Orb primed for Preakness; trainer wants Triple Crown 'target'
Orb emerged from the Kentucky Derby in great shape and will be a heavy favorite at the May 18 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. Saturday's second- and third-place finishers will not compete in the Preakness.

Kentucky Derby winner Orb came out of the race in good condition and should run just as well in the Preakness Stakes, trainer Shug McGaughey said, doing nothing to lower expectations about a possible Triple Crown.
"The thing that has amazed me is how well he's come out of his races," McGaughey said Sunday, via the Daily Racing Form. "He hasn't been overcooked. I'd be disappointed if he didn't run the same as he did [Saturday]."
Orb, which came from behind to win, will be the heavy favorite at the May 18 Preakness at Pimlico. Then it’s on to the Belmont Stakes on June 8. McGaughey, who’s based at Belmont Park, said he welcomes “the target” on him as Orb tries to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.
“I can take it," said McGaughey, a 62-year-old native of Lexington, Ky. "I'm enjoying this experience. This is a position I've wanted to be in for 30 some-odd years."
Some are calling Orb the best 3-year-old colt of his generation.
Orb was flown to Belmont on Sunday. McGaughey told the Daily Racing Form that Orb would work out at Belmont on the Monday or Tuesday before the Preakness, and van to Pimlico that Tuesday, May 14.
"I want to get there, settle in, school him in the paddock," McGaughey said.
Second-place finisher Golden Soul and third-place Revolutionary won’t run in the Preakness, according to reports. Oxbow (sixth) and Will Take Charge (eighth) will compete, while Mylute (fifth) is a possibility.
Todd Fletcher, who trains Revolutionary and Overanalyze (11th), won’t bring any of his five Kentucky Derby horses to Baltimore.














