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

“I get paid to spoil dreams,” said Oxbow’s trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who claimed a sixth Preakness victory and his 13th win in one of 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.

Stevens took Oxbow, a 15-1 shot who finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby, to the front straight out of the gate in the $US1 million ($A1.02 million) 1-3/16-mile (1900m) race and held off Itsmyluckyday and Mylute.

“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.”

Orb, again ridden by Joel Rosario, went off the 3-5 favourite, but didn’t seem to like running in the traffic that came with gate one.

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

Oxbow’s victory means the Triple Crown drought will continue. The last horse to complete the treble was Affirmed in 1978.

AFP AAP TURF

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