“I’ll Have Another” out of Belmont Stakes, retires

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NEW YORK (NEWS1130) – “I’ll Have Another” has been forced to drop out of the Belmont Stakes due to a leg injury. Tendinitis in the left front leg is forcing the horse out of the race.

The horse is now retiring.

“It’s just a freakish thing. He has been a little quiet the last few days… but his legs have been great. Yesterday, he galloped great; but in the afternoon, we noticed some loss of definition in his left front leg,” explains trainer Doug O’Neill.

“You could give him three to six months and start back with him, but he’s done so much, that it was [a unanimous decision] to retire him. It’s a bummer, but far from tragic. But it is very disappointing,” he adds.

Jockey Mario Gutierrez, who trains at Hastings Racecourse, along with “I’ll Have Another” have already won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness.

Vancouver “hoss-racing” expert Tommy Wolski with Sport of Kings TV says “I’ll Have Another” was a legitimate superstar.

“And it was going to boost the career of Mario Gutierrez. It’s a blow to him, but he’ll survive. It’s like there’s a jinx on the Triple Crown.”

No one has won the Triple Crown, which is awarded to the team who wins the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont in one year, since 1978.

He does say the horse will fetch a fine price when he is put out to stud.

“The injury is just going to stop the horse from racing, but he will be valuable in the breeding shed. He could get $50,000 for each mare that he covers, and he could do thirty mares in a year…”

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