Kentucky Derby winner Orb has drawn the inside barrier for the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the triple crown.
Orb was immediately installed as the even money favourite but trainer Shug McGaughey said he would have preferred not to be on the rail.
When asked what his choice would have been, McGaughey responded without hesitation: “The outside.”
The brown colt is looking for his sixth straight victory as part of the smallest Preakness field since 2007 as he continues his bid to become the first triple crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.
Starting from the inside won’t help, but McGaughey reasoned it’s a lot better than getting the No. 1 post at Churchill Downs for the Derby.
“It’s not nearly the problem it would be in the Derby,” he said.
“The Derby is kind of catty-cornered. You got to shove your way out of there or you get shut off down in there. It’s pretty straightforward here.
“There are only nine horses. There’s not going to be that kind of jockeying into the first turn. We’ll just hold our position and see how the race plays out.”
The last horse to win the Preakness from the inside was Tabasco Cat in 1994.
Starting from the rail is considered a disadvantage because, if a horse does not get out in front from that spot, it can easily get pushed to the back of the field by the other competitors.
“He’ll get a clean break and he’ll be able to sit where he wants to sit,” McGaughey said.
“If he’s good enough he’ll be able to make that run, and hopefully he gets there.”
Mylute, the second favourite at 5-1, hopes to take advantage of working out of the No. 5 post.
“The draw was great. We’re in the middle and we’ve got Orb and Departing inside of us, which is great because we can watch and see what happens,” said Todd Quast, general manager of GoldMark Farm, co-owner of Mylute.
“Our horse ran the same race Orb did in the Derby but was three to four lengths behind him.
“So this time, maybe if we can stay a little closer to him at the beginning, we can maybe turn the tables on him.”
The field, from the rail, with odds in parenthesis: Orb (evens), Goldencents (8-1), Titletown Five (30-1), Departing (6-1), Mylute (5-1), Oxbow (15-1), Will Take Charge (12-1), Govenor Charlie (12-1) and Itsmyluckyday (10-1).
