eliminated from contention. This includes all five of Todd Pletcher's Derby horses, even Revolutionary, who came in third at the Derby.

BloodHorse.com's Ron Mitchell passed along that "Pletcher said it is unlikely any of his" Derby horses will run in the Preakness.

However, Mitchell does pass along that D. Wayne Lukas' Oxbow and Will Take Charge will be running in the Preakness. Also that Itsmyluckyday, Goldencents and Mylute are possibilities to run in the Preakness. 

These horses, along with Kentucky Derby winner Orb, are all being considered for the Preakness for good reasons: They showed they had what it takes to win that race. 

So, with that in mind, I will rank the three best from that group in terms of their chances to win the second leg of the Triple Crown. 

First, in case you missed it, take a look at the running of the 139th Kentucky Derby and the ensuing results:

Place	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Post
1	Orb	Joel Rosario	Claude R. McGaughey III	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

*Results via KentuckyDerby.com.

No. 3: Goldencents

Trainer Doug O'Neill came up well short of becoming the first trainer to pick up back-to-back wins at the Kentucky Derby since Bob Baffert in the 90s. 

Goldencents came in a disappointing 17th. However, his run was not as bad as his finish. With a fast early pace in the mud, Goldencents made his charge too early and faded. He then eased up before the finish. 

This horse clearly flashed the speed needed, and he's shown in the past, like he did in his win in the nine-furlong Santa Anita Derby, that he can handle distance.

He just needs to run a smarter race. If he does, he has the speed to finish the job. 

No. 2: Mylute

Mylute came in with a solid fifth-place finish at the Derby, but what was even more impressive was the way he did it. 

This horse was flying down the backstretch. A fact not lost on his jockey, Rosie Napravnik:

The closing speed should have come as a surprise to no one. 

This is the same horse that made a charge on Revolutionary in the Louisiana Derby. He couldn't hold off Revolutionary at the finish line, but he has proven he has an elite finishing kick.

This horse now has just two wins in his 10 career starts, but he has the talent. With his strong close in the Kentucky Derby, I've got a feeling he is about to put it all together. 

No. 1: Orb

Orb has to be No. 1 on this list, right? He was the favorite at the Derby and he authored a convincing win. 

This horse showed everything you'd like to see in a horse that can pull off the Triple Crown.

With the red-hot Joel Rosario getting the mount, this horse ran a smart race. He didn't get sucked in to the initial fast pace. He then timed his charge perfectly, and he flashed elite speed down the backstretch. 

Orb has now won his last five starts, and he's showing no signs of that streak coming to an end.