Preakness Stakes Horses

The field for the 2013 Preakness Stakes has nine horses scheduled to take part in the second leg of the Triple Crown on Saturday, May 17. Orb comes in as the 10/11 favorite after winning the Kentucky Derby. Six of these horses also ran in the Derby, so we can get a good gauge on about two-thirds of the field coming in. Here is a quick look at the nine horses that are headed to Pimlico this weekend.

Orb (10/11)

His win at the Kentucky Derby was his fifth straight victory overall. Orb passes 13 horses in the final half-mile to win the 139th Kentucky Derby by 2 1/2 lengths. He also won both the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and the Grade 1 Florida Derby prior to his triumph at Churchill Downs.

Mylute (13/2)

Finishes second-best among the six horses in the Preakness field that also ran in the Kentucky Derby. Mylute took home a $60,000 payday for finishing a closing fifth in the Derby, finishing four lengths behind Orb. Had previously come up a neck short at the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby behind Derby third-place finisher Revolutionary.

Departing (13/2)

Won the Grade 3 Illinois Derby on April 20 by 3 1/4 lengths. That triumph punched Departing’s ticket to Baltimore. With only one loss in five lifetime starts, and fresh due to not racing in the Kentucky Derby, this horse is certainly worth a look. His only loss was a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby behind Revolutionary and Mylute, who ran third and fifth in the Kentucky Derby, respectively.

Goldencents (8/1)

Has finished in the top three in five of seven career starts. However, one of his misses was at the Kentucky Derby, where he was eased up late and crossed the wire in 17th place despite being one of the betting favorites. Goldencents’ best performance yet came in the race prior as he won the Santa Anita Derby by 1 1/4 lengths.

Governor Charlie (10/1)

There is a lot to like about Governor Charlie, especially since he’s fresh after not running in the Kentucky Derby. He won the Grade 3 Sunland Derby by five lengths in record fashion last time out on March 24. Governor Charlie ran the 1 1/8-mile Sunland Derby in 1:47:54, which proved to be the fastest time in stakes history.

Itsmyluckyday (10/1)

There’s not a lot to like about this horse after tiring through six furlongs at the Kentucky Derby to finish a disappointing 15th. However, it was the worse outing of his 11-race career, and a sloppy track could have been to blame. Itsmyluckyday has only missed the board three times, wwo of which came in the final two races of his 2-year-old season. He opened this year with a 6 3/4-length romp in the Gulstream Park Derby before winning the Grade 3 Holy Bull by two lengths.

Will Take Charge (12/1)

Ran in the middle of the pack in the Kentucky Derby before making a five-wide move with a quarter-mile left. He ran into traffic and wound up finishing eighth, just two spots behind stablemate Oxbow. Will Take Charge had beaten Oxbow by a head in their previous start at the Grade 2 Rebel.

Oxbow (16/1)

These are pretty good odds for a horse that finished in sixth place at the Kentucky Derby. He was within a half-length of leader Normandy Invasion with a quarter-mile to run before fading down the stretch. Oxbow has a win at the Grade 3 LeComte, a fourth-place finish by a half-length at the Grade 2 Risen Star, a second-place finish at the Grade 2 Rebel, and a disappointing fifth-place finish at the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby under his belt.

Titletown Five (28/1)

Winless in three starts in 2013, Titletown Five is the long shot for good reason. He has only one victory in seven career tries, which was a nine-length triumph over seven furlongs at Churchill Downs last October. He did run second at Saratoga behind future Grade 1 winner Violence, and finished a length ahead of Orb, who obviously won the Kentucky Derby.

About the Author: Jack Jones has been ranked in the Top-5 on the Overall Leaderboard for almost all of 2012 here at Betfirms. He has climbed as high as No. 2 while competing against roughly 80 of the best handicappers in the world. He finished as the No. 6 Ranked Basketball Handicapper from 2011-12, which combines pro and college hoops. His $1,000/game basketball players cashed in $22,310 last season. Head on over to Jack's premium pick page to see what he has in store for tonight!