Preakness 2013 Contenders: Horses Certain to Struggle at Pimlico

There are nine contenders in the 2013 Preakness Stakes, but only one horse can win it all on Saturday.

Orb is the heavy favorite to win the middle leg of the Triple Crown after already winning the Kentucky Derby. Fans are hoping to see the horse become the first to win all three races since 1978, but a few other competitors are likely to present a challenge.

On the other hand, a few other horses are unlikely to contend by the final stretch. Here is a look at the full list of entries with a highlight on the challengers that will struggle in this race.

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Orb	Joel Rosario	Shug McGaughey	1/1
2	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O’Neill	8/1
3	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	D. Wayne Lukas	30/1
4	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr.	Albert M. Stall, Jr.	6/1
5	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	5/1
6	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	15/1
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	12/1
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	12/1
9	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	10/1

*Morning line via KY Derby Contenders Twitter feed.

Titletown Five

There is a reason that Titletown Five only has 30-1 odds of winning. He has not won a race since October and failed to finish in the money in his previous two starts.

In the horse's biggest race of his career, the Louisiana Derby, he only managed to finish in ninth place. 

To make matters worse, Titletown Five will have to start in the middle of the four top contenders at Pimlico and will likely be forced to the back of the pack early on.

While D. Wayne Lukas is an outstanding trainer and even part owner of this horse, it's unlikely that he finishes in the top half of this field.

Itsmyluckyday

Few horses should be more disappointed with the post position than Itsmyluckyday. The horse will try to succeed from the farthest spot from the rail, and that does not suit the thoroughbred's style.

Most expected a strong start from Itsmyluckyday at the Kentucky Derby, but the wet conditions forced him to try to come from behind. He was unable to make up any ground and finished in 15th place.

While the track should be faster at Pimlico, the outside post will once again prevent the horse from getting into position near the rail. He is not as good of a closer as he is a starter.

Combine this with the fact that this will be the first time John Velazquez will ride Itsmyluckyday, and this is not a good recipe for success.

Will Take Charge

The good news is that Will Take Charge has as much experience on longer races as anyone else in the field. He has six races of one mile or longer, although he has seen mixed results in that time.

In those races, the D. Wayne Lukas horse has two wins, one show and three finishes of sixth or worse. At the Kentucky Derby, he was never able to get near the front of the pack and had to settle for eighth place.

Will Take Charge will also attempt to win with a new jockey, as Mike Smith replaces Jon Court, who was responsible for the horse's previous victories.

Although this horse has some impressive performances in his career, too many things are going against him in the upcoming race.

Follow @TheRobGoldberg