I'll Have Another Scratched: Injury Raises Ugly Questions About the Sport

There was always an inkling that I'll Have Another's bid for the Triple Crown was too good to be true. Now, we know it was.

The horse was scratched from the Belmont just over 24 hours prior to the race because of an injury, according to a tweet from The Dan Patrick Show's official account:

"

Doug O'Neill: "I'll Have Another is officially out of the Belmont."

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) June 8, 2012"

Yahoo! Sports' Brian Beckner reported that the injury was to the colt's tendon, per an unnamed source: 

"

SOURCE: I'll Have Another has a torn tendon and will be retired. @1000Steps @TheBigLead

— Brian B. (@BrianBeckner) June 8, 2012"

Suddenly, the most anticipated horse race in years is mired in controversy and sadness. Sadness, because a horse that had a shot at becoming the first Triple Crown winner since 1978 is done. Controversy, because his trainer has already been annihilated in the court of public opinion for a number of racing violations.

Is I'll Have Another's injury just unfortunate timing? Or should we be taking a closer look at O'Neill's track record?

Even before the trainer was suspended by California racing officials a couple of weeks ago for violations, the trainer was under a black cloud. As his notoriety grew, so did his history of doping horses, particularly with a mixture of electrolytes and baking soda that raises the level of carbon dioxide in the horses' blood, according to the AP. 

Shortly before I'll Have Another's Preakness win, FoxSports.com columnist Dan Wolken penned an article about O'Neill and led off with the following statement: 

"

If I owned a racehorse, would I want O’Neill to train it? Not if I cared about the safety of the animal and playing by the rules. 

"

A bit more poignant now, isn't it?

According to Wolken, three of O'Neill's horses have tested positive for some kind of illegal mixture since 2005, and that's not even the most troubling statistic affiliated with the trainer, whose colt's blazing speed carried him to victory in both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness this year.

According to a New York Times study, as reported by Wolken, most race horses suffer injuries at a rate of five per every 1,000 starts. O'Neill's horses suffer 12 injuries per every 1,000 starts, which is more than double the national average.

In light of that, is it really a surprise that I'll Have Another is down and out right before the biggest race of his career?

Maybe it's just the timing of these three Triple Crown races. Maybe three races in 35 days is simply too much for their bodies to handle. Prior to his injury, I'll Have Another would've been the only horse in the Belmont field to have participated in all three races.

But this injury doesn't cast a shadow only over O'Neill; it brings into question the integrity of the sport in general. According to a study by the AP, among the 11 trainers at the Belmont, there have been 64 medical violations.

Something's not right here. If everyone's cheating, what's the use? If all of these trainers are injecting their horses with milkshake-esque mixtures that allow them to overwork themselves before suffering career-ending injuries, why is nothing being done to stop it?

I'll Have Another's bid for history could have been so good for the sport of horse racing. It could've made people care again. Now, it's all ruined, as is I'll Have Another's once promising career.

Hopefully the entire sport of horse racing doesn't implode with it.