BALTIMORE – The morning after winning the Kentucky Derby with Orb, trainer Shug McGaughey stood under the shed row of Barn 43 at Churchill Downs, reflecting on his first Derby win and what it would mean two weeks hence in the Preakness Stakes.
“I’m glad I’ve got the target on my back,” McGaughey said. “I’m very comfortable being in that position.”
After Orb scored his decisive victory in the Kentucky Derby and was hailed as a bright new star of racing, many handicappers had a reason for skepticism. They had seen this scenario before.
The Kentucky Derby often unfolds in a way that gives an advantage to horses rallying from far behind. The winner comes to Pimlico amidst acclaim, but the Preakness isn't run like the Derby and it doesn't favor his style. Another Triple Crown bid is foiled, and skeptical bettors are rewarded.
In many years, a Kentucky Derby winner who won the roses on a wet track with a modest Beyer Speed Figure of 104 would be only a tepid favorite for the second leg of the Triple Crown. On Saturday, however, Orb will be even money or less in the 138th Preakness Stakes – and it’s hard to argue with either his price or his prospects of victory.
BALTIMORE - Pimlico Race Course will have a deep and diverse wagering menu for its Friday and Saturday cards that are topped by the respective Black-Eyed Susan and Preakness. Advance wagering on the Preakness will open Friday.
[2013 PREAKNESS STAKES: Latest news, video, and more]
Other wagers for Friday include the new Pimlico Special-Preakness Double, linking the Friday and Saturday stakes in an offering that replaces the Black-Eyed Susan-Preakness Double. It is a $1 minimum bet.
Whether they play Pimlico regularly or not, many horseplayers across the country will, for better or worse, make their biggest plays of the weekend on races there Friday and Saturday. Of course, the bigger races, including Friday's Black-Eyed Susan Stakes and Saturday's Preakness, will have fields comprising largely shippers, but most of the races on the undercard will consist of local runners. And to get an edge in those races it helps to have an understanding of recent track trends.
BALTIMORE - Though they will both try to stop Orb’s Triple Crown bid in Saturday’s Preakness, fellow Hall of Fame trainers Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas were more than happy to welcome Shug McGaughey to the fraternity of Kentucky Derby-winning trainers.
BALTIMORE – Orb beat 18 rivals when he won the Kentucky Derby on May 4, and he did it so convincingly that only five of those runners are trying again in the 138th Preakness Stakes on Saturday here at Pimlico, along with three newcomers to the Triple Crown trail. Eight challengers, it seems, is enough.
BALTIMORE – Will Horton will pretty much be running his entire stable at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, when Will Take Charge starts in the Grade 1, $1 million Preakness Stakes and Laurie’s Rocket goes in the Grade 3, $150,000 Maryland Sprint Handicap. Together, the horses he owns have won a combined 5 of 11 starts this year, for earnings of $636,185. Among their wins have been three stakes races, including the Grade 2, $600,000 Rebel.
BALTIMORE – Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas will have plenty to keep him busy Saturday at Pimlico even before he saddles three horses in the 138th Preakness Stakes.
Lukas has five horses running in three undercard stakes, topped by the uncoupled entry of Optimizer and Skyring in the Grade 2, $300,000 Dixie Stakes.
[2013 PREAKNESS STAKES: Latest news, video, and more]
The Dixie, run at 1 1/8 miles, drew a bulky 13-horse field that lacks a standout.
BALTIMORE – The talent Departing has shown in winning 4 of 5 career starts figures to make him the shortest price among the three newcomers joining the Triple Crown fray Saturday in the Grade 1, $1 million Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. Govenor Charlie and Titletown Five are the only other members of the projected field of nine who did not run in the Kentucky Derby.
