Post by Wendy on May 27, 2012 14:58:37 GMT -5
So, I lost a bet when I'll Have Another one the preakness stakes!
If that horse gets the triple crown, I'm out 100 bucks.
I'll Have Another had Bodemeister in his sights again, a shot at the Triple Crown hanging in the balance.
Two weeks ago, he ran down his rival and won the Kentucky Derby. This time, the chestnut colt needed to be even more relentless to win the Preakness.
Jockey Mario Gutierrez asked for more at the top of the stretch, and I'll Have Another closed the gap with each stride, finally surging past Bodemeister a few yards from the wire.
Off to New York for the Belmont Stakes in three weeks and a chance to join the company of Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed, who was the last to win the Triple Crown in 1978.
That's heady company for a colt who has yet to be favored in any of his seven races. Betters never learn, eh? Sadly, I'm one of them.
I'll Have Another won by 1 1/2 lengths in the Derby and by a neck in the Preakness – the same margins Affirmed posted in wins over rival Alydar in those two races 34 years ago.
But there's one big storyline difference this time: Bodemeister, who was nearly the winner of Preakness and IHA's biggest rival is skipping the Belmont. "He's getting off the bus here," Bob Baffert said. (He's his trainer!)
The Preakness turned the exact same as the Derby, with Bodemeister moving to the lead under Mike Smith (Yes, the one from Jockeys!) and I'll Have Another back in fourth. The early fractions were slower than the Derby, but when it came time for Bodemeister to dig in, I'll Have Another found another gear under Gutierrez (Also from Jockey's) and rocketed to first place.
Since Affirmed became the 11th Triple Crown winner, 11 horses have won the first two races only to come up short in the Belmont, the longest of the races also known as the "Test of the Champion." The most recent try came in 2008, when Big Brown (Remember him?) was pulled up around the turn for home and did not finish. Before that, Smarty Jones was run down in the final 70 yards by Birdstone in the 2004 Belmont.
But some people just can't lose graciously.
Many have accused O'Neill s for allegedly giving his horses improper drugs. He was fined $1,000 and suspended 15 days in one incident. He is contesting another. Now, the allegations intensify.
"We know we play by the rules," O'Neill said. "It's all about the horse, and we're just going to focus on the horse."
O'Neill has been accused in California of "milkshaking," meaning giving a horse a blend of bicarbonate of soda, sugar and electrolytes. The mixture is designed to reduce fatigue and enhance performance. In case you haven't guessed, illigal.
The trainer's most recent violation dates from an Aug. 25, 2010, race at Del Mar in California. A blood test on his horse, Argenta, showed elevated levels of TCO2 – the so-called milkshake – before it finished eighth.
He faces penalties ranging from a minimum 90-day suspension and a $5,000 fine to a maximum 180-day suspension and fine of $15,000.
Any suspension almost certainly wouldn't occur before the Belmont.
Almost.
With a record crowd of 121,309 watching, I'll Have Another was sent off as the second choice at 3-1, with Bodemeister the 8-5 favorite. The winning time was 1:55.94.
Zetterholm was fourth, followed by Teeth of the Dog, Optimizer, Cozzetti, Tiger Walk, Daddy Nose Best, Went the Day Well and Pretension.
Baffert, a Hall of Famer and five-time Preakness winner, thought his colt – named for his 7-year-old son, Bode – would outlast I'll Have Another.
The victory was worth $600,000, boosting IHA earning to $2,693,600. Not a bad return for Reddam, who bought the colt for $35,000.
I'll Have Another could have plenty of company for the Belmont, including some familiar foes from the Derby: third-place finisher Dullahan; seventh-place finisher Union Rags; eight-place finisher Rousing Sermon and 12th-place finisher Alpha. Other possibles include Paynter – trained by Baffert – and Peter Pan winner Mark Valeski.
IHA = the next Secretariot?
If that horse gets the triple crown, I'm out 100 bucks.
I'll Have Another had Bodemeister in his sights again, a shot at the Triple Crown hanging in the balance.
Two weeks ago, he ran down his rival and won the Kentucky Derby. This time, the chestnut colt needed to be even more relentless to win the Preakness.
Jockey Mario Gutierrez asked for more at the top of the stretch, and I'll Have Another closed the gap with each stride, finally surging past Bodemeister a few yards from the wire.
Off to New York for the Belmont Stakes in three weeks and a chance to join the company of Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed, who was the last to win the Triple Crown in 1978.
That's heady company for a colt who has yet to be favored in any of his seven races. Betters never learn, eh? Sadly, I'm one of them.
I'll Have Another won by 1 1/2 lengths in the Derby and by a neck in the Preakness – the same margins Affirmed posted in wins over rival Alydar in those two races 34 years ago.
But there's one big storyline difference this time: Bodemeister, who was nearly the winner of Preakness and IHA's biggest rival is skipping the Belmont. "He's getting off the bus here," Bob Baffert said. (He's his trainer!)
The Preakness turned the exact same as the Derby, with Bodemeister moving to the lead under Mike Smith (Yes, the one from Jockeys!) and I'll Have Another back in fourth. The early fractions were slower than the Derby, but when it came time for Bodemeister to dig in, I'll Have Another found another gear under Gutierrez (Also from Jockey's) and rocketed to first place.
Since Affirmed became the 11th Triple Crown winner, 11 horses have won the first two races only to come up short in the Belmont, the longest of the races also known as the "Test of the Champion." The most recent try came in 2008, when Big Brown (Remember him?) was pulled up around the turn for home and did not finish. Before that, Smarty Jones was run down in the final 70 yards by Birdstone in the 2004 Belmont.
But some people just can't lose graciously.
Many have accused O'Neill s for allegedly giving his horses improper drugs. He was fined $1,000 and suspended 15 days in one incident. He is contesting another. Now, the allegations intensify.
"We know we play by the rules," O'Neill said. "It's all about the horse, and we're just going to focus on the horse."
O'Neill has been accused in California of "milkshaking," meaning giving a horse a blend of bicarbonate of soda, sugar and electrolytes. The mixture is designed to reduce fatigue and enhance performance. In case you haven't guessed, illigal.
The trainer's most recent violation dates from an Aug. 25, 2010, race at Del Mar in California. A blood test on his horse, Argenta, showed elevated levels of TCO2 – the so-called milkshake – before it finished eighth.
He faces penalties ranging from a minimum 90-day suspension and a $5,000 fine to a maximum 180-day suspension and fine of $15,000.
Any suspension almost certainly wouldn't occur before the Belmont.
Almost.
With a record crowd of 121,309 watching, I'll Have Another was sent off as the second choice at 3-1, with Bodemeister the 8-5 favorite. The winning time was 1:55.94.
Zetterholm was fourth, followed by Teeth of the Dog, Optimizer, Cozzetti, Tiger Walk, Daddy Nose Best, Went the Day Well and Pretension.
Baffert, a Hall of Famer and five-time Preakness winner, thought his colt – named for his 7-year-old son, Bode – would outlast I'll Have Another.
The victory was worth $600,000, boosting IHA earning to $2,693,600. Not a bad return for Reddam, who bought the colt for $35,000.
I'll Have Another could have plenty of company for the Belmont, including some familiar foes from the Derby: third-place finisher Dullahan; seventh-place finisher Union Rags; eight-place finisher Rousing Sermon and 12th-place finisher Alpha. Other possibles include Paynter – trained by Baffert – and Peter Pan winner Mark Valeski.
IHA = the next Secretariot?
