Preakness 2012 Winner: Horses with Shot to Ruin I'll Have Another's Triple Crown

I'll Have Another's chances at a Triple Crown are looking quite good, but he will still have a few formidable challengers. Even after his two impressive finishes at the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, these two horses will surely push him—if they run at the Belmont Stakes on June 9 in New York.

Creative Cause

He ran a strong race at Pimlico and finished third, but he was right in the mix of things for the majority of the race. His racing career has been full of ups and downs.

If you follow the trends in his finishes over the past year, he should be due for a strong run at the Belmont Stakes.

Prior to his fifth-place finish at Churchill Downs, he had placed second at the Santa Anita Derby and first at the San Felipe Stakes. After his third-place finish at the Preakness, he appears to be on the upswing.

His success would not be surprising; he's a California horse, and they have proven to be the cream of the crop this horse racing season.

Bodemeister

Yes, Bodemeister. I know many are down on him, and the longer track seems to favor I'll Have Another even more. That is certainly a logical conclusion, but this is horse racing, and anything can happen.

There is no guarantee I'll Have Another will respond to another timely push as he has in two consecutive races. The Bob Baffert-trained Bodemeister is a quality horse, he's proven that through two-thirds of both races he's run against I'll Have Another.

If the Derby and Preakness champion falters at all, or reacts too slow to jockey Mario Gutierrez' push, Bodemeister's fast start may just hold up in this race.

There could be other horses in a position to play spoiler, but we'll have to wait and see how the field rounds out. Stay tuned for specifics as they become available.

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