Preakness 2012 Winner: How I'll Have Another Shocked the Field

All aboard the I'll Have Another bandwagon.

The horse with a penchant for comebacks has done it again, using a brilliant late surge to win the 2012 Preakness.

It was another miraculous comeback effort from the horse and jockey Mario Gutierrez, who once again overtook the explosive Bodemeister in the final stretch. Watch how it happened below.

As you can see, both horses opened strong, but it was no surprise when the quick-starting Bodemeister took control on the inside of the track. He exploded out of the gates, and although I thought he would build a bigger gap early, he was clearly dominant in the beginning. 

That changed in the second half of the race, as Gutierrez and I'll Have Another unleashed their furious comeback on the outside. Bodemeister and jockey Mike Smith desperately tried to fend them off; Gutierrez and his horse would not be denied.

After winning by a neck, I'll Have Another is one win away from immortality. If he can beat the field at the Belmont Stakes (Saturday, June 9) he will become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.

Since that year, 11 horses have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, only to have their legacies altered by losses at the Belmont. But although it hasn't been done in 34 years, I'm expecting I'll Have Another to pull off the feat.

The 1.5-mile Belmont is the longest race of the Triple Crown, and with I'll Have Another's tendency to build up steam, he should be in a great position late. 

In addition to his favorable style, he also appears to have fate on his side. His margins of victory—1.5 lengths at the Kentucky Derby and a matter of inches in the Preakness—are exactly the same as Affirmed's when he won the Crown back in '78.

Whether you believe in destiny or not, it seems like nothing can stop I'll Have Another from making history this year.