Will We Ever Have Another?

I don't watch much horse racing.  There are at least two races I try to watch every year.  I was born in Louisville, Kentucky, so I (almost) always watch the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday of May.  I'll pick one or two horses -- usually based on whether their name catches my fancy -- to cheer along in the most exciting 2 minutes of sports.

Whoever wins the Derby will be my choice in the Preakness Stakes, which is run on the third Saturday of May.  This is the second leg of the Triple Crown.  And, if the Derby winner wins the Preakness, then you can bet I'll be watching the Belmont Stakes -- run 3 weeks after the Preakness -- and cheering that horse on to victory.

The Triple Crown is elusive.  Only 11 horses have ever won all three races.  These races are only for 3-year-olds, so it is, literally, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  The Derby, at 1 1/4 miles, is (I believe) the longest race any of them have yet run.  The Preakness is slightly shorter, at 1 3/16 miles.  The Belmont, at 1 1/2 miles, is the longest most of them will ever run.  And they run all three races in a mere 5-week span of time.

The last Triple Crown winner was Affirmed, in 1978.  I remember that race.  And I keep wondering whether we will ever have another Triple Crown winner.

This year, it was looking hopeful.  I'll Have Another won both the Derby and the Preakness in some of the most exciting stretch runs I can remember in recent history.  I was literally on the edge of my seat in the Derby.  And at the top of the stretch in the Preakness, I turned to my son and said, "He's not going to make it," only to watch -- cheering -- as he did.  Both races were amazing.

But, alas, I'll Have Another won't be running tomorrow.  With a sore leg that indicates tendinitis, the owners simply can't risk a fatal injury.  I'll Have Another is retired (although reports say that he will actually be in the post parade tomorrow, as his "farewell" to the track).  And so we want another year ... wondering whether we'll ever have another chance to see a Triple Crown winner.