The 2012 Belmont Stakes are just over a week away on June 9 and the closer the date comes the more closely everything is broken down for the triple crown chances of I'll Have Another.
Matt Gardner of SB Nation's horse racing blog And Down the Stretch they Come discusses the importance of keeping to a normal training sessions intact as well as avoiding injuries. I'll Have Another has already been out at the track at Belmont taking in training sessions to get used to the field, and so far the routine has been kept and there have been no missed sessions.
Injuries are another concern and Gardner talks about the 2008 Belmont Stakes where Big Brown had a minor injury a few weeks before their triple crown attempt which caused the horse to miss training time to recover. Ultimately Big Brown did not win the triple crown, and it may or may not have been due to the injury but the missed practice sessions took Big Brown out of their routine.
The message that is coming across is that a typical practice routine needs to be kept for I'll Have Another to have their best shot at winning at Belmont.
For lots more on the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown, please visit And Down the Stretch they Come.