I'll Have Another Out: Horse's Injury Is Latest Brutal Reality Check for Sport

Those involved with the sport of horse racing were hoping I'll Have Another was going to become the sport's savior by winning the Triple Crown. An injury forced him to get scratched, however, in the latest reality check for the struggling industry.

It's been 34 years since Affirmed won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes to secure horse racing's most coveted accomplishment. In the more than three decades since, the sport has been on a steady decline.

One concern that people always have is the toll these races have on the animals. There have been several other high-profile horses that broke down in recent years, only adding to those worries.

Eight Belles was a rare filly who was good enough to make the Kentucky Derby cut. She ended up finishing in second place thanks to an impressive performance, but was injured right after the race ended, leading to euthanasia.

Her injury came less than two years after Barbaro was injured at the Preakness Stakes. He was able to fight the injuries for eight months before being put down. The combination of those two situations in such a short time period have a negative impact on horse racing.

While fans enjoy watching the big races, it's always hard to cope with the idea that the horses may be getting pushed beyond their limits for entertainment.

Speaking of entertainment, a recent television show on HBO called Luck, which focused on horse racing, brought the issue of injured horses back to the forefront.

The program was cancelled in March after it was revealed three horses died during its production, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The next month, the New York Times did an extensive investigation into the sport, which found that horses were often unprepared for races and were treated with pain medication by owners hoping to get a piece of the big purses.

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"If the public knew how many medications these horses were administered after entry time, I don’t think they would tolerate it," said Dr. Rick Arthur, equine medical director of the California Horse Racing Board.

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That brings us to I'll Have Another trainer Doug O'Neill. Based on a report from Gary Mihoces of USA Today, he faces a 45-day suspension in California starting next month for a violation, which wasn't the first of his career. He was previously fined and given warnings.

Even though there has never been a connection made between I'll Have Another and any illegal activity, O'Neill's actions underscore a bigger problem with the sport that has no easy resolution: winning at all costs.

It's a tough industry and the only way to move up the ladder is to win. So trainers around the country are forced to push the limits as much as possible—and beyond, as the O'Neill suspension shows—to improve a horse's chances of winning.

No matter how much treatment a horse receives, pushing them beyond their normal ability will eventually cause health problems.

It's being reported that I'll Have Another suffered a tendon injury. It's impossible to know if his tough schedule, which was going to feature three races in five weeks, played a role. But it was the most challenging slate of his career.

All told, just like in human sports, injuries are going to occur no matter how many precautions are taken. But humans also have the ability to relay that information to coaches and athletic trainers. Horses don't have that luxury.

And in today's world, people are never going to respond well when an animal breaks down for the sake of a race. It's a problem horse racing will continue to deal with and probably won't ever fix.

I'll Have Another was on track to help improve the sport's image. Instead, he simply becomes another statistic highlighting the myriad of hurdles horse racing must jump over to recover.