Business as usual for I’ll Have Another’s trainer, Doug O’Neill
The Triple Crown road for trainer Doug O’Neill was a smooth one until his starlet; I’ll Have Another showed signs of an injury at the 11th hour to call off the biggest race of everyone’s career associated with I’ll Have Another – the horse himself,
and millions waiting to see a Triple Crown winner after a frustrating drought of 34 years.
Though all said and done, it stands how it is, and life goes on, and that also applies for – now the nationally known trainer – Doug O’Neill, who was up about at 7 am, on a Sunday morning at his stable office.
That small gesture is a sign that people who are in it, love the business and the sport, but for many it might be hard to digest after a gut-wrenching decision to call off the Belmont Stakes, O’Neill is already looking at the future.
When asked about the future plans for I’ll Have Another, O’Neill said that plans were still up in the air, but the necessary things which had to be done are done.
“He’s coming back (Monday),” disclosed O’Neill. “We’ll continue to wean him off his grain. It usually takes horses 10 days to two weeks to wind down. Once he’s ready to go to the ranch, he will. I’d love to keep him around forever, but he’ll stay with us
until he has a final spot.
“I can’t imagine us shipping him to one farm and then sending him to another farm. Hopefully in the next few weeks, they’ll ink some type of deal.”
It certainly was an incredible ride for the crew, trainer, owner and the horse, but O’Neill hopes that I’ll Have Another gets what he deserves after a short but sparkling career.
O’Neill hopes that he has another I’ll Have Another down the road, who could equally do what the Flower Alley colt did, and he is confident that he will find someone of that tenacity to take on the best.
I’ll Have Another bagged the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, before running down Bodemeister twice in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, and the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, to make his bid for the Triple Crown.
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