I’ll Have Another bucked recent tradition by jetting to Baltimore from Churchill Downs just two days after winning the 138th Kentucky Derby.
Now settled at Pimlico Racecourse, the colt who won as a 15-1 choice in Kentucky will not go so unnoticed this week.
His quest for the Triple Crown and a possible rematch with the horse he chased down on May 5 are two of the storylines to watch heading into the Saturday’s 137th Preakness Stakes.
Can I’ll Have Another win the second leg?
Four colts have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown in the past 10 years: War Emblem in 2002, Funny Cide (2003) Smarty Jones (2004) and Big Brown (2008).
Now, it’s I’ll Have Another’s turn.
Seeking the first Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978, the Doug O’Neill-trained colt could end up having to face four of the five horses who finished right behind him in the Kentucky Derby.
O’Neill likes the versatility his horse has shown and he believes I’ll Have Another can run with speedy Bodemeister, the Derby runner-up.
“The great thing about our colt is that he’s got enough natural speed,” O’Neill said.
“Bodemeister won’t get an easy lead. If he’s the only speed there, I’ll Have Another won’t be that far behind him.”
Bodemeister roared to a breathtaking pace and almost went wire-to-wire before I’ll Have Another caught him in the Derby.
Baffert hasn’t even decided whether he’ll run the colt in the Preakness. He was scheduled to visit Bodemeister and Derby sixth-place finisher Liaison in Kentucky this weekend.
If Bodemeister does run, he’s likely to be the pre-post favourite.
“I can see that,” O’Neill said. “Bodemeister did run a huge race, and coming here, the distance is going to be shorter. I could see how the handicappers would give him an edge.”
The Preakness, at 1-3/16 miles (1900m), is a furlong (200m) shorter than the Derby.
I’ll Have Another became the first Santa Anita Derby winner to claim the Kentucky Derby since Sunday Silence in 1989.
Four of the top six finishers in the Derby came from California. Home to many of the top trainers and one of the most competitive jockey colonies in the country, the state had seemed overlooked to some because its horses struggled in the classics.
Creative Cause, fifth in the Derby, could join I’ll Have Another, Bodemeister and Liaison in representing California at Pimlico.
