Trainer Doug O’Neill confirmed that his horse, I’ll Have Another, won’t run in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday afternoon. O’Neill confirmed that news on The Dan Patrick Show.
O’Neill cited injury as the reason the horse won’t run in the race.
“It’s his left front leg,” O’Neill told the show. “This morning, he looked perfect. I took him and did a little something with him and after training, the swelling came back.”
O’Neill also said that the horse looked like it was suffering from tendinitis.
I’ll Have Another was looking to win the first Triple Crown since Affirmed took home all three of horse racing’s biggest races in 1978.
“We ain’t taking any chances,” he said. “There are people who are going to want to slap me around, but I have to do what’s best for the horse.”
O’Neill also told the show that he doesn’t see I’ll Have Another racing again.
The horse improbably won the Kentucky Derby, entering the race at 15-to-1 odds. I’ll Have Another then captured the imagination of horse racing fans by winning the Preakness last month.
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