Preakness 2012 Winner: Why I'll Have Another Is a Lock to Win Triple Crown

After two incredible victories at the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, I'll Have Another is a sure bet to win the Belmont Stakes and become the the first Triple Crown winner in 34 years.

Horse racing is in the midst of its longest drought without a Triple Crown-winning horse, but I'll Have Another and its team have put together something special.

The drama and excitement of their victories in Kentucky and Maryland were extraordinary.

The races were nearly identical, and both times I'll Have Another made a courageous late charge to overtake Bodemeister, who was favored in both races.

I'll Have Another came out of nowhere. Owner J. Paul Reddam bought the colt for $35,000, which is cheap compared to the $260,000 spent on Bodemeister.

Reddam had never been involved with a horse that won a Triple Crown race until the remarkable finish at the Derby. The same is true of jockey Mario Gutierrez and trainer Doug O'Neill.

Despite the team's inexperience, all parties involved with their Thoroughbred are in perfect unison right now, and they are getting the most out of the colt.

This is especially true of Gutierrez. Like the horse he has rode to victory, he too came out of nowhere.

At just 25 years old, he is in the early stages of his career. Just last year, he was racing at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver, far from the epicenter of the sport.

But now, all eyes are on him, and for good reason. His ability to pace I'll Have Another to perfection in the last two races has been seemingly supernatural. 

This inspiring story has yet to reach its climax, and the storybook ending will play out during the Belmont Stakes.

With the horse and the jockey so perfectly in tune with each other, I'll Have Another will pull off a historic victory on June 9 at Belmont Park in New York.