That race in Kentucky two Saturdays ago was one of the most logical and uneventful Kentucky Derbies you will ever see. Now, the first three finishers, all of whom enjoyed perfect trips at the front of the field, are all back in an eight-horse Preakness where the other five entrants simply look overmatched. What’s a horseplayer to do? It’s frustrating that there are no inspiring new shooters in this Preakness, and even more frustrating that the only two horses from the Derby’s top six who may have run better than their finishes – Frosted, who rallied into a pedestrian pace to be fourth, and Materiality, a late-charging sixth after a rough early trip – are being held out of the Preakness. The constant snubbing of the Preakness by horses who run well in the Derby without winning it is dispiriting. Whatever happened to wanting to prove you have the best 3-year-old, or running a legitimate contender in a $1.5 million race? In their absence, the Derby trio of American Pharoah, Firing Line, and Dortmund will be favored, with a wide gap to the rest of the field. Is there any reason to expect one of their opponents to crack the trifecta, much less the exacta? Tale of Verve appears to be one of the weakest Preakness entrants in recent history. He has one victory in six career starts and a lifetime-best Beyer Speed Figure of 72. The last 25 Preakness winners ran no lower than a 98 (Hansel) and as high as a 118 (Smarty Jones). It was baffling that Mr. Z even ran in the Derby and more baffling that he’s returning in the Preakness under new silks after a 13th-place finish in Louisville. He is probably a little better than that – he did endure some early bumping – but the fact remains that he has lost 12 straight starts since winning his debut and has repeatedly finished behind the top three Derby horses in preps this spring. Bodhisattva is the obligatory local entrant off a victory last month in Pimlico’s Federico Tesio Stakes, but that was his first stakes victory in five starts, and he was trounced in his lone try in a graded race. He’s a tad interesting for having equaled or exceeded his previous Beyer in 11 straight races, but it would require a very big jump here to contend. Danzig Moon has attracted some support as an alternative to the favorites off his fifth-place Derby finish, and whether you take him seriously depends on what you thought of his Derby trip. Those who like him say he was compromised when knocked around and steadied early. I take the opposing view that he had a perfect trip after the opening quarter-mile and couldn’t gain an inch. Divining Rod, who comes into this off a victory five weeks ago in the Lexington Stakes, offers a shred of hope because he has raced only five times and thus has some upside. That wasn’t much of a field he beat in the Lexington, but he earned a Beyer of 98, which is only three points lower than Dortmund’s Derby figure. At 10-1 or better, he could offer a touch of value. All of that leaves us with the three favorites. I just can’t make a case for a victory by Dortmund, who was clearly third-best (at best) in the Derby and proved no match for American Pharoah and Firing Line down the stretch. He’s an admirable horse with a fine record, but it’s possible that nine furlongs is his limit. Firing Line lost two photos to Dortmund a few months ago but was much stronger during the final furlong in the Derby after nine furlongs of stalking the leader. If Firing Line is really going to be a better price (he’s 4-1 on the morning line vs. Dortmund at 7-2), he’s the best alternative to the 4-5 favorite. We still don’t know how good American Pharoah is, but that’s not something to hold against him. His Derby was more workmanlike than dazzling, and after winning his four previous starts by a combined 22 lengths, even his fans found his one-length Derby victory underwhelming. On the other hand, he managed to run down two good horses who set only moderate fractions in front of him. My plan is to use American Pharoah and Firing Line in my pick-whatevers – speaking of which, the pick fives at Pimlico on Friday and Saturday will have a very civilized takeout of just 12 percent. So, let’s call it American Pharoah, then Firing Line, and maybe try to get Divining Rod to edge Dortmund for third at the wire. I would like to have been more imaginative, but sometimes reality is just too compelling.