“I’ll Have Another, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner who was aiming to become the 12th horse to win the Triple Crown, was scratched Friday from Saturday’s Belmont Stakes because of a leg injury,” according to the New York Times.
“The promising 3-year-old colt, who had been a long-shot winner of the Derby and an impressive winner three weeks ago in the Preakness, might have tendinitis in his left front leg, his trainer, Doug O’Neill, said.
“O’Neill and the horse’s owner, J. Paul Reddam, scheduled a news conference at Belmont Racetrack for 1 p.m. Friday.
“A crowd of more than 100,000 people was expected to watch I’ll Have Another try to end the 34-year Triple Crown drought. Affirmed, in 1978, was the last to accomplish the feat. Nineteen horses have won the first two legs and lost the mile-and-a-half Belmont Stakes.”
The rest of the article is here.
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Disappointing but wonderful that the doctors, trainer and owner put the care and safety of I’ll Have Another first before potential glory. I only wish this could be said for everyone involved in the racing industry.
Jory:
Hate to sound like a cynic, but if the injury had caused I’ll Have Another to stumble and break a leg in the Belmont, he may have been put down and millions of dollars in stud fees would have gone to the grave with the horse. Deciding to retire him at this point will be worth a helluva lot of money to the owners.
No, you don’t sound like a cynic…you sound like a realist. But, don’t forget what happened to Barbaro. I’ll Have Another will have another…another career. I’ll drink to that!