BALTIMORE _ Neither mud nor inexperience nor the ambitions of 19 other gifted and unpredictable thoroughbreds could keep yet another favorite from winning the 143rd Kentucky Derby.
Always Dreaming did not quite fit our usual image of a Derby leading man. He had never even run a stakes race before April 1 and his trainer, Todd Pletcher, was known for falling short at Churchill Downs. But as it turned out, the bettors were right. The colt's stellar performance in the Florida Derby and subsequent strong workouts signaled that he was peaking at the right time.
As always, however, the questions turn over quickly in the two weeks between the Derby and the Preakness. As good as Always Dreaming looked speeding over the slop in Louisville, he's never come back on less than a month's rest. So his stamina will be tested in a whole new way at Pimlico Race Course on May 20.
Beyond pushing against his own limitations, he'll face a solid field of new challengers and dangerous Derby holdovers.
Here are five storylines to keep an eye on as the Derby champ's next test looms:
