Belmont Stakes: O'Neill Casts Cloud over I'll Have Another's Triple Crown Bid

On June 9, I'll Have Another will attempt to make horse racing history by winning the Belmont Stakes and becoming the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. However, even should the colt be victorious in New York, his achievement may be tainted by his controversial trainer.

The Sacramento Bee reported Friday that trainer Doug O'Neill has once again been penalized by a licensing board after a horse under his care was found to have abnormally high levels of carbon dioxide in its bloodstream.

After a nearly two-year legal battle, the California Horse Racing Board suspended O'Neill for 45 days and fined him $15,000 after one of his horses failed a post-race test at Del Mar racetrack in 2010.

The suspension and fine will have no bearing on next month's Belmont Stakes, and it's important to note that the Racing Board did not accuse O'Neill of any intentional misconduct but instead suspended him because the state's rules (according to the article in the Bee) state that "trainers are ultimately responsible for horses in their care."

Elevated carbon dioxide levels can be a result of a practice known as "milkshaking", where a horse is given a mixture of bicarbonate of soda, sugar and electrolytes to combat muscle fatigue. O'Neill vigorously denies ever having given a horse the mixture, and the trainer told The Bee that while he's glad that the board agreed that there was no intentional misconduct on his part, he is still considering appealing the ruling.

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"I plan on examining and reviewing all of my options following the Belmont Stakes, but right now I plan on staying focused on preparing for and winning the Triple Crown," O'Neill said in a statement.

"I know I didn't milkshake a horse. None of us around the barn milkshaked any horses," O'Neill said Wednesday. "You got to have rules and I respect rules, but when you get faulty science involved, it costs a lot of money unfortunately, but you've got to fight it and that's what we're doing."

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O'Neill wasn't accused of cheating in this instance, but he has been in the past. As The New York Times recently reported not only does O'Neill possess a fairly checkered past, but also his horses have a troubling tendency to break down.

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Over 14 years and in four different states, O’Neill received more than a dozen violations for giving his horses improper drugs. O’Neill’s horses also have had a tendency to break down. According to an analysis by The New York Times, the horses he trains break down or show signs of injury at more than twice the rate of the national average.

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Once again, it's important to note that there have been no indications that anything about I'll Have Another's victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes were suspicious. Even if O'Neill is the biggest cheat in the history of cheaters, one would have to think he'd have enough sense not to do it in a Triple Crown race, where the horses are scrutinized more heavily than ever.

However, fair or not, O'Neill's past is bound to raise some eyebrows where I'll Have Another is concerned. Much like any baseball player who played during the "steroid era" O'Neill's past (alleged) misdeeds will likely cause some to wonder whether I'll Have Another's impressive achievements are legitimate.

That's too bad because horse racing hasn't had a Triple Crown winner in over 30 years or even seen a horse have a shot at winning it since 2008. The last thing anyone wanted was the excitement of I'll Have Another's opportunity to end that drought saddled with an asterisk.