Oxbow wins Preakness to spoil Orb's treble bid

BALTIMORE, Maryland (AFP) –

Oxbow, ridden by Gary Stevens, crosses the finish line to win the 138th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 18, 2013.

Oxbow won the 138th Preakness Stakes as heavily favored Kentucky Derby winner Orb finished fourth — his bid for US racing’s coveted Triple Crown ruined.

“I get paid to spoil dreams,” said Oxbow trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who on Saturday claimed a sixth Preakness victory and his 14th win in the three US classics that make up the Triple Crown: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

Veteran jockey Gary Stevens, riding again this season after a seven-year retirement, claimed a third Preakness win — 12 years after his second.

At 50, Stevens became the oldest jockey to win the Preakness.

Stevens took Oxbow, a 15-1 shot who finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby, to the front straight out of the gate in the $1 million 1 3/16-mile race at Pimlico and held off runner-up Itsmyluckyday with Mylute third.

“I was running when I hit the lane,” Stevens said. “I thought that they would come and challenge him. I didn’t expect to go to the lead.

“This horse was so right today he pulled me to the lead. He was happy. His ears were up telling me he was content. He exploded coming off the turn. Staggered home a little bit the last 16th, but we had enough of a lead.”

Gary Stevens celebrates atop of Oxbow as he comes to the finish line to win the 138th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 18, 2013.

Itsmyluckyday went off as an 8-1 second choice and finished strong under John Velazquez but finished 3/4 of a length back.

Jockey Rosie Napravnik brought Mylute from ninth, and last, but finished half a length behind Itsmyluckyday.

Orb, again ridden by Joel Rosario, went off the 3-5 favorite but didn’t seem to like running in the traffic that he encountered from his starting position on the rail and saw a five-race winning streak end.

No horse has won the Preakness starting from the rail since Tabasco Cat in 1994.

Stevens said he thought Oxbow didn’t get enough credit for his strong finish in the Kentucky Derby, but he knew he had plenty of horse.

“We came back and breezed him (on May 12), and what you saw (in the Preakness) is exactly how he acted in the workout.”

However, he wasn’t expecting it to be so easy.

“We came in here with a lot of confidence,” Stevens said. “”When I hit the half-mile pole, I said, ‘Are you kidding me? Is this happening?’ The race was over at that point.”

Oxbow’s victory means the Triple Crown drought will continue. The last horse to complete the treble was Affirmed in 1978. The 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes is on June 8.

“I’m disappointed,” said Orb trainer Shug McGaughey. “I’ll be probably more disappointed tomorrow. I know the game — it is highs and lows.”