Where did everybody go?Kentucky Derby morning-line favorite Omaha Beach? Recovering from throat surgery.The first horse across the wire in the Kentucky Derby, Maximum Security? Disqualified and in New Jersey recovering from cuts to his legs suffered in the race.The horse named the Derby winner after finishing second, Country House? Recovering from illness in Lexington. The horse that moved up to second in the Derby after finishing third, Code of Honor? Resting in New York for the second half of the season.None will race in the second leg of the Triple Crown at Preakness 144 on May 18. The top three from the Derby will miss the Preakness for the first time sine 1951. None will race in the final leg in the Belmont on June 8.Wow.So will next week's Preakness be anticlimactic? Possibly. But is there still something to race for? Absolutely. Besides the $1.5 million purse, there's the Grade 1 status, tops in the land. And, frankly, there's the race to be the 3-year-old champion and Horse of the Year. The way things are going맥스카지노�between a debated Derby finish and the uncertainty about who will return and when맥스카지노�things appear wide-open for the foreseeable future.The Belmont is also a Grade 1 race worth $1.5 million. The long-term goal, of course, is the Breeders' Cup Classic in November.So is anybody of consequence left? That remains to be seen.The conversation now has to start with Improbable. The Arkansas Derby runner-up to Omaha Beach is the likely Preakness favorite after a gutty fifth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, which was eventually bumped to fourth place. The Bob Baffert-trained horse never gave up in spite of clearly not liking the track or the conditions.It doesn't hurt that the Preakness is shorter, given that Improbable has some sprint breeding맥스카지노�which he has already outrun. And with only three or four Derby starters heading for Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course, this is also a huge opportunity for a so-called "new-shooter" to jump up and surprise people, though they rarely win this race.There are many distractions in play in the sport right now, including resolving issues with breakdowns, race-day medications and the Derby finish, among many others.But one thing is for sure: There is still a lot to run for in Preakness 144.