There were 11 others horses in the field for Saturday's Belmont Stakes and while every owner, trainer and jockey would have been thrilled to win the prestigious race, not one would have begrudged favorite I'll Have Another if he had won. But Friday afternoon's news that that I'll Have Another had to withdraw with tendonitis in his left leg is a tremendous dark cloud to a sport that could have used the positive press.
With a win on Saturday, I'll Have Another would have been the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed 34 years ago. A sport that has seen consistent declines in attendance and wagering over the past 10 years was hoping that this horse could provide the necessary platform and trickledown effect to lift the struggling industry.
Instead, Saturday's Belmont Stakes field is now down to 11 horses as thoroughbred racing pulls up lame once again in a bid for relevancy.
"It's very disappointing for everybody involved in our industry, especially all the people close to I'll Have Another," said Kiaran McLaughlin, trainer of Alpha.
"It's just really a sad day in our industry. Luckily the horse is OK and he'll live on to be a stallion and we'll hope that we have a Triple Crown winner next year."
The tendonitis was discovered by Dr. James Hunt after I'll Have Another's Friday morning workout. Examining his horse, trainer Doug O'Neill noticed inflammation and that "you could tell that swelling was back and at that point I didn't feel very good." Dr. Hunt was called in and hours later, O'Neill was telling the world that not only was I'll Have Another out of the race but was going to retire.
O'Neill was his usual stoic self during the press conference on Friday afternoon from Belmont Park, calling the injury "extremely disappointing."
Earlier this week, trainer Dale Romans said that he'd "like to have 120,000 people booing me on the way back to my barn" for upending the dreams of a Triple Crown with his horse Dullahan. Now a 9-5 morning line favorite, Romans struck a different note on Friday afternoon after learning about I'll Have Another's injury, even as his horse became the talk of the race.
"It's devastating. I really wanted him to compete. This was going to be a special race, one of the biggest races of our time. It's just devastating," Romans said.
"We're going to inherit the role as favorite, but I'd rather have him in there. I think we could have competed with him and it would have been a great race and great for the sport. It would have been something special to beat him."
The race is wide-open, with Romans' Dullahan now a favorite and the likes of Union Rags at 3-1 and Paynter at 9-2 both moving up the board. Since trainer Bob Baffert decided to not race Bodemeister, who placed second in both the Kentucky Debry and the Preakness, the field is very much for the taking.
"I feel bad for the connections, I have to be honest with you. To get so close and have something like that happen, is very unfortunate," said Kelly Breen, trainer of 15-1 My Adonis and 2011 Belmont Stakes winner Ruler On Ice.
"I'm sure that the fans will be disappointed, but the Belmont 's the Belmont . It's still a Triple Crown race."
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