Saturday's Preakness, the second event in US horse racing's Triple Crown, will not be the first in 60 years to feature only one horse from the Kentucky Derby after Gayego was entered on Tuesday.
Undefeated Derby winner Big Brown will try for the first treble sweep since Affirmed in 1978 by capturing the shortest of the races for three-year-old horses here at Pimlico and then the Belmont Stakes three weeks later.
While Big Brown was winning at Churchill Downs on May 3 by 4 3/4 lengths, Arkansas Derby winner Gayego was an also-ran in 17th place.
Gayego trainer Paulo Lobo attributed the Derby defeat to a poor start and tipped his horse 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.
