Gayego joins Preakness lineup

5/13/2008 10:39 AM

By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

BALTIMORE (AP) -Looks like Big Brown won't be the lone Kentucky Derby horse in the Preakness after all.

Gayego, who finished 17th in the Derby on May 3, was added to the Preakness field Tuesday. He will be the only one of the 19 horses beaten by Big Brown in the Derby to seek a rematch Saturday at Pimlico Race Course.

Gayego won the Arkansas Derby in his first race on the dirt, yet the colt encountered difficulty from the outset at Churchill Downs in the Derby. Starting from the No. 19 post, he never recovered from a slow start.

But he has been sharp in workouts since a disappointing finish.

``That's the reason we are thinking about (the Preakness),'' trainer Paulo Lobo said Monday. ``He's very happy right now and he came back very sound.''

Before Gayego joined the fray, it appeared this would be the first time in 60 years the Derby winner didn't face a single Derby rival in the Preakness.

The addition of Gayego, who is based in Southern California, expands to 13 the prospective field for the middle jewel of the Triple Crown.

Confirmed starters prior to Wednesday's post position draw are Big Brown, Behindatthebar, Gayego, Giant Moon, Hey Byrn, Icabad Crane, Kentucky Bear, Macho Again, Racecar Rhapsody, Riley Tucker, Stevil, Tres Borrachos and Yankee Bravo.