Belmont Stakes 2012: I'll Have Another Is Already Horse Racing's Biggest Winner

The legend of I'll Have Another is already the biggest story of the last few years in thoroughbred racing. Should he and jockey Mario Gutierrez ride to victory at the 2012 Belmont Stakes on June 9, they will accomplish a feat that we haven't seen in almost 35 years.

Regardless of the result at Belmont Park, I'll Have Another is already horse racing's biggest winner.

The Kentucky Derby was a sight to behold, as I'll Have Another stormed from the middle of the pack to catch the heavily favored Bodemeister. Not much was thought of Doug ONeill's chestnut colt coming into the race, as he was given just 15-1 odds to win.

The final stretch of the race was a microcosm of the I'll Have Another experience leading up to the Kentucky Derby. It seemed like Gutierrez wouldn't be able to make up enough ground to catch Mike Smith and Bodemeister, but that was when all the doubters were proven wrong.

In the final 330 feet, I'll Have Another made up so much ground that it was almost too much to handle. I, for one, am not die-hard fan of horse racing, but my heart was in my throat for the final 10 seconds of that race. Once again, the odds favorite was unable to win the race, and I'll Have Another thrust himself onto even the most casual racing fan.

The Preakness was another spectacle of the resiliency of the horse and jockey tandem. The margin of victory was even narrower at Pimlico. I'll Have Another was all the way back in third place as the horses came down the final stretch, and even seemed to run crooked for a few dozen feet.

Gutierrez would have none of that, however, and I'll Have Another made up an incredible amount of ground in such a small amount of time.

With 100 yards left, it didn't seem like he would be able to do it, but we should have known to keep the faith in the upset-minded horse.

It wasn't that Bodemeister broke down at the end and wasn't fast enough. It wasn't that his jockey did something wrong. It was I'll Have Another running the best race a thoroughbred can run, and in doing so, he proves himself to be horse racing's biggest winner. The three-year-old horse has endeared himself to racing fans, and kept everyone interested in horse racing (at least for the next couple of weeks).

It would be sad to see I'll Have Another fall short of a Triple Crown, but he's taught us not to doubt him, and we would be best to learn from our mistakes. Since Affirmed accomplished the seemingly impossible feat back in 1978, we have seen 11 horses win the first two legs of the Triple Crown, but fall short at the Belmont Stakes.

Even if that same fate befalls I'll Have Another, he is still horse racing's biggest winner for what he has already done, when so many did not think it would happen.