Preakness 2012 Results: I'll Have Another Must Follow New Script at Belmont

Bodemeister won't be around to challenge I'll Have Another at the Belmont Stakes on June 9, but might the absence of the talented Bob Baffert product actually be a curse, rather than a blessing for the Triple Crown hopeful's pursuit of history?

Might Bodemeister have actually been an important driving force behind I'll Have Another's rise to horse racing greatness.

It's certainly possible.

It was Bodemeister who set the pace for most of the Kentucky Derby before giving in to heavy legs down the stretch. That let-up came amidst a steady, well-timed charge by I'll Have Another on the way to a thrilling finish at Churchill Downs.

Fast forward to this past Saturday, and you'll see a similar script play out. Granted, the track at Pimlico is shorter and narrower than the one in Louisville, and the absence of Trinniberg left the pace a bit more manageable.

But the ultimate result was almost identical. Bodemeister was in control for most of the race, tuckered out over the closing furlongs and gave way to another triumphant finish by I'll Have Another.

That result was apparently enough to convince trainer Bob Baffert to withdraw his entrant from the final leg of the Triple Crown. As he told Stephen Whyno of The Washington Times, "It was a good horse race. I really can’t complain. We didn’t win it, but my horse ran his race."

In other words, Bodemeister did his best, but even that wasn't quite good enough.

And if that's the case, why bother pushing him into another race he isn't going to win? Might as well let him rest, recover and perhaps try on a pair of pants.

And with Paynter available out of Zayat Stables, might as well give Baffert and jockey Mike Smith a fresher horse with whom to chase victory at Belmont.

That could throw a wrench in I'll Have Another's plans for ending horse racing's 34-year Triple Crown drought, though, realistically, if he's good enough to do it, he'll come out on top anyway.

Regardless of the field against whom he's running.

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