Kentucky Derby 2012 Winner: I'll Have Another's Luck Will Vanish at Preakness

It was a weekend to remember for I’ll Have Another and his trainer Doug O’Neill and jockey Mario Gutierrez…but enjoy this victory while it lasts.

The one-and-a-half lengths win over front-runner Bodemeister was very impressive, but it was also aided with a bit of some luck.

Most race experts agree that the breakneck sprinter Trinniberg should have never been in the race. The horse excels in short bursts, but quickly fades with a real lack of stamina. This sets a furious pace that baits some of the favorites into starting almost too fast.

The main culprit ended up being the favorite Bodemeister, who ran one of the best second place finishes in the 138-year history of the sport, but came up short because of the breakneck pace that was set by a horse that had no business in the race.

I’ll Have Another won the Derby because of the length of the race, plain and simple.

Bodemeister set the fifth-fastest time through the quarter and half-mile marks. He simply got exhausted by the end of the race. The next leg in the Triple Crown is the Preakness, a much shorter track at 9.5 furlongs, and it’s going to play right into the hands (or hooves) of Bodemeister.

When you listen to how Bodemeister’s legendary trainer Bob Baffert spoke of his horse that had to settle for second, you get the feeling he isn’t going to give up on him anytime soon (via Yahoo! Sports):

“He's so brilliant. He's such a good horse, one of the best horses I've ever brought here."

So while I’ll Have Another will have much better odds than the 15/1 mark that he entered the Kentucky Derby with, I’d bet Bodemeister is going to be the favorite once again.

But for now, I’ll Have Another lives in infamy as the 2012 Kentucky Derby winner. This is the race that means the most.

Just don’t expect a Triple Crown from him. 

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