Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, the 50-1 long shot who flew away from the field down the stretch, will attempt to take the next step toward the Triple Crown.
Ordinarily, the news that Mine That Bird is running the Preakness wouldn't really be "news" at all: The Kentucky Derby winner almost always runs the Preakness, unless he's injured. But Mine That Bird went into the Derby as such an also-ran that the horse's owners said Sunday that returning for the Preakness hadn't even crossed their minds.
On Monday, however, the owners confirmed that they will take their horse to Pimlico. The last Derby winner to miss the Preakness was Grindstone, who pulled out with an injury in 1996, and the last healthy Derby winner to miss the Preakness was Spend A Buck in 1985.
No horse has won the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.
