Belmont Stakes 2012: Why Belmont Stakes Makes Triple Crown so Elusive

The Triple Crown's first two legs are a mighty mountain for any horse to climb, but the Belmont Stakes dwarfs their difficulty.

The third leg of the Triple Crown trifecta is by far the series' most difficult to win. I'll Have Another will have to overcome its seemingly endless oval to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed grabbed the honor in 1978.

The Triple Crown is rare. Twenty one horses have won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes before falling to Belmont's grueling track.

Let's take a look at the Belmont and why it is the Triple Crown's most elusive jewel.

Does it Ever End?

The Belmont Stakes is the longest competitive run any of these three-year-old colts have ever had. Belmont is the longest dirt track in America, and its lengths are not for the faint of heart.

Many horses succeed in the Kentucky Derby's one-and-a-quarter mile race and the Preakness' one-and-three-sixteenths mile trek. Belmont's one-and-a-half mile track is a completely different animal.

Belmont's one-and-a-half mile track often leaves horses struggling to close down the backstretch. They are not used to running this distance, and the overall fatigue from the Triple Crown season catches up to them.

Excellent horses like Big Brown in 2008, Funny Cide in 2003 and War Emblem in 2002 have fallen victim to Belmont's treacherous lengths. These horses were at least as good as I'll Have Another is now.

If Belmont claimed their Triple Crown hopes, I'll Have Another's aspirations are far from safe.

Change of Plans

The Belmont's longer distance also creates issues for the jockeys. Jockeys are charged with maneuvering their horse through the crowded pack and and knowing when to kick their colt into another gear.

Triple Crown jockeys are already in rhythm with their horses. Most have two prior races with their horses under their belts. Now they must ride a completely different kind of race.

Jockeys will have to adjust their timing to win the Belmont Stakes. Each rider will have to gauge his horse's fatigue and figure out which pole serves as their best benchmark.

Sending a horse too soon will wear a horse out. A worn-out horse will fade down the backstretch and will not contend for a Belmont victory.

On the other hand, sending a horse too late will not leave the horse enough room to close the gap. Imagine if Mario Gutierrez had sent I'll Have Another just one pole later in the Preakness. I wouldn't be writing this right now.

Jockeys are often overlooked because their horse does the actual legwork, but their skills make it happen. They provide a calming influence over their animal and administer silent strategies too subtle for the common eye to see.

Belmont's course swallows any jockey who isn't spot-on.

What Does This Mean for I'll Have Another?

It doesn't mean anything new. A Triple Crown hasn't happened since 1978 for a reason.

The races are demanding and unforgiving, and the worst is saved for last. I'll Have Another must run a better race than he did in the previous two legs, and 21 prior horses show that is not as easy as it may seem.

I'll Have Another won the first two Triple Crown legs with miraculous sprints down the backstretch, running Bodemeister down on two separate occasions. Bodemeister will not be around for the Belmont, but a victory will require the same amount of effort.

All eyes will be on I'll Have Another on June 9. In order to claim history and become the 12th horse to ever win a Triple Crown, he will have to conquer the honor's rigorous conclusion.