Belmont Stakes 2012 Odds After I'll Have Another's Retirement: Fan's Take
I'll Have Another's tendon problem caused him to be scratched from the Belmont Stakes and provided a devastating blow to all race fans.
The remaining contender's adjusted odds were current as of the time of this column's publication. The most up-to-date information can be accessed directly through the Belmont Stakes site.
The post positions, horse names and odds are shown below:
1. Street Life (8-1)
2. Unstoppable U (20-1)
3. Union Rags (3-1)
4. Atigun (15-1)
5. Dullahan (9-5)
6. Ravelo's Boy (30-1)
7. Five Sixteen (30-1)
8. Guyana Star Dweej (30-1)
9. Paynter (7-2)
10. Optimizer (15-1)
11. I'll Have Another - Scratched
12. My Adonis (15-1)
Four elevens were just too much
Steve Cauthen rode Affirmed in 1978. That horse became the eleventh to win the Triple Crown. Eleven horses have tried to join that exclusive club since then and have all failed.
I'll Have Another's eleventh post position draw this week seemed to be a fortunate one. Beyond all numeric superstitions, starting from the outside seemed to be a favored point of entry for a potentially historic victory.
Now, the conjecture and the hope leading up to this race is gone. The good news is that this horse only had a left front tendon issue and not a life-threatening injury.
Everyone knows that it won't really matter how well any of the eleven remaining contenders perform in New York on Saturday. Race fans had embraced the great story of this particular horse and his jockey Mario Gutierrez.
If you happened to play early and have a ticket with I'll Have Another's name on it, consider that a 'Dewey Defeats Truman', or 'Revenge of the Jedi' piece of never-was-to-be nostalgia.
Sean O'Brien is based in the Philadelphia region. He has written professionally for over two decades and is currently a Featured Contributor for Yahoo! You can follow him on Twitter @SeanyOB and also read his daily Sports Blog: Insight.
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