It's been 35 years since a horse has won the Triple Crown. Orb's victory on Saturday at the Kentucky Derby makes the thoroughbred the latest contender to vie for the honors.
If Orb is to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978, he will need a victory May 18 in the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore and June 8 in the Belmont Stakes in New York.
Since 1978, 12 horses have gone into Belmont with a chance at the title, according to The Times-Picayune. Five horses have won the Preakness and Belmont, and three have won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont.
Orb's odds of winning the Triple Crown prior to Saturday's Kentucky Derby were 12-1. Now the thoroughbred is enjoying 4-1 odds in some betting places.
Orb was near the back of the pack in 16th place around the half-mile point of the Derby.
"I'm tickled to death the way he came out of the Derby," Orb's trainer Shug McGaughey, whose only instruction to jockey Joel Rosario was "when the time comes, get him in position so he has some place go."
Rosario found a place for Orb to go, and the jockey-horse tandem passed a dozen horses on their way to a first-place win. Orb finished first-place with a two-and-a-half length victory.
"My guess is the Preakness will pose a tougher challenge to Orb than the Belmont," said handicapper Tim Rice.
Orb's next hurdle to the Triple Crown is less than two weeks away at the Preakness. If the horse can win in Baltimore, it's one step closer to accomplishing a feat that hasn't been done in decades.
