Preakness Winner I'll Have Another One Jewel Shy Of Triple Crown

By J.J. McGrath | May 19 2012 7:56 PM

By winning first the Kentucky Derby on May 5 and then the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, I'll Have Another is on pace to win the coveted U.S. Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing this year.

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

I'll Have Another with jockey Mario Gutierrez in the irons, left, edges Bodemeister with jockey Mike Smith in the irons to win the 137th running of the Preakness Stakes at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Saturday.

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The Belmont Stakes -- set to be run June 9 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. -- is all that stands between I'll Have Another and horse-racing immortality.

Only 11 horses have won the Triple Crown. The last was Affirmed in 1978.

Jockey Mario Gutierrez guided I'll Have Another to the wins both at Churchill Downs in Lexington, Ky., two weeks ago and at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore this weekend.

The horse's trainer is Doug F. O'Neill, and its owner is J. Paul Reddam.

We're thinking Triple Crown, baby, the Associated Press quoted O'Neill as saying. He's a special horse. We'll see how he comes out of it, and if he comes out of it in good shape, we're heading to New York, baby.