I’ll Have Another came off the sidelines to upset the Robert B. Lewis Stakes field
The most fascinating thing about horseracing is that you can never write any horse off, no matter what the field, no matter who has been given what starting price, and no matter if a horse has won just a maiden special weight race out of 3 starts and coming
off a 5 month layoff, making his seasonal debut and going around two turns for the first time in his career, he can still creep up from behind and give all you bettors the shock of your lives.
The newly turned 3-year-old colt, I’ll Have Another had everything mentioned above, and that was the reason why he was sent at 43 to 1 in the Grade 2, $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita’s dirt course over a distance of 1 1/16 miles on 4 February,
2012.
However, like a wise man once said, when the race is on all bets are off, but with the likes of Empire Way, Rousing Sermon and Liaison in the same field, it’d be wise to put your money on any of the three, because they held enormous chances of winning the
race.
Nobody told I’ll Have Another that these horses are all that, and quite possibly have spent more time racing on the track rather than relaxing in their barns, grazing, but I’ll Have Another had no choice but to do it and in the process heal his injured shin
while finishing a distant sixth to, Currency Swap, in the seven furlong long Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes on 5 September, 2011.
Having said all that, I’ll Have Another challenged all the stars of the Robert B. Lewis Stakes on equal terms and posted an easy win over Empire Way by 2 ¾ lengths to win the 1 1/16 mile test.
Doug O’Neill trained colt took the lead at the far turn and never looked back under jockey Mario Gutierrez, who usually rides in Canada, and covered the distance in 1 minute and 40.84 seconds over the fast track.
The Grade 1 Cashcall Futurity winner, Liaison was sent as the 3 to 2 favourite, but he failed to finish as he clipped heals and got squeezed in the homestretch with Groovin’ Solo.
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