I'll Have Another Scratched: How Horse Racing Will Be Affected by Sad Injury

An injury to Belmont Stakes favorite I'll Have Another will cause the horse to scratch from the race, according to trainer Doug O'Neill. Unfortunately, the entire sport will suffer as well.

The main popularity of horse racing comes down to the three races that make up the Triple Crown: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. Winning all three events is one of the hardest things to do in sports due to the quick turnaround between the races.

Since Affirmed in 1978, no horse has been able to win the elusive Triple Crown, although some horses have come close. In the last 15 years, seven different horses were able to win the first two legs. However, each one came up short in the Belmont.

This year, I'll Have Another became the twelfth horse since Affirmed to win both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. Due to the horse's ability to come from behind and close late, the longer track at Belmont seemed to perfectly suit him to finish with a third straight win.

His chances improved greatly when it was decided that Bodemeister, the second-place finisher in each of the other two races, would not compete at Belmont.

Unfortunately, none of this matters due to the fact that a late injury during a workout prevents the great feat from even becoming a possibility.

Fans were willing to tune in to watch history, but as it becomes just another race, the thrill goes out the window.

According to USA Today, when a horse is racing for the Triple Crown, the Belmont is viewed in 10.1 percent of households. Without one, the same race is viewed in only four percent of households.

NBC, which planned additional coverage in anticipation of more viewers, must now feel like it wasted time in preparation.

Even worse, the true horse racing fans are robbed of a great experience of what could have been the pinnacle of their sport.

The only thing that could make this debacle worse is if further investigation discovers that some foul play was involved. The horse's trainer, Doug O'Neill, has been suspended by the California racing board after giving horses performance-enhancing drugs.

Hopefully, this has nothing to do with the current injury facing I'll Have Another. Even without added controversy, things could not get too much lower for the sport of horse racing.