Preakness 2012: Win Proves I'll Have Another Has Speed to Capture Triple Crown

The Preakness was billed as Bodemeister's chance to get back at I'll Have Another for stealing the Kentucky Derby right out from under him. Instead, it was the same story all over again.

Against all odds, I'll Have Another pulled out yet another upset victory over Bodemeister, eclipsing the favorite in the final furlong to win by a neck. He now stands to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978, but the question is, can he really do it?

If the Preakness is any indication, there's no one who can stop him.

Jockey Mario Gutierrez had a very strategic game plan in place for Saturday's race. Everyone knew I'll Have Another and Bodemeister were the certified speed demons in the field and would therefore be charged with the task of setting the pace, but Gutierrez was content to wait in the background and let Bodemeister jockey Mike Smith make the call.

Gutierrez hung back in fourth place, keeping I'll Have Another owner J. Paul Reddam anxious and concerned, but he had a plan, and he put it into action in the stretch. Once Bodemeister took a three-length lead over Creative Cause, Gutierrez and I'll Have Another turned on the motor, and in the final furlong, I'll Have Another overcame Bodemeister's lead by one measly neck for the win.

It was the Kentucky Derby all over again. And now, I'll Have Another needs just one more win at the Belmont on June 9 to put his stamp on history.

I'll Have Another's win at Churchill Downs in early May seemed like a bit of a fluke. It seemed like Bodemeister made a classic mistake of setting too fast a pace—for himself or anyone else—and couldn't hold on when a strong I'll Have Another challenged him in the stretch. It seemed as though on the shorter track at Pimlico, Bodemeister would be able to correct those errors and set a pace he could maintain over a shorter distance.

But yet again, I'll Have Another figured him out, and that was the only real challenge. The rest of the field was left in the dust.

So you have to figure: If I'll Have Another is this capable of outrunning the only horse that has been the front-runner in both of the marquee races this season, who can beat him at the Belmont?

Forget about the fact that there's a reason a Triple Crown victory happens so infrequently, or that Gutierrez was extremely green prior to his last two races. He's proven he can outsmart the competition, and I'll Have Another can outrun it.

That's an unbeatable combination.