Belmont 2012: Triple Crown Win for I'll Have Another Would Resurrect Dying Sport

Horse racing needs something that casual fans can get behind. It is a sport that needs, for lack of a better term, a savior. 

I'll Have Another is in a prime position to bring the masses into horse racing. While the hardcore audience may not want so many new eyes on its product just because of one horse, it is good for the sport and everyone involved with it if I'll Have Another is victorious at the Belmont Stakes. 

In this country, the only time we care about horse racing is Kentucky Derby weekend because it serves as the start of Triple Crown season. All of the speculation prior to that race is about horses who can win all three legs to win the Crown. 

I'll Have Another was kind of on the radar when the Derby started, with 15-1 odds. He was far from the favorite, but he was just ahead of the middle of the pack. 

Then I'll Have Another caught Bodemeister at the end of the race to pull off the upset, which brought him more attention from the mainstream press than he had ever gotten. Obviously, the Derby is always going to bring a ton of press, but the way that race played out was fascinating. 

When you had the exact same situation play out at the Belmont Stakes, I'll Have Another became far more than "just another horse."

The fact that television ratings were down for the Preakness is not going to have any bearing on the number of eyes on I'll Have Another and the Belmont Stakes. No one watches the Preakness because it is that "sandwich race." It's nowhere near the level of a Kentucky Derby, and the field isn't nearly as strong.

Now that I'll Have Another is going for immortality, he is going to have more people watching him than ever before. One more win is going to bring him and the sport the notoriety it has not had since Affirmed won the Triple Crown in 1978. 

You need another story to follow I'll Have Another to keep the interest at its peak, but the Triple Crown win is the most important thing in the world for horse racing. He is 1.5 miles away from bringing horse racing back to the mainstream. 

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