Preakness 2012 Photo Finish: I'll Have Another Edges Bodemeister in Epic Ending

I'll Have Another won the 2012 Preakness in an epic come-from-behind victory that was a photo finish I won't soon forget.

The colt and his trainer, Mario Gutierrez, utilized the same strategy they used to win the Kentucky Derby—holding off and hanging around the middle of the pack to conserve energy while other horses exerted themselves in an effort to get ahead. 

The problem with this strategy, or so it appeared, is that the Pimlico Race Course features a track that's one-sixteenth of a mile shorter than the one at Churchill Downs. I can honestly say I didn't think he had enough speed to overtake Bodemeister at the end, and it didn't look good for the final two furlongs...until the end.

Unbelievably, I'll Have Another kicked his motor into high gear with just enough time to overtake Bodemeister by a nose. And when I say a nose, I mean maybe half of a nose. 

This race had my heart pumping at the end. I was sure Bodemeister was going to win. It seemed impossible for I'll Have Another to gain enough ground to pull off the second leg of the Triple Crown, and then, he did the impossible.

This finish makes it possible for I'll Have Another to pull off the first Triple Crown since Affirmed won it in 1978.

This colt has an excellent chance to do it, too.

The track at Belmont Park is a full mile-and-a-half. That's a full five-sixteenths of a mile longer than the one at Pimlico,and a full one-fourth of a mile longer than the one at Churchill Downs. Since I'll Have Another is a horse with excellent stamina and a seriously awesome late kick, he should be the favorite to win the Belmont Stakes on June 9, 2012.

It's a great day for horse racing, and I'll Have Another will have yet another chance to make history in a few weeks.

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