BALTIMORE — The plan was perfect — even though it cut it close.
Every stride over the 13?16 miles was calculated perfectly. Every step worked. It was a strategy worthy of Vince Lombardi, who always knew how to exploit a rival’s weakness.
I’ll Have Another won the 137th Preakness Stakes on Saturday, running down Bodemeister just like in the Kentucky Derby two weeks earlier. It wasn’t a fluke. Indeed, this time a combination of smarts and talent won the Triple Crown race.
Former Secretariat jockey Ron Turcotte recently told I’ll Have Another trainer Doug O’Neill the secrets of the Pimlico oval. The nuances — where to stay close, where to rest — surely made a difference, just as Turcotte’s strategy did when he guided “Big Red” to the 1973 sweep.
I’ll Have Another is racing’s newest superstar. He’s legit. The 3-year-old colt won the Santa Anita Derby before taking the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. Mediocre horses don’t do that.
It has been 34 years since Affirmed won the last Triple Crown, beating runner-up Alydar all three times. Twenty-one colts have lost the Belmont after taking the first two legs, the last Big Brown in 2008.
But this colt is special. He’s very calm in the post parade. Nothing bothered him. Not when Daddy Nose Best stumbled badly leaving the gate inside him and could have forced him outside. Not a five-wide trip on the first turn. Not having to make up three lengths in the stretch.
Jockey Mario Gutierrez was called “Ice Man” after the race by O’Neill. The Mexican jockey riding out of Canada stalked 2-1 favorite Bodemeister early just like O’Neill wanted — a couple lengths back. That was just enough to push his rival but not enough to cost both colts the race. Bodemeister covered the first half mile in a reasonable 473?5 seconds.
Come the final turn, Gutierrez needed to move but not all at once. That wouldn’t work. It was a steady grind. The wire was three-eighths of a mile away, but it would be enough.
Bodemeister looked like he might hold on with a 16th of a mile remaining. The lead evaporated in the final yards. Gutierrez timed it perfectly, forging ahead with three strides remaining so I’ll Have Another wouldn’t lose by a head bob as they hit the line.
Gutierrez raced twice at Pimlico before the Preakness, winning both races. Now he’s 3-for-3 and surely leaving behind that minor Canadian circuit for more lucrative Southern California or New York venues.
“It seems like [Gutierrez has] been riding this racetrack his whole life,” O’Neill said. “He was patient, kept [I’ll Have Another] out of trouble.”
Now I’ll Have Another and Gutierrez head to New York, where attention will surely soar.
At the Belmont Stakes, look for the purple-and-white silks in the lane. They’ll surely be coming hard to the Belmont wire.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
