There will be no Triple Crown winner Saturday. I'll Have Another is out of the Belmont Stakes.
On Friday trainer Doug O'Neill said in an appearance on the syndicated Dan Patrick ESPN radio show that I'll Have Another, winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, has a tendon injury that will keep him out of the Belmont and could threaten his racing career.
The colt has "a little problem with his left front leg," O'Neill told Patrick, adding that he believed it was the "start of some tendinitis."
According to a Washington Post story, the trainer added that the injury was not life-threatening but could signal the end of the colt's racing career:
"It's a bummer, but far from tragic," O'Neill said. Asked if his racing career was over, O'Neill responded, "If I had to wager...yes. [The horse] will be seeing a lot of mares and smoking a lot of cigarettes."
Bloodhorse.com reported Friday:
According to owner Paul Reddam heat was discovered in one of I'll Have Another's legs the afternoon of June 7. Although Reddam added that the colt jogged fine on the morning of June 8, a subsequent scan after his trip to the track showed inflamation and the decision was made to scratch the son of Flower Alley from the Belmont.
I'll Have Another was going to attempt to become the 12th winner of the Triple Crown at Belmont Park after winning the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands and Preakness Stakes (both gr. I). His June 8 gallop occurred at 5:30 in the morning instead of his normal routine of going out at 8:30 with the rest of the Belmont Stakes horses.
A 1 p.m. press conference at Belmont Park has been scheduled with O'Neill and owner Paul Reddam to discuss the status of I'll Have Another.