Racing: Injury robs I’ll Have Another of Triple Crown

“It’s been an incredible ride, an incredible run,” trainer Doug O’Neill said. “It’s a bummer. It’s not tragic, but it’s a huge disappointment.”

I’ll Have Another, who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes in stirring style, was the 4-5 favourite to win the Belmont and become the 12th Triple Crown winner and first since 1978. Instead, he becomes the 12th horse since Affirmed, the last Triple Crown champion, to win the first two legs but not the Belmont.

The scratch marks the first time since Bold Venture in 1936 that the Derby and Preakness winner didn’t run in the Belmont. Burgoo King skipped the race in 1932. “Could he run and compete? Yes. Would it be in his best interest? No,” O’Neill said during a press conference called outside his barn. He said the swollen left front tendon was the beginning of tendonitis, which could have taken six months to treat, and so the popular horse was retired.

“Yesterday he galloped great, but in the afternoon we noticed some loss of definition in his left front leg,” he said, addressing the media outside the Belmont barns while I’ll Have Another grazed nearby. “We did just an easy gallop today. I thought he looked great on the track, and then cooling out, you could tell the swelling was back.”

O’Neill said he conferred with owner J. Paul Reddam and they contacted Dr Jim Hunt, who examined the horse. “Dr Hunt scanned him and he said it was the start of tendonitis in his left front tendon and you can give him three to six months and start back with him,” O’Neill said. “It was unanimous between the Reddams and my brother and I and everyone at the barn to retire him.”

Reddam confirmed that, saying: “We’re all a bit shocked, but we have to do what’s best for the horse. And if he can’t compete at the top level, he’s done enough.”

Dennis O’Neill said it was hard to tell anything was wrong just by looking at the horse. “He looks great. He’s sound. He went great this morning. He looks super (but) you just can’t take a chance.

“He’s too valuable of a horse and we love him to death like all of them. You wouldn’t run a horse if you think something might happen.”

Other trainers sympathised with O’Neill’s plight. “I feel terrible for Doug,” said D Wayne Lukas, who trains Belmont starter Optimizer. “To come this close and have arguably the best horse, everything being equal, you have to give him the nod as being the best horse. He’s done everything he was supposed to. He had four big ones (wins) in a row. That fifth one is tough.”

Billy Turner, who trained Seattle Slew, the 1977 Triple Crown winner, said: “When you’re in a Triple Crown campaign, and believe me, I went through it with an undefeated horse, every single day, you worry about this because one little thing can go wrong that makes the whole thing fall apart. So, you are never confident in this situation. At least the horse is going to be all right. It’s not a total tragedy.”

From one Triple crown bid to another - Sir Henry Cecil believes a clash between his stable star Frankel and dual Classic winner Camelot - who may also attempt the Classic treble in the St Leger - would be something to savour. And the Newmarket trainer feels the Juddmonte International at York in August, sponsored by Frankel’s owner Khalid Abdullah, would be the most likely race for a showdown between the two unbeaten colts from different generations.

SELECTIONS

Newmarket

1.45 Meridius

2.20 Chil The Kite

2.55 Es Que Love

3.30 Trade Commissioner

4.00 Mulaqen

4.35 Pearl Acclaim

5.10 Quality Pearl

5.40 Mohanad

Doncaster

2.05 Mawasem

2.40 Cruck Realta

3.15 Supreme Quest

3.45 Fathsta

4.20 Starboard

4.55 Snow Hill

Chester

2.00 Reyamour

2.35 Van Ellis

3.10 War Poet

3.40 Limit Up

4.15 Jungle Bay

4.50 Bubbly Ballerina (nap)

5.25 Mount Abora

Hexham

1.50 Samstown

2.25 Flinty Bay

3.00 Sam Patch

3.35 Kosta Brava

4.05 Dilizan

4.40 Mon Chevalier

5.15 Rattlin

Worcester

2.10 Sagredo

2.45 Francesa

3.20 Red Hot Poker

3.50 My Lad Percy

4.25 Lucky Prince

5.00 Midnight Tuesday

5.35 Silver Steed

6.05 According To Trev

Newcastle

6.15 Hakuna Matata

6.45 Fife Jo

7.15 Steel Stockholder

7.45 Madrasa

8.15 Another For Joe

8.45 New Drama

9.15 Gowanharry

Windsor

6.00 Rigid

6.30 City Image

7.00 Bunce

7.30 Emiratesdotcom

8.00 Modern Tutor

8.30 Marine Girl

9.00 Amazing Win

Saturday Yankee

Bubbly Ballerina

4:50 Chester

Van Ellis

2:35 Chester

Jungle Bay

4:15 Chester

Es Que Love

2:55 Newnarket

TOMORROW

Perth

2.10 Hurraboru

2.40 Rob Conti

3.10 Kai Broon (nap)

3.40 Noble Scholar

4.10 Auroras Encore

4.40 Locked Inthepocket

5.10 Piper Hill

Worcester

2.00 Sams Lad

2.30 Grand Article

3.00 Eastlake

3.30 Lamboro Lad

4.00 Blue Hills

4.30 My Viking Bay

5.00 Aqualung

Double

Kai Broon

3:10 Perth

Piper Hill

5:10 Perth