Carmen Barrera was laid to rest at the age of 87 on Thursday, and with her passing went another living reminder of the Triple Crown being celebrated at this particular moment as Derby and Preakness winner I’ll Have Another attempts to become the first to sweep the series of springtime classics since Affirmed turned the trick in 1978.
Despite a bevy of negative press, trainer Doug O'Neill is rolling with the punches. Maintaining an upbeat attitude, O’Neill said Friday, is made easier by how well his horse I’ll Have Another is doing leading up to his date with destiny in the June 9 Belmont Stakes.
Horses and hockey. Those were the two loves of Larry Jones when he was a growing up in tiny Stettler in Alberta, Canada. Jones longed to win the Stanley Cup, but a back injury short-circuited those dreams and led to a career change that has instead put him front and center with I’ll Have Another, who will try to win the Triple Crown in the 144th Belmont Stakes on June 9 at Belmont Park.
How do I'll Have Another's chances of sweeping the Triple Crown compare with those of Spectacular Bid, Real Quiet, Smarty Jones, and the eight other horses since 1979 who entered the Belmont with a shot at history?
For all their battle-scarred cynicism about an often unpredictable game, horse-racing fans can also be romantically credulous about the justice of the racetrack when it comes to the Triple Crown.
The Belmont Stakes lost one starter on Thursday morning. Then it nearly lost its star. Alpha, one of four graded stakes winners in the prospective field for the Belmont Stakes was withdrawn from consideration because of a fever, according to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. Meanwhile, the race could have lost its marquee player - Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner I'll Have Another - when a horse got loose shortly after I'll Have Another came on the track for training around 8:45 a.m.
According to the New York State Racing and Wagering Board, the only parimutuel horse race for the forseeable future that merits a heightened level of security in order to protect the investment of the public’s wagering dollars is the 11th race on Saturday, June 9, at Belmont Park.
Big Brown journey in the 2008 Belmont was a nightmare from the start, and his Triple Crown attempt ended with a last-place finish.
Smarty Jones couldn't hold onto his lead in the final sixteenth of the 2004 Belmont, losing his Triple Crown bid by a length to Birdstone.
Funny Cide's Triple Crown bid in 2003 came to an end when his rival, Empire Maker, rained on the parade in the Belmont.
