2 Down 1 To Go

                                                                            Affirmed


Spectacular Bid (1979), Pleasant Colony (1981), Alysheba (1987), Sunday Silence (1989), Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet (1998), Charismatic (1999), War Emblem (2002), Funny Cide (2003), Smarty Jones (2004) and Big Brown (2008). Eleven horses have won the first two legs of that elusive Triple Crown since Affirmed pulled off the feat back in 1978. I'll Have Another has to wait three weeks before he tries to tackle the 1 1/2 mile Belmont monster and tries to keep himself off the growing list of horses that couldn't seal the deal. 


I'll Have Another breathed life back into the struggling sport yesterday at least for another three weeks after proving the doubters wrong again and running down Bodemeister in a photo finish at the 137th Preakness Stakes. They said this horse couldn't win the Derby because he was breaking from the 19th post. They said he couldn't catch Bodemeister at a shorter distance after the fractions that were posted in the Derby. They won't be disrespecting him leading up to the Belmont as he will be the morning line favorite for the first time in his career. The bandwagon is starting to fill up and horse racing fans everywhere are yearning for a Triple Crown winner as the sport is approaching 34 long years since the last horse to pull it off. 


Will I'll Have Another be able to live up to the hype and pull off that once forgotten feat? After watching the Derby and Preakness, none of these horses can compete with this horse. The same thing was said about those eleven others that were in this same situation. The Belmont is a different animal and has been known to spoil hopes and dreams in the past. There are also a couple horses named Dullahan and Union Rags that will look to get back on the track and play spoiler after sitting out the Preakness as they will be well rested heading into the Belmont. These next three weeks can not go by fast enough as they will be filled with plenty of hype, anticipation and speculation. Let the countdown to the Belmont and Triple Crown begin....


*Picked Creative Cause to win, but this talented horse just doesn't have the distance in him as he couldn't keep pace with Bodemeister and I'll Have Another down the stretch. Did hit the trifecta, as Creative Cause was able to hold on to third. Another example of why you box any and all exotics. (Thoughts and prayers go out to Joel Rosario who lost his brother yesterday in an auto accident in the Dominican Republic.)