What about this horse? Can he pull it off in 3 weeks?

I think so he is a strong finishing horse and don't see any other horses that can close it out like he can

Belmont is longest of Triple Crown Races. The way Have Another closed in the first two, it should suit him.
Tough gig, though. Some of the top Derby horses have rested and are coming back. They'll likely add a couple top horses at that distance that didn't have quite enough speed for the Derby and Preakness.
It's why so many top horses that have won the first two legs have fallen short in the Belmont.
I'll Have Another reminds me somewhat of the finest thoroughbred Canada has ever produced -- Northern Dancer. Both were sold cheap as yearlings. Both had to overcome heavy favorites in the Derby and Preakness -- Bodemeister and Hill Rise.
The Dancer couldn't handle Quadrangle in the stretch. Hope I'll Have Another can overcome the odds. Nice horse.
Was driving north of Oshawa with my son and kept passing miles of 'horse fence' that needed painting. Thought to myself 'someone must have some bucks to have this much land standing idle in such a developed area'.
Then it hit me -- this had been the site of EP Taylor's Windfield Farms where Northern Dancer had been trained and held court for years as a top thoroughbred stud.
The memory of the little horse has out-lasted even his millionaire owner's huge thoroughbred operation. It was kind of sad to see the empty fields and vacant buildings of what had been a Canadian sports icon. Kind of like driving past Maple Leaf Gardens.
Anyway, hope this American horse with the Canadian connections can pull off one more miracle finish.

what is so unfair in the triple crown races is that a good horse can run his guts out in the first two races then you got some plug that didn,t have enough class or money to go from the start so they gallop him a mile on a workout track a few times let him run through the stretch then here they come with him to the belmont,to be fair the ones that started in the derby should be all that compeats in these races if they want to miss the preakness than they should be done,when they bring a fresh horse to run with the ones that has been there from the start and likely over the peak of there form from the two grueling races they have been in is not fair cant believe the powers that be would allow it,sure if one like that pulls it off the owners get a big check but they have still got a plug because they didn,t run him with the class horses from the start.guess the old saying(money greases the wheel)is still true..

The Belmont will come down to I'll Have Another and Dullahan. That will be a good match down the stretch.

Don't know if he can pull it off in 3 weeks or not, but I will be pulling for him.

As the post above have said there will be a few that will come back from the Derby that didn't race Saturday gunning for him, and there will be some that have not raced in either the Derby or Preakness that will be gunning to up set him.

I hope he can lay it all on the line and win the Triple Crown, never been one in my life time. The last horse to win it was Affirm in 1978 about 4 days before I was born.

The horse I fear the most coming for I'll Have Another, is Union Rags(?) I think that was the favorite in the Derby he came on strong in the Derby but not enough speed for the Preakness, but probably has enough grit to finish the mile and half in the last race.

Come on I'll Have Another will be my hopes come June 9th, 2012.

Looking forward to it in a big way.

True Grit,

Jonathan Blakeley

Did any of you all see the Santa Anita this year? I think this race is a mile and 1/8th. I have seen this horse in 3 races this year. It seems to me the longer the race the better he is. I sure hope I'm right. I would sure like to see him win it myself.If he wins the triple crown maybe just maybe he will get the respect he allready deserves.

At the longer distance I think he will pull away and win by 7 or 8 links

eric, i know how you feel, i feel the same way when we go by what is left of the meadow farm here in va where secretariat was born and raised, it was the home of our state fair but it went belly up recently and dont know what the future of such an iconic place is now. speaking of the belmont, i guess we have the movie now to remind us of the greatest belmont ever when big red kept pulling away from the field and into horseracing immortality. that horse was ready to run on that day and i dont think his feat will ever be matched. when we watched the movie, i told my kids of how it was to watch it live on tv as a nation pulled for the big red horse. i will never forget it.

I remember those three races very well when Secretariat won the Triple Crown. I still watch the movie pretty often and it gives me chill bumps to see how powerful he was and how he was in such control of that last race. He was a wonderful animal and I hope this new horse does well also.

i will never forget that june day in 1973 when the immortal secretariat destroyed the field and demolished all records for this race that still stands today.i was at home alone that day waiting for time for the big race to take place and when it did you could tell very early it would be something special,about the time big red was coming to the far turn and the great caller chick anderson started with he has gone three quarters in 109 and 4 the thrill started getting me and by time he hit the wire tears of joy were on the cheeks.i have videos of those triple crown races in my favorites when i play them forty years later the thril is just about the same.the only other one that made me emotional like secretariat was the super filly zenyatta they were very special they were like great hounds you see very few of there caliber in a lifetime.i hope i,ll have another wins it,s time we had another champion.

There are a few images/performances from the world of sports that stay with you.
Willie Mays after a long fly ball, Bobby Orr in full flight, Gayle Sayers in the open field. A few performances boggle the mind -- Wilt's 100 points, some of Gretsky's scoring records, Ted Williams .400 season.
Don't believe anything in the world of sports approaches Secretariat's Belmont performance. We've listed all the difficulties that a prospective Triple Crown winner faces at the Belmont. He made them laughable.

Dick for some reason after reading your little bit there about you watching the race I can't help but Laugh I can only guess just how many neighbors heard you screaming at the top of your lungs for him to run off even farther. I wish the rest of field but Bodiemiester would scratch from the field to let them two run. But WHEN he out runs them other horses it will make it that much better to watch!!!!! I would have bet anything that Secretariat's home ground looked like a multimillion dollar operation to the day!

Eric- Secretariat in the Belmont was astonishing no doubt. He was a great horse but he wasn't a normal horse. He had a genetic flaw that helped him dominate the Belmont.

heath
couple more you may like to bring to the front,one is 1988 belmont including risen star a secretariat colt and called by dave johnson on abc sports,to me the greatest ever.back about 64 or 65 he started at cahokia downs and fairmount park couple little tracks just across the river from st louis in collinsville ill so i got to see him around the track at times before he made it to the big time,when a couple horses got hooked up coming after the money dave would really rev you up.he is the one who coined the phrase(AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME)a buddy and i who worked at g.m.would try to talk our way out of there at lunch time couple times a month and go to the track,worked some time but not every time.the other one is TERLINGUA SECRETARIATS GIRL she is the mother of the great stallion STORM CAT.

Eric---

A few ideas---

I think this years field is weaker than normal therefore I'LL HAVE ANOTHER will have a better chance of winning the mighty Belmont---I (for one) will be pulling for him to do it---

He's a much better bred horse than most people know---Mr. Prospector 4xS,4xS, Danzig 4xS,4xS, Raise A Native 5xS,5xS, Gold Digger 5xS,5xS, Northern Dancer 5xS,5xS,5xD, Pos de Nom 5xS,5xD along with crosses of Nijinsky II, Alydar, Saddler Wells and Princequillo---

And, I don't know if they have a way of testing the size of a horse's heart while he s still alive but they sure can after he dies---Secretariat's heart was 2.75 times larger than the normal heart of a 1175 pound race horse---and we watched Red's 31 lengths victory at the 1973 Belmont Stakes---A record that may never be challenged---How large of a pump does I’LL HAVE ANOTHER really have---

Most athletic superstars -- equine, canine, human -- have things going for them physically that others just don't.
Mickey Mantle, Jim Brown, Wilt, Usain Bolt, just to name a few have something in their genetics that comes around once in a billion times.
Pro athletes like to go on about 'hard word, character, concentration etc.' when the truth is the average athlete could work til doomsday and not overcome the physical advantage they hold. Amongst these gifted athletes there pops up the occasional 'physical freak' like some of the above who are playing cards no one else, not even other elite athletes, has been dealt.
I'll bet some of the great hounds like Highball and others had things going for them that others, even very good ones don't.
It will be interesting to see how I'll Have Another handles the Belmont. Even if his heart isn't physically bigger, hope it's 'big' enough to meet the challenge.

I'LL HAVE ANOTHER SCRATCHED FROM THE BELMONT

I think i would have to try him wether he was 100% or 80% one in a lifetime chance. He would have a long time to rest after let that swelling go down..

it is sad that he scratched, but running a horse with sore tendons is a no no. Take care of the horse and he will win again!

They retired him today also

I wish he could run but saving the horse is for the best. The greatest was that summer in 1973. To me the greatest athletic event I have ever seen.