BALTIMORE — It’s Triple Crown or bust for I’ll Have Another, the streaking chestnut colt from California who duplicated his surprise come-from-behind score in the Kentucky Derby with another thrilling victory in yesterday’s 137th Preakness Stakes.
Under another perfectly judged ride by Preakness rookie Mario Gutierrez, the son of Flower Alley closed relentlessly through the stretch to nail front-running Bodemeister in the shadow of the wire, winning by a neck in 1:55.94 for the 1 3⁄16 miles before a record crowd of 121,309 on a sun-drenched day at Pimlico.
Unbeaten in four starts this year, I’ll Have Another now heads for the June 9 Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park, looking to become the first winner of the coveted Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978. The last horse to go for the sweep was Big Brown in 2008.
“Now the pressure is going to intensify,” said I’ll Have Another’s owner, Paul Reddam. “A lot of horses have been in this position and it didn’t happen for them. We’re only two-thirds there. So we’ve got to be cool. If it happens, it happens.”
Bodemeister, favored at 8-5 in the Preakness after setting the pace and finishing second in the Derby, once again gunned to the lead under Mike Smith. This time, however, he set a much more reasonable pace (the first half-mile in 47.68 seconds as opposed to 45.39 in the Derby), chased by Creative Cause, with I’ll Have Another tracking them outside.
As they turned for home, Bodemeister shook loose to open a commanding lead. But I’ll Have Another rallied wide off the far turn and kept on coming for his historic victory, paying $8.40 as the second choice in a field of 11 3-year-olds. The exacta returned $18.60.
“What a ride!” winning trainer Doug O’Neill said. “I’m just numb. When I saw Mario get him in stride in mid-stretch, I just had faith he was going to get there.”
“It was kind of surreal,” said O’Neill’s brother Dennis, who picked out I’ll Have Another and purchased him for a bargain-basement $35,000. “Going into today, I thought he was a really good horse. After today, he proved he’s a great horse.”
For Reddam, the Preakness was a nail-biter.
“Going into the clubhouse turn, we were wide, and I said ‘uh-oh,’” he said. “The horse on the lead was running strong. I could see coming out of the [far] turn that it was going to be a dogfight between I’ll Have Another and Bodemeister. We had some ground to make up, and the other horses was not stopping.
“I wasn’t sure we would get there, but I knew that our horse had a lot of heart and a lot of fight. It wasn’t until about 20 yards from the wire that I thought we were going to win.”
Gutierrez, who patiently saved his best for the stretch run instead of pushing Bodemeister early, said, “My horse had a tremendous kick at the end. He’s an amazing horse, and I’m happy to be riding him.”
Bodemeister’s trainer Bob Baffert, a five-time Preakness winner, thought he had the race won again.
“When he turned for home, I really thought he was going to do it,” Baffert said. “He just got a little late at the end.
“The winner is a good horse. He’ll get the respect now that he deserves. It’s good for the sport.”
Following I’ll Have Another’s Derby victory, the media spotlight fell on O’Neill, and he has come under some harsh criticism for past racing violations. The scrutiny only figures to intensify leading up to the Belmont Stakes.
“We know we play by the rules,” O’Neill said. “It’s all about the horse. Any attention on me, I’ll just deflect and focus on the Belmont. With a little bit of luck, we could have an unbelievable time in three weeks.”
ed.fountaine@nypost.com
Preakness, Mario Gutierrez, Belmont Stakes, the Kentucky Derby, Preakness winner, Doug O’Neill, Bodemeister, Triple Crown
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น