2012 Preakness Contenders: I’ll Have Another

Horse: I’ll Have Another
Trainer: Doug O’Neill
Pedigree: By Flower Alley out of an Arch mare (Arch’s Gal Edith)
Career Record: 6-4-1-0
Career Earnings: $2,093,600
Notable Races: G1-Kentucky Derby (1^st); G1-Santa Anita Derby (1^st); G2-Robert Lewis Stakes (1^st); G1-Hopeful (6^th); G2-Best Pal (2^nd)

Can He Win The Preakness?

A perfect three-for-three in 2012, I’ll Have Another has developed a well as any three-year-old colt in the country over the past four months. He broke his maiden at five and a half furlong, won the G2-Lewis at a mile and a sixteenth, the G1-Santa Anita Derby at a mile and an eighth, and the Kentucky Derby at a mile and a quarter. He’s won by racing on the lead, just off the lead and, in the Derby, approximately eight lengths back after a quarter mile. In short, I’ll Have Another has displayed an incredible amount of versatility in his career, something that makes him a difficult horse to beat if he gets a clean trip.

The big question for any horse following a Kentucky Derby win is: can this one take the second leg of the Triple Crown in the Preakness? There certainly isn’t any huge reason to believe that this colt can’t win the Preakness. While there’s always a chance that a colt will regress off of a big performance, I’ll Have Another appears to be a colt that’s putting it all together at the right time. If he continues to develop over the next couple of months, he could be a handful for this entire crop of three-year-old colts.