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• May 17, 2008 10:00 pm US/Eastern
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  Gayego Finds Disappointment Again At Preakness

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Gayego Finds Disappointment Again At Preakness

Maybe Paulo Lobo should have stuck with his initial decision to keep Gayego out of the Preakness.

Frustrated over finishing 17th in the Kentucky Derby behind Big Brown, Lobo had no desire for a quick rematch. But after taking into account Gayego's poor start at Churchill Downs and the horse's stellar health, the trainer opted to join the Preakness fray.

It turned out to be the wrong move. Big Brown won Saturday, and Gayego flopped again.

Gayego soared into the lead at the outset and remained in front at the three-quarter pole. But it all came apart after that, and the second-favorite in the field (at 9-1) faded miserably to finish 12th in the 13-horse field.

"It's very disappointing. He just doesn't have it yet," jockey Mike Smith said. "He made the lead easy, but no response to pressure."

There will be no rematch in the Belmont.

"He did not run as we expected," Lobo said. "At this point, we're going to rest him up."

Before running into the buzz saw known as Big Brown, Gayego had three wins and two second-place finishes in his previous five races. In this one, he beat last-place finisher Riley Tucker by a neck.

Macho Again finished second and Icabad Crane was third in the Preakness. Unfortunately, both were barely within shouting distance of the winner.

"We got beat by a monster. He might be the Triple Crown winner," said Julien Leparoux, who rode Macho Again. "I don't like to be second, but it's not bad to be second to this horse."

Icabad Crane trainer Graham Motion thought his horse had a decent shot to finish second, but conceded that no horse in the field had a chance to beat Big Brown.

"Big Brown's a very, very good horse," Motion said. "He's the real deal. It's very exciting for the game."

Nick Zito, trainer of fifth-place finisher Stevil, said, "You've got to salute the winner. There's no question he's a tremendous horse."

(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)