Preakness 2012: Nail-Biting Finish Goes Down as Best Ever at Pimlico

On a shorter track it's reasonable to suspect a more exciting finish.

Well, that's just what the 2012 Preakness Stakes brought us as I'll Have Another managed to edge Bodemeister for the victory.

From the start all the way through each turn, Bodemeister was in control and never ceased to fall back. Even down the final stretch he hit a stride to pull away from the rest of the pack, except I'll Have Another.

There, jockey Mario Gutierrez and the horse seemingly kicked into another gear and stole the win in dramatic fashion. It was arguably a flawless race from I'll Have Another because through the first three turns he was striding ideally by and waiting to make a move.

Then that move happened and the rest is history.

As compared to other finishes, well, 2012 at Pimlico is easily the best in recent history because of the implications. 2008 brought us the last Triple Crown threat (Big Brown) and it felt like an omen considering that was the 30th-year anniversary of the most recent winner (Affirmed, 1978).

I'll Have Another, though, feels like he's reaching the pinnacle of this season at the right time. Gutierrez has a strong chemistry with the horse and the confidence/trust was put on display down the stretch in Baltimore.

We also have to consider the opponent. Bodemeister not only was the favorite, but Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith was riding and five-time Preakness winner Bob Baffert (tied for second-most all-time) was his trainer.

Now look at the future implications and it's the potential beginning to an illustrious horse-racing career.

First, the current Triple Crown drought is the longest ever, but the duo with the opportunity is so relatively inexperienced by comparison to other horses and jockeys.

The 2012 Preakness Stakes was only the seventh career win for I'll Have Another (now 7-4-1) and Mario Gutierrez is only 25 years old. This type of success so early is damn impressive and for them to chase down a victory in the second leg of the Triple Crown was unbelievable.

Provided that this duo remains consistent after 2012, we'll then be looking at an eventual Hall of Fame career for each and trainer Doug O'Neill as well.

In short, we're seeing history in the making, so we have to appreciate this dominance for what it's worth right now