If you don’t believe in the Horse Racing Triple Crown Gods yet, you better now as Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner I’ll Have Another has been withdraw from the 2012 Belmont Stakes, and retired, due to a tendon injury in his right front leg.
According to owner Paul Reddam heat was discovered in the leg of I’ll Have Another Thursday afternoon. Albeit Reddam added that the colt jogged fine Friday morning, a subsequent scan after his trip to the track showed inflammation and the decision was made to scratch him the from the Belmont.
Trainer Doug O’Neill took I’ll Have Another to the track for his morning jog on Friday hours earlier than he had been going for the past three weeks, (5:30 am instead of his normal routine of going out at 8:30 am) so he could access the problem and how the horse was reacting to it. Evidently, it did not go well.
“I’m afraid that history is going to have to wait for another day,” Reddam said as O’Neill walked the colt in front of media members. “You can see he is in good shape.”
“This is tough for all of us,” O’Neill said. “It is far from tragic; no one died or anything like that, but it’s extremely disappointing and I feel so sorry for the whole team. But it has just been an incredible ride, an incredible run.”
O’Neill said the colt could be returned to competition after three to six months while the injury healed, but that the connections decided to go ahead and retire him. Reddam said a decision will be made later on where he retires to stud and that I’ll Have Another will be shipped to his Hollywood Park base in California either Saturday or Sunday.
O’Neill said I’ll Have Another had “done so much that it was unanimous between the Reddams and my brother (and advisor) and I and everyone at the barn to retire him.”
“I was watching him this morning,” said trainer Ken McPeek, who has two horses in Saturday’s race Unstoppable U and Atigun. “I wanted to see what his energy level was like, his aura, and the screen [on his stall] was closed. I thought, ‘What’s that about?’ There was people in there. It was a little unusual.”
Saturday’s Belmont Stakes were highly anticipated, as I’ll Have Another was on the threshold of becoming the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win the Triple Crown. He was listed as the 4/5 favorite to win the final leg of the horse racing’s most elusive prize.
“It’s too bad,” said McPeek. “It’s a hard thing. I feel really bad for the connections. I feel terrible for them”.
“Now,” McPeek said of Saturday’s race, “it’s wide open.”
I'll Have Another shown here on his way to the track Thursday morning. It would be just moments later when he would injury himself. Special thanks to Jennifer Weigand for the picture.
Well, now we know why Reddam “retired” IHA. What a tragedy for the fans. Not only did Reddam sell out his horse, but he shamed the sport. Now no one will get to see this beautiful animal that gave the folks so much hope for a TC 6/9/12. Reddam is a poor example of a horseman. He’s just plain greedy. He could have kept him in the US at least.
I think they scratched him cuz they figured he wouldn’t win, & this way maybe his stud fee will be higher.
You were correct.
Yes! I believe in the racing GOD! The only thing that would have been better would have been the “curtain of death” rolled out in front of the crowd, AGAIN! For a few cents a day, this could all be solved! Then all of the drug pushers, dealers, and industry participants could run these animals every day and the HORSE would be able to handle it. Then PETA and all the animal welfare groups, all the politicians, and all the racing officials could debate the future of the “sport”, till hell freezes over.
HR sure has a gloomy future. Nobody really cares. It’s a joke and it’s sad at the same time. The sport of kings. Well, there aren’t any kings left either!