Oxbow steals Preakness as Orb struggles home fourth

Kentucky Derby winner Orb was heavily favored to win Saturday's $1 million

Preakness at Pimlico, middle jewel of the Triple Crown, but at the

conclusion of the 1 3/16-mile classic it was Oxbow, another colt with legendary

connections, who ended Orb's quest to become the first Triple Crown winner since

1978.

Surrounded by racing's latest incarnation of the Sunshine Boys, recently

un-retired Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, 50, and Hall of Fame trainer D.

Wayne Lukas, 77, Oxbow turned in a front-running masterpiece to land the

Preakness for Brad Kelley's Calumet Farm, the historic Lexington, Kentucky,

nursery Kelley purchased last year.

For Stevens, who returned to race-riding in January after a seven-year

absence, it was his ninth classic victory and his third in the Preakness, having

scored previously with Silver Charm (1997) and Point Given (2001).

"To win a classic at 50 years old after seven years retirement, it doesn't

get any better than this. This is super, super sweet, and it happened for the

right guy," said Stevens, who also captured the Dixie Stakes with 24-1 longshot

Skyring for Calumet and Lukas in the race before the Preakness.

This was Lukas's 14th Triple Crown race win, surpassing the record he jointly

held with fellow Hall of Famer "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons, but his first classic

since 2000. He now has six Preakness wins, trailing only the seven conditioned

by R. Wyndham Walden in the late 19th century. Lukas scored his first Preakness

win 33 years ago with Codex.

Stevens sent Oxbow to the front passing the stands, keeping the colt well off

the inside, and set highly sensible fractions of :23 4/5, :48 3/5 and 1:13 1/5

over a fast track that had been producing slow times throughout the weekend.

With Goldencents his closest pursuer to the far turn, Oxbow let it out a notch

approaching the quarter pole and appeared to have plenty left in reserve for the

stretch run.

"I fully expected that Orb, possibly Departing and Will Take Charge, would be

making a run," Stevens said. "I couldn't believe that no one challenged me going

into the far turn, but when no one did, I said, 'I think everybody's in trouble

right now.'"

Floating out into the middle of the track at the top of the lane, Oxbow was

chased by Itsmyluckyday, Mylute and Departing. Farther back was Orb, the 3-5

favorite, who broke from post 1 and stayed fairly close to the rail throughout.

The Derby winner was passed briefly by Departing rounding the far turn and it

did not appear from that point as if he would reproduce his marvelous effort

from Churchill Downs two weeks ago.

"He was in a good spot early in the race. They were going slow up front and

he was fine," said Joel Rosario, the jockey aboard Orb. "When I got to the

half-mile pole, he had a hard time keeping up. I used my stick to try to get him

going. He usually takes you there. He always runs hard. But today he never took

off. He just steadied. Today was not his day."

Oxbow received a winner's share of $600,000, boosting his career earnings to

$983,500. A maiden winner at Churchill Downs last November in his fourth start,

Oxbow finished fourth in the CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park in his final

race at two.

Oxbow kicked off 2013 with an authoritative 11 1/2-length win in the Lecomte

at Fair Grounds, weakened late to fourth in the Risen Star over the same track,

and then missed by a head to stablemate Will Take Charge in the Rebel at Oaklawn

Park. He concluded his Kentucky Derby preparatory work with a dull fifth-place

effort in a slowly-run renewal of the Arkansas Derby.

In the Kentucky Derby Oxbow finished sixth, 9 3/4 lengths behind Orb, but was

widely considered to have run a strong race given how close the colt had raced

to a blistering pace. He held on much better than the other speed, getting to

within a half-length of the lead at the quarter pole before fizzling out in the

sloppy going.

Bred by Colts Neck Stables in Kentucky, Oxbow is a close relative of Paynter,

last year's Haskell Invitational hero who riveted the nation by beating

life-threatening colitis and laminitis. Supported by the votes of his many fans,

Paynter earned both the Vox Populi Award and the NTRA Moment of the Year, for

his protracted battle.