Preakness 2013: Preview, Orb's Rail Position, Trainer Shug McGaughey on the Triple Crown

Kentucky Derby winner Orb continues the chase for the 2013 Triple Crown today (Saturday, May 18) at the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, Maryland. The coveted Triple Crown hasn't been accomplished since Affirmed in 1978. If Orb can win Saturday afternoon on the Pimlico Race Course, not only does the horse's trainer Shug McGaughey bring home the $1 million prize, but he and Orb can move onto New York for the Belmont Stakes on June 8.

Orb and jockey Joel Rosario won the Kentucky Derby and they are the favorites to win the 2013 Preakness. There is some added intrigue in the race after Orb won the rail position.  The rail position is the very inside spot along the rail where no horse has won since 1994 when Tabasco Cat won. This often presents problems for the horse and jockey as it gets very crowded on the inside track.

Although McGaughey, Rosario, and Orb need to be focusing on Saturday's race at the Preakness in order to be in line for a Triple Crown, McGaughey admits that he thinks about the Triple Crown. "I wouldn't be telling the truth if I said I don't think about (the Triple Crown), because I do," McGaughey told the Associated Press. "I try to block it out, but if you're in this position, anybody would think about it. It's a thrilling thought, but we've got to get by Saturday. If we do, the next three weeks will be a lot of fun."

McGaughey gives a lot of credit to someone you may not have heard of as much. Exercise rider Jenn Patterson has spent more time with Orb than anyone else. "Without her, we wouldn't be here," McGaughey explained in an interview with the Associated Press. "It's not only her riding ability, it's her horsemanship and dedication to the whole thing. Nobody will know how much I appreciate her and what I think of her and her abilities. The rapport we have between each other... I think it's a pretty remarkable relationship."

So who do you have Saturday? Do you think Orb will pull of the victory in the second leg of the Triple Crown?