I'll Have Another Scratched from Belmont

CNN ^ | 6/8/2012 | CNN

[Amberdawn]

The “Triple Crown” consists of three races; the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes. A horse has to win all three, in a row, in order to be a TC winner. Most horses race every 5-6 weeks in order to give them time to recover from the stress. There is only 2 weeks between the KDerby and the Preakness and only 3 weeks between the Preakness and the Belmont. Therefore, it’s asking a lot of a horse to win 3 races in 7 weeks against the best 3 year olds in the country. (All the horses competing have to be 3 years old.)

[dfwgator]

I think they pretty much banned match races after that.

[freekitty]

I thought so. I just couldn’t remember.

[Carry_Okie]

Not only was his endurance amazing, so was his acceleration, as was demonstrated coming out of the first turn into the back stretch at the Preakness. One wonders what that horse could have done had he been pushed by real competition.

[freedommom]

I read something last week that stated that they would be suprised if I'll Have Another was going to win the triple crown......
There was supposed to be some sort of a jackpot that has accumulated since Secretariat and was supposed to be worth over 17 million....

Sorry I can't find the article but I know I read that
because I decided that there was no way I going to put that horse on the top of my bet.....
makes you wonder huh

[Carry_Okie]

Not only was his endurance amazing, so was his acceleration, as was demonstrated coming out of the first turn into the back stretch at the Preakness. One wonders what that horse could have done had he been pushed by real competition.

[freedommom]

I read something last week that stated that they would be suprised if I'll Have Another was going to win the triple crown......
There was supposed to be some sort of a jackpot that has accumulated since Secretariat and was supposed to be worth over 17 million....

Sorry I can't find the article but I know I read that
because I decided that there was no way I going to put that horse on the top of my bet.....
makes you wonder huh

[southern rock]

Ok, so can we end this antiquated “sport” now?

[38special]

Don’t overlook Zenyatta. Probably the best filly ever. She recently foaled too.

[Carry_Okie]

Don’t overlook Zenyatta. Probably the best filly ever.

I'm not, and probably true. When Zenyata takes out Secretariat's record at 1-5/8 miles on dirt while still taking short races like the Preakness, I'll gladly change my mind. Frankly, I don't think we ever saw what Secretariat could have done under truly competitive forces. That horse had more than even he knew.

[Amberdawn]

I don’t think it was a legal ban, just considered bad for horse racings image. With the rise of PETA, et al, you can imagine the disruptions.

[stylecouncilor]

What a shame. I was looking forward to watching a Triple Crown win tomorrow.

[onedoug]

I know. There was an earlier thread detailing the Racing Form’s details for tomorrow.

In other news, TCU 2, UCLA 1, top 3rd.

[foreverfree]

After what happened to Ruffian all of those years ago, I could never really get into horse racing after that.

Neither could my mother.

ff (who was finishing 11th grade when Affirmed did his thing)

[foreverfree]

This situation reminds me of the situation with Spectatular Bid in 1979 when it was debated whether to run him in the Belmont or not due to injury. Although injured, it was decided to run him. He lost to some horses that he had already clearly established he could beat easily when healthy.

Bid stepped on a safety pin the morning of the Belmont. It was the day after my HS graduation.

This now 35-year (by next year) TC drought ought to be called the Safety Pin Jinx.

ff