To say Gayego was a disappointment in the Kentucky Derby is an understatement. The three-year-old colt got off to a bad start finishing 17 th while Big Brown picked up the roses. Prior to this colt’s Kentucky Derby failure, Gayego had stormed out of nowhere to pull off an upset winning the Arkansas Derby in April. In all his previous five races, Gayego had never finished below second. In Preakness Stakes handicapping, there is a slight possibility Gayego could pull off another upset and beat Big Brown.
If there is a horse capable of beating 1-2 favorite Big Brown in today’s Preakness Stakes, it’s Gayego. That’s why oddsmakers at Bodoglife.com have installed him as a single digit underdog at 8/1.
Gayego trainer Paulo Lobo attributed the Kentucky Derby defeat to a poor start and thinks his horse is in for a big improvement on Saturday.
"He came back very well," Lobo said. "He has been eating everything. He's feeling happy."
Jockey Mike Smith will ride the Kentucky-bred colt as he has in all six of the horse's starts. Riding an underdog is nothing new to Smith who rode Giacomo to the winners circle in the 2005 Kentucky Derby.
In the Arkansas Derby, Smith rode Gayego to the winners circle holding off Z Fortune by three quarters of a length. Gayego covered the 1 ½ mile course in 49.63 seconds.
Behindthebar, the only other colt in the 13 horse field at 7/1 has been scratched.
