Belmont Stakes 2012: Move to NY Good for I'll Have Another's Triple Crown Chase

For the second time in as many races, I'll Have Another won't have much time to savor the flavor of victory before moving on to his next Triple Crown task.

The winner of the Preakness Stakes is already on his way out of Baltimore and up to New York for the Belmont Stakes. That gives him just under three weeks to acclimate himself to his new surroundings in preparation for the biggest event in horse racing since 2008, when "The Test of Champions" proved to be too much for Big Brown.

Whether or not the same fate befalls I'll Have Another remains to be seen, though if his performance in the first two legs serve as any indication, he has what it takes to elevate and then remove terms like "1978" and "Affirmed" from the modern lexicon of equine competition.

For now, the best I'll Have Another's handlers can hope for is the replication of their stellar results by following their existing routine to a tee. The colt was among the first to show up at Pimlico in preparation for the Preakness, completing the trip from Louisville to Baltimore by the Monday immediately after the Kentucky Derby. The early trek gave I'll Have Another 12 days to settle into his stable and traipse around the track with little interference whatsoever.

It also helped that I'll Have Another was in good enough shape to make the journey so soon after such a taxing race. In hindsight, that, in itself, should've served as some indication that he was truly a special horse and that he merited serious consideration as a threat to capture the Triple Crown.

This time around, trainer Doug O'Neill is busy telling the Associate Press that I'll Have Another is in "super shape."

Regardless of whether O'Neill is overstating the facts, I'll Have Another should be plenty primed for the Belmont on June 9th, with only an anxious 20 days and another star-studded field standing between him and a prominent place in horse racing history.

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