Kentucky Derby 2013: Disappointing Horses Looking to Bounce Back at Preakness

After a wild 2013 Kentucky Derby, the focus of the horse-racing world has shifted to the Preakness Stakes (Saturday, May 18) and Derby winner Orb’s chances of accomplishing the Triple Crown.

One of the underlying storylines heading into the Triple Crown bid is the horses that disappointed on Saturday that are hoping to run a better race at the Preakness.

All of the following horses are probable for the 2013 Preakness Stakes (h/t Horse Racing Nation), and after a poor performance at the Derby, the highlighted stallions below will look to find redemption at Pimlico Race Course.

Full 2013 Kentucky Derby 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

Goldencents

The hype around Goldencents was through the roof coming into the Kentucky Derby. Defending Derby-winning trainer Doug O’Neill and part-owner and Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino were in this horse’s corner. Considering the buildup, a 17th-place finish was beyond disappointing.

The former Santa Anita Derby winner will look to return to that elite form once again at Pimlico and redeem himself for the poor run on Saturday. With so much moisture on the ground at Churchill Downs, the struggle was not unexpected, though.

Horses that have never run in sloppy conditions before were at a serious disadvantage at the Derby, and while Goldencents should have been a serious contender, falling to the back of the pack has afforded the colt the chance to impress at the Preakness.

Look for a strong run from the vaunted stallion.

Oxbow

The sloppy conditions and a terrible start out of the gate hurt Oxbow’s chances of being a real contender at Churchill Downs, but with legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas and Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens together for another race, Oxbow is a serious threat at Pimlico Race Course.

Oxbow’s biggest flaw is that he has never won a race over a mile. With the experience of running through traffic and ending up just outside real contention (finished sixth place) in the Derby, this is a horse and jockey combination that could spoil Orb’s Triple Crown hunt.

If Oxbow can get a solid post position once again and Mother Nature cooperates, there is little doubt that the three-year-old can run through the field and win the Preakness.

Will Take Charge

Another D. Wayne Lukas trained horse that underperformed is Will Take Charge. After finishing in eighth place in the Kentucky Derby, the horse and Lukas will be looking for a much better performance at the Preakness.

Will Take Charge was coming off a huge win at the Rebel Stakes in March, and the experience from running a race like the Derby should be enough to help the horse get over the hump at Pimlico Race Course.

Led by the elite racing of jockey Jon Court, Will Take Charge has all the tools to be a strong contender to not only finish in the top three, but also go on to win the entire Preakness Stakes; all he needs is a great start out of the gates and to stay away from traffic.

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