"I'm disappointed, " McGaughey said after Orb finished fourth and Oxbow pulled off the upset Saturday.
McGaughey and Orb were certainly on a high in the two weeks since the Derby.
With a victory, McGaughey can add a Preakness win to his suddenly blossoming resume.
"I wanted to just get him down here, get him used to his surroundings, " McGaughey said.
McGaughey has worked exclusively for Janney and Phipps for years, training the horses they breed.
Orb (Shug McGaughey, Velazquez): Fountain of Youth winner has won three in a row.
McGaughey, as gracious as he's been throughout the Orb run, saluted fellow Hall of Fame trainer D.
For McGaughey, being the favorite in the Preakness is preferable to coming in as the long shot.
McGaughey will take Orb back to his home base at Belmont Park and figure out the next move.
When McGaughey said he didn't think Orb would run in the Fountain of Youth, Rosario ended up on Vyjack.
Orb arrived back at his home base in New York on Sunday, as did McGaughey and jockey Joel Rosario.
McGaughey and his horse have attracted much attention this week, for good reason.
"The way he worked this morning was nothing short of magnificent, " McGaughey said.
Ms McGaughey said she could not believe she "threw away all that cash".
Trainer Shug McGaughey says he'd like to run Orb in the Belmont as long as the colt is doing well.
"Johnny would have been just fine on him, but we were tickled to death to have Joel back, " McGaughey said.
McGaughey indicated that they will be headed back to New York with Orb early Sunday morning, before heading to the Preakness Stakes.
Orb's co-owner Stuart Janney gave McGaughey the credit, noting that many had been saying his time to win the Derby had come.
After watching replays of the Derby, McGaughey was more impressed with Orb.
"I always dreamed of this day and it finally came, " said McGaughey.
Even his usually reserved Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey was impressed.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he was the post-time favorite, " McGaughey said.
The facility has been used by several Hall of Fame trainers too, including Roger Attfield, Christophe Clement, Shug McGaughey and Bill Mott.
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Nicola McGaughey accidentally included a box containing the money with a batch of recycling she took to Lumns Lane Recycling Centre on Sunday.
Garry Bigland, the centre manager, said Ms McGaughey had been "obviously very upset by the situation as it was a significant sum of money".
Orb was only McGaughey's third Preakness starter, and first since 1989 when Easy Goer, also a 3-5 favorite, lost by a nose to Sunday Silence.
While a media frenzy is building around the Pimlico stakes barn where Orb is housed, both the colt and Shug McGaughey, his trainer, remain unflappable.
Either way, McGaughey was hard-pressed to think of someone more deserving.
Landing the inside slot did not cause McGaughey a sleepless night.
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