Belmont Stakes 2012 Horses: Union Rags Will Be No Match for I'll Have Another

Don't count Union Rags among the serious threats to I'll Have Another's Triple Crown bid. Union Rags' trainer, Mike Matz did confirm that his colt would be running in the Belmont stakes on June 9, with a new jockey, but I'll Have Another will beat him as he has before.

I'll Have Another blew Union Rags away in the Kentucky Derby. The latter finished a distant seventh at Churchill Downs, and frankly there is nothing to make me believe he will fare any better in New York.

Matz is going with John Velazquez to ride Union Rags at the Belmont. He is replacing Julien Leparoux who rode the horse at the Fountain of Youth, Florida Derby and the Kentucky Derby. Matz told ESPN's Esther Marr:

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"Whether it was the horse, the jockey, or the trainer, I don't know, but we decided to make a change." 

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I believe the jockey can obviously have a huge effect on the way a horse runs, as I do not believe I'll Have Another would be as successful without the chemistry he and Mario Gutierrez have.

Coincidentally, the last jockey to ride I'll Have Another before his run of four wins in a row was Leparoux.

He guided I'll Have Another to a sixth place finish at Hopeful in September, so it is easy to see why Leparoux is being treated a though he has cooties. 

With or without Leparoux it will not matter. The momentum I'll Have Another has, and the chemistry between he and Gutierrez is too strong. Union Rags is a second tier horse, and it will be proven again at the Belmont Stakes.

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