I'll Have Another Injury: Will Horse Racing Ever See Another Triple Crown?

Horse racing's best bet in some time to break the 34-year curse of the Triple Crown fell to injury and won't race in the Belmont Stakes. Did the sport's chances of ever seeing another Triple Crown fall with I'll Have Another's improbable collapse?

Horse racing hasn't seen anything quite like I'll Have Another, and the sports world's interest in horse racing was arguably at its highest ever when news broke on the eve of the Belmont Stakes. 

Now, the three-year-old colt will be sitting out of what might've been the sport's biggest race ever and is yet another name on the growing list of Triple Crown letdowns. 

I'll Have Another was set to be the 12th horse to attempt to win the Triple Crown on the final run since Affirmed won the last Crown in 1978. He was almost assumed to win weeks before the race after yet another improbable last-gasp run at victory at the Preakness Stakes. 

There have been 11 three-year-olds to narrowly miss a shot at winning the Triple Crown on the final race, but eight of them finished in either second or third place. I'll Have Another won't even enter the gate.

We've seen repeated attempt after attempt at breaking the curse, which has plagued horse racing and absolutely put a stranglehold on the sport's popularity. After every Kentucky Derby, we find ourselves crowning the winner with betting lines of almost 20 to 40 percent after just one win. 

In the scope of most American sports, 34 years doesn't seem like a very long drought. Put it up against historic curses with the Chicago Cubs and the recently broken Boston Red Sox curse, and you have a pretty minuscule problem.

But it's a different kind of curse in that it's not just centered around one team or one competitor. It's the competition itself. It's like a different NFL team winning conference championships each year but not being able to advance to the Super Bowl. 

Horse racing doesn't always have the nation's public interest, and it's safe to say that the biggest hook the sport has is the Triple Crown. Recent history and repeated blunders at achieving the accomplishment have peaked interest in the sport, but without a legitimate Triple Crown contender, many viewers will be finding something else to watch.

However, the hype around big events like the Kentucky Derby has kept horse racing very relevant in the sports world, and it should only be a matter of time until someone hoists the Triple Crown and joins rare company.

It needs to happen. Because by now, winning two of the three is old news.