Preakness 2012 Winner: I'll Have Another Triple Crown Will Save Horse Racing

Horse racing is in a dangerous spot right now. Television ratings are down, people are losing interest and we haven't seen a Triple Crown winner in almost 35 years.

If I'll Have Another can finish ahead of the field at the Belmont Stakes, the sport of thoroughbred racing will be revitalized thanks to the underdog tale that spectators have witnessed this spring.

NBC earned a 5.6 overnight Nielsen rating for the 45-minute time slot of the Preakness stakes from 6:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. ET. That's an 11 percent drop from the race last year. That problem likely won't be seen at the Belmont, as interest has sparked now that I'll Have Another still has his Triple Crown bid intact. 

If I'll Have Another is able to win at the Belmont Stakes, next year's Kentucky Derby ratings will prosper because of that. If he is unable to do so, the ratings will undoubtedly suffer. A victory by I'll Have Another will mark the end of a lengthy Triple Crown drought and will keep even the casual fan interested in the race for the first leg of the legendary accomplishment next May.

It's hard for horse racing to compete with other sports simply because, for lack of a better phrase, nobody cares about any other race of the season except for the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont. May to June is prime sports season in the United States and that never bodes well for thoroughbred racing. There is the NBA playoffs to compete with, NHL playoffs as well and even Saturday afternoon baseball typically gets the nod over horse racing.

If you flip the channel to catch the last few innings of your favorite team's Saturday evening game on Fox, you could easily miss the most exciting two minutes in sports.

That's one of the main problems with the three major races is that they happen so quick. What other competition in all of sports is over and done with in two minutes? Other than track and field events, no such competitions exist. And even in track and field, there are numerous events at one track meet.

I'll Have Another has already done wonders for thoroughbred racing, as he became the first horse since Big Brown in 2008 to win the first two races of the Triple Crown and I'm sure the Belmont ratings will reflect that. The carry-over effect from an I'll Have Another triumph will be a shot in the arm for horse racing and even the most casual of fans will looking forward to the 2013 Kentucky Derby in hopes of seeing history be made for the second consecutive year.