Preakness 2012 Results: Placings for I'll Have Another, Bodemeister and More

The 137th Preakness Stakes winner I'll Have Another will have a chance at history and the illustrious Triple Crown in three weeks at the Belmont Stakes.

It was a thrilling day at Pimlico to say the least. The finish of the race was about as memorable as they come with a photo finish that left fans cheering in front of their televisions.

Here's how this incredible race panned out.

Preakness Stakes Results

Finish	Horse	Jockey	Post
1	I'll Have Another	M. Gutierrez	9
2	Bodemeister	M. Smith	7
3	Creative Cause	J. Rosario	6
4	Zetterholm	J. Alvarado	4
5	Teeth of the Dog	J. Bravo	2
6	Optimizer	C. Nakatani	10
7	Cozzetti	J. Lezcano	11
8	Tiger Walk	R. Dominguez	1
9	Daddy Nose Best	J. Leparoux	8
10	Went the Day Well	J. Velazquez	5
11	Pretension	J. Santiago	3

Preakness Recap

The Preakness certainly didn't disappoint this time around.

Bodemeister jumped out to an early lead at Pimlico and wouldn't relinquish it until later on in the race. I'll Have Another never panicked and jockey Mario Gutierrez rode the horse beautifully, but more importantly, patiently.

After hanging around in the top four for most of the way, I'll Have Another turned on the jets while making his way down the stretch run. Had Gutierrez waited another second to make his move, the race most likely would've been lost.

But I'll Have Another did have enough gas in the tank to blow by Bodemeister in the last lengths of the race to take the Preakness. As close as it was, it was still clear that I'll Have Another won the race without dispute.

These were two great horses that have developed quite the rivalry during the month of May, and nothing but exciting races have been the result of both of their meetings.

I'll Have Another's Shot at History

Doug O'Neill's horse has a great chance to make history just three weeks from now.

The Belmont Stakes will be the third and final leg that I'll Have Another needs to win in order to be a Triple Crown horse.

Belmont's track is longer than both Churchill Downs and Pimlico, but that should be no problem for I'll Have Another. His uncanny ability to run a patient race makes him the right horse to win the marathon at Belmont.

To help his case even more, I'll Have Another won't be having a third showdown with Bodemeister. According to Richard Rosenblatt of the Associated Press, Bob Baffert has decided to pull his horse from the final race.

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But there's one big storyline difference this time: Bodemeister is skipping the Belmont. "He's getting off the bus here," trainer Bob Baffert said.

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While it's a shame we won't get to see these two square off once again, Bodemeister's absence greatly increases I'll Have Another's chance of being the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

I truly believe that Bodemeister is the only horse in this field, or any field, that can possibly beat the gifted I'll Have Another. Now that he's out of the mix, it's I'll Have Another's race to lose.

As a horse racing fan, I not only hope, but I expect to see history at Belmont.