| I’ll Have Another, Thank You! 20 May, 2012 – Lisa Barrett |
In a virtual carbon copy of the Kentucky Derby a few weeks back, I’ll Have Another snatched victory yet again from the desperately unlucky Bodemeister to claim the second leg of America’s Triple Crown – the 137th renewal of the Preakness.
Held back near the middle of the field by his jockey, Mario Gutierrez for most of the race, I’ll Have Another was asked if he was ready by his jockey at the top of the straight.
Gutierrez obviously knows his charge like the back of his hand, as he quickened up considerably and began his assault. For most, the race looked sewed up for Bodemeister, who was running in his usual hard freewheeling style, but it seems that no-one had told I’ll Have Another this, and in the dying strides of the race, he produced a furious last minute burst to take the race.
It was one of the most thrilling races seen for years, and the level of pre and post race excitement has ignited a firestorm of speculation. The big question now is, can he win the Belmont Stakes in a few weeks and become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978, and only the 12th horse in history to claim the mantle.
Racing though, has the ability to produce the most unlikely of stars, and one which certainly deserves all the credit, is his jockey, Mario Gutierrez, who until his victory upon I’ll Have Another in the Derby, was an unknown work rider at the Santa Anita track in California. Thanks to his masterful guidance and skill, for the first time in 34 years, there could be another superstar in the making.
| Lisa Barrett – Guest Writer “Lisa Barrett”, her psuedonym, currently works at a stud farm in the KZN Midlands – a position she has held for the past eight years. She describes herself as “absolutely and totally besotted by horses” and she is in a fortunate position to work with a stallion she idolises every day. She describes herself as “continually fascinated by every aspect of the racehorse business, especially pedigrees!” |