2012 Preakness Winner: I'll Have Another is What Horse Racing Needs

Whether or not you are a horse enthusiast, there is something downright fun about watching I'll Have Another do his spurt of speed to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes this year.

While I'm already on record as stating that I don't see the one-time $11,000 priced horse winning the Triple Crown, I'll Have Another is generating a great deal of buzz about horse racing.

As soon as the Kentucky Derby winner is announced, the Triple Crown conversation begins every year. With I'll Have Another's last-second style of winning paired with the fact the horse is one win away from completing the first Triple Crown season since 1978, horse racing is staying in the eyes of the common sports fan.

The sport has only seen 11 horses win the Derby and Preakness races since the '78 season. If I'll Have Another can do what no other horse in the modern horse racing era has done, the interest in the sport will certainly elevate.

By now, most have probably heard the story of how I'll Have Another got his name and how he was purchased for a bargain price. The potential 2012 Triple Crown winner has quickly become a household name, and thanks to his humble background along with his trainer and jockey's casual attitude, relating to the horse's team is easier for fans.

Most sports fans will forget about horse racing until next year's Kentucky Derby if I'll Have Another cannot give the sport a Triple Crown. Though, if he succeeds, perhaps the sport will see a bit of an increase in television coverage and rich millionaires looking to get into the sport.

There is really no way to gauge if interest will peak in any fashion, considering how long it has been since the last Triple Crown winner, Affirmed, pulled it off 34 years ago.

I'll Have Another's owner J. Paul Reddam commented on the possibility of his horse winning the elusive title in a discussion with the Sacramento Bee. Reddam said:

"

Look, there are a lot of horses that have been in this position the last 15 years and it didn't happen for them. So we're only two-thirds there, right? So we've got to be cool and block everything out. When we get to the Belmont, just ride the race, and if it happens, it happens...The next leg, is always the toughest.

"

History may not be on the side of Reddam's horse when the Belmont rolls around, but perhaps the limelight that the owner and his team are enjoying will serve as motivation to lead to one of the best sports stories in the new year.

Whether or not I'll Have Another wins the Triple Crown, horse racing is getting a fair amount of exposure and a larger audience from the past two races. The underdog horse has already brought his sport into the mainstream for now and if I'll Have Another becomes the 2012 Triple Crown champion, it will only lead to good things for horse racing.