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I’ll Have Another Pulls Out Of Belmont, Belmont Becomes Uninteresting

Are you not normally a horse racing fan, but were roped in by the chance that I’ll Have Another could, at Belmont Park on Saturday, become the first horse in 34 years to win racing’s Triple Crown? Well, feel free to stop caring, because I’ll Have Another’s trainer Doug O’Neill broke the news today on The Dan Patrick Show that his horse won’t be running tomorrow. While O’Neill told Dan Patrick the horse looks fine, he apparently has the beginning of an injury (the nature of which has not yet been disclosed) and it’s not worth the risk running him.

O’Neill, who said I’ll Have Another probably won’t race again, understandably called the development a “huge disappointment” – and it’s also a disappointment to those rooting for history to be made. I can only speak for myself, but while I’m far from a horse racing enthusiast in general, a Triple Crown hasn’t happened in my lfetime and to see one would be pretty cool. But we should probably all just be glad that in a sport that’s an unending parade of dead horses (and endangered jockeys), at least one horse won’t be put in further danger.

Whether you want to call it a stroke of bad luck, or karma since O’Neill’s a controversial figure for drug reasons and horse owner J. Paul Reddam made his fortune off subprime mortgages with a company that allegedly violated consumer protection laws in three states, I’ll Have Another will not, in fact, have another. The Belmont may turn out to be an exciting race, but history won’t be on the line. And because of that, it’s going to be hard for a whole bunch of people who’d have otherwise been glued to their TVs to care about the race even a little.

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