Trainer says I'll Have Another will gallop up to Triple Crown try in Belmont Stakes
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Trainer Doug O'Neill will take an unconventional path to a Triple Crown bid by using a series of strong gallops rather than formal workouts to prepare Canadian-owned I'll Have Another for the Belmont Stakes on June 9.
O'Neill says Sunday from Belmont Park that "there will be a lot of days when I'll Have Another, strictly galloping, will pass a lot of workers." O'Neil was reunited with his Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner after taking a red-eye flight from his West Coast base.
The last three Triple Crown winners, Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977) and Affirmed (1978) worked at least one mile to ensure they were primed for the 1 1/2-mile "Test of the Champion." The Belmont is the longest of the Triple Crown races.
O'Neill says his plan has everything to do with how vigorously the colt goes about his daily regimen.
"If anyone got a chance to see him, he stretches and puts a lot of effort into his gallops," he said.
