I’ll Have Another again draws close to the far outside, this time post number 11 against 12 for the Belmont Stakes
It is Kentucky Derby all over again, at least in terms of the draw as far as I’ll Have Another is concerned, because the J. Paul Reddam colt has again drawn to the outside of most of his fellow 3-year-olds in gate number 11 in a field of 12. I’ll Have Another
drew post number 19 in a field of 20 in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday of May.
Doug O’Neill’s trainee has been declared as the favourite at 4 to 5 on the morning line, and the 3-year-old – who will be bidding to become the 12th horse to win the Triple Crown – will be ridden again by jockey, Mario Gutierrez.
Next to the far outside post is becoming a norm for I’ll Have Another, who made history by winning the Kentucky Derby while breaking from post number 19 – no other horse has done it before. In the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, I’ll Have Another drew
post 9 in a field of 11, and at the end nosed out Bodemeister to put the Triple Crown on the line in the Belmont Stakes since Big Brown in 2008.
"It's been an unbelievable ride," O'Neill said immediately after the post position draw. He expressed satisfaction with I'll Have Another's post for the Belmont.
"I think we've stayed focused on this great journey with I'll Have Another," O'Neill added. "He's doing great. He's continued to gallop great, his appetite has remained strong. He's handled this whole journey as good as a horse can. His flesh remains good,
his coat is shining."
The strategy according to O’Neill will be a simple one, but the crucial talk with Mario will obviously come prior to the race, but he did reveal that if the pace is slow than I’ll Have Another will be shot to the front, and if they go all out than the Flower
Alley colt will sit just behind the pace setters.
Mario Gutierrez looked confident when asked about the once in a lifetime chance to win the Triple Crown, and he casually said that he is trying to have fun.
The jockey from Hastings Race Course had an opportunity to exercise I’ll Have Another over the massive Belmont Park, but he will wrap it around race wise, when he takes Boxeur des Rues on Friday over the 1 ½ mile Brooklyn Handicap, which will help him get
the hang of the Big Sandy.
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