This year, a colt I fancied more than any other in a long while entered the starting gate as the favorite. Orb was a product of racing royalty - his female family was that of the great Ruffian, and he was co-owned by the Phipps and Janney families, two names forever linked with this sport. Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey called the shots for the bay son of Malibu Moon, and called them well. After a few unsuccessful tries at breaking his maiden, Orb finally did so, and then went on to win the Fountain of Youth and then the Florida Derby impressively.
He looked great on the track all week, and it was no cause for concern when the late closer drew the 16 post position. After all, he did like to do his best running on the outside. Could Orb be McGaughey's first trip to the Derby winner's circle?
The track came up sloppy, and Black Onyx on the inside was scratched. 19 colts broke from the gate, each of them with a different story coming into the race but all with the same goal. Palace Malice, who would get the better of his contemporaries in the Belmont Stakes, set a radioactive pace up front with his newly added green blinkers. Highly regarded colts like Verrazano, Itsmyluckyday and Goldencents sat close to that hot tempo. Where was Orb? Back near the tail of the field, getting his famous white and red silks splattered with mud.
Palace Malice was running away from the field, but it wouldn't be long before he tired in the mud and they caught up to him. Rounding the turn, Orb was beginning to pick off horses one by one, making an impressive bid to the front. At the top of the stretch, Verrazano inadvertently ended the forward momentum of Will Take Charge, a colt who would end up the best of his crop in the end. Normandy Invasion and Oxbow pounced in tandem on the leg-weary Palace Malice, but they didn't have the lead for long.
Orb, with his giant strides, had caught up to the leaders and was ready to go right on by - and go right on by he did! Closers like Golden Soul and Mylute did their level best to challenge Orb, but no one was catching the favorite that day. Covered in mud, Joel Rosario and Orb crossed the wire in front of the others as the crowd exploded. Watching via television inside, Shug McGaughey watched solemnly, patiently...and it wasn't until he was met with embraces and cheers that a sweet smile began to spread slowly across his face. In the winner's circle, the roses looked more than perfect on the newly crowned Derby champion.
Sadly, that would be the last race he would win. Orb put in a dull off-the-board performance in the Preakness behind the front-running Oxbow, and then labored in third behind Palace Malice in the Belmont. He came back with a promising third-place finish in the Travers Stakes, but was retired to stud a couple months after finishing last in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. No one can take the 2013 Kentucky Derby away from Orb, though. He rightfully owns that triumphant victory in the slop.
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