I'll Have Another injured, withdrawn, retired..

[MaTH716]

Originally Posted by tanner12oz

not to sound like a conspiracy theorist but i think there is a chance that people knew about this well before it was leaked to the media...this whole experience has been obviously very fun for oneil and wouldnt be surprised at all if he milked it for an extra day or two...obviously nyra has a rooting interest in the milking also to improve attendance, handle, etc etc

not saying it happened but i could see it happening for sure

Tickets (actual seats) were sold out by the Monday morning after the Preakness.

Just imagine if they had the campaign of Black Caviar...which isn't that aggressive. They would probably demand reporters bow in front of them before the press conference/retirement party.

[OldDog]

Crushing reaction to scratch of I'll Have Another
06/08/2012 3:02 PM ET

by Steve Myrick

Shocking. Devastating. Unbelievable. Hellacious. Just a few of the words racing insiders used to describe the drama unfolding at Belmont Park as news spread of dual classic winner I'll Have Another's scratch from the Belmont Stakes (G1) and subsequent retirement.

Trainer Doug O'Neill's stable colors are black, an eerie foretelling of the somber mood as grooms and stable hands arrived at the detention barn, dressed in black hats, shirts, and jackets, shortly after their boss began speaking at a hastily called news conference. None offered any comment on their thoughts, but the crushing disappointment was evident on their faces as they consoled each other.

Near the Belmont Park paddock, Racing Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg was chatting with Triple Crown winning trainer Billy Turner soon after the word began to spread.

Van Berg said this kind of injury is what keeps trainers up at night.

"It will keep you awake," Van Berg said. "It's a crying shame."

Turner had little trouble empathizing with O'Neill. In 1977, he brought Seattle Slew to the Belmont Stakes with a Triple Crown on the line.

"That's the biggest worry you have," Turner said. "I had a monster horse, coming into this thing undefeated. All the way through the whole campaign I was never confident, because I was always worried that something just like this would pop up. A cough, a nick, a bang, a bruise someplace, and you're finished."

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin echoed the thoughts of many who were hoping the racing game would get a boost from the Triple Crown quest.

"It's not an easy game that we chose," McLaughlin said. "A sad day in racing worldwide. Very disappointing for everybody involved. For the whole industry, a sad day. Luckily he's OK, he'll go and stand stud, and we'll be going for the Triple Crown next year."

Cot Campbell, who heads Dogwood Stable, found the news almost too hard to believe.

"It's so sickening you can't even believe it's happening," Campbell said. "You couldn't have written a more ghastly scenario. The whole nation has been excited about this. This was a big chance to give racing a big boost. It's one of those things, but it's one of those things that's hellacious to take."

http://www.equibase.com/racingnews/article/View.cfm

[AlreadyHome]

this suckssssssss