2013 Kentucky Derby

Kentucky Derby

While the attendance record wasn’t broken, 151,616 horseracing fans were trackside for the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby and pre-race favorite, Orb, made sure to entertain every single one of them.

Palace Malice shot out of the gate and held the lead for much of the first mile as Orb was stuck among the back of the pack in 16th. At the eighth pole, Orb’s jockey, Joel Rosario, bounced the colt to the outside and asked him for another gear. Orb responded and together, they made their move. Racing three-wide with Golden Soul and Revolutionary, Orb proved that he had a little extra in the tank and won the Greatest Two Minutes in Sports by 2 1/2 lengths. Golden Soul and Revolutionary finished second and third respectively.

Now that the Run for the Roses is over, the horseracing world turns its focus to the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 18. With his Derby win, Orb has won his last five races in a row and will most certainly occupy one of the gates in an attempt to claim the second jewel in the Triple Crown. However, horseracing experts maintain that Orb is better suited for the Triple Crown’s third leg, the Belmont Stakes and that he may be hampered by the Preakness Stakes’ shorter distance.

As it stands right now, no one knows how the colt will fare in the Preakness, but one thing’s for certain, we’ll find out if Orb can break the 35-year Triple Crown drought soon enough.

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