When I’ll Have Another made his last surge in the stretch of the Preakness and caught Bodemeister, this wasn’t simply a case of a stretch-runner overhauling a tired leader. I’ll Have Another’s performance - though the winning margin was only a neck - was much more impressive and authoritative than his triumph in the Kentucky Derby two weeks earlier.
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Paul Reddam, the owner of Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another, admitted to thinking if ever there was a time his 25-year-old jockey Mario Gutierrez may get a little nervous it would be just before Saturday's Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.
Mike Smith dismounted from Bodemeister, and it was hard to tell if he was grinning or grimacing after he once again found himself second to I'll Have Another and jockey Mario Gutierrez.
I’ll Have Another, the Kentucky Derby winner, added the 137th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico to his win streak Saturday, setting up a Triple Crown bid in three weeks in the Belmont Stakes on June 9 at Belmont Park. As he did in the Derby two weeks ago, I’ll Have Another caught front-running Bodemeister in the final yards to prevail.
Results and replays from 2012 Preakness Day at Pimlico.
Bodemeister was the 7-5 favorite in early wagering for the 137th Preakness on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course, with Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another the 7-2 second choice.
Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux was replaced by Ramon Dominguez aboard longshot Tiger Walk for Saturday’s Preakness Stakes after Desormeaux failed a Breathalyzer test at Belmont Park on Friday and was removed from his three mounts by that track’s stewards.
Countdown to the Crown returns for a seventh season online as one of the most comprehensive handicapper’s scouting reports of the 3-year-old scene. Posted each Friday at DRF.com from Jan. 6 through the Belmont Stakes, Countdown keeps you apprised of the rising stars of the 3-year-old class.
On paper, the 137th Preakness is a four-horse race, a rematch among the 1-2-4-5 finishers in the Kentucky Derby. Those who finished farther back at Churchill Downs did so without any apparent excuse, and the new shooters in the field of 11 look hopelessly overmatched. So the question facing handicappers is whether the Derby established a clear pecking order among the top four Derby returnees.
Doug O'Neill arrived at the peak of his profession when I'll Have Another won the Kentucky Derby, a victory that brought his many layers to the surface.
