I’ll Have Another Joins Top 3 Triple Crown Near-Misses

The Triple Crown of horse racing is the most difficult feat in all of sports. A horse has a single chance to win the series which is composed of three races in a span of five weeks at three different tracks. Eleven horses have been able to capture the crown but the last time it was accomplished was in 1978–34 years since it last was captured by local star Affirmed.

The Sport of Kings has gone through a number of changes since the last Triple

Crown winner. Along the way there have eleven near misses of the crown. Each was devastating in its own right. I have followed this sport all of my life and being denied the joy of celebrating a Triple Crown winner has added mystique to this feat. This Saturday for the first time in my lifetime I hoped to see the Triple Crown completed. The connections are all based at Southern California and thus making the feat extra sweet since rooting for the home team adds to the pride. I’ll Have Another with Mario Gutierrez could have crossed the finish line in front just as theyhad in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. At last, I hoped they wouldn’t go down in the list of near misses.

But the following are my top 3 near misses of the Triple Crown that I have had the honor to watch:

3) Silver Charm

The year was 1997 Silver Charm was my first Triple Crown near miss that still lingers in my mind as Sunday Silence’s bid occurred when I was a mere 6 years old and unaware of the greatness required to win the Triple Crown. A local Southern Californian who had come a head short in the Santa Anita Derby seemed poised to capture the Triple Crown. After vanquishing his local rival in Free House and holding off Captain Bodgit in the Kentucky Derby, Silver Charm and Gary Stevens were able to duplicate that performance in the Preakness this time fending off Free House who finished second and Captain Bodgit whose rally only managed a third. The Belmont was suppose to be his coronation and although I always backed Free House on their previous three engagements, I felt that Silver Charm had done enough to win me over and win the Crown. The smart money was on Touch Gold who had finished a credible 4th in the Preakness but had a ton of trouble in that race. Silver Charm fell into a lovely stalking position behind Touch Gold. In the Backstretch, Stevens gave Silver Charm his cue and swept past Touch Gold and made the lead with Free house following his every move. But at the top of the stretch, Touch Gold was sitting striking position and waiting to be asked for run. That is when Chris McCarron aboard Touch Gold angled his steed to the outside of the battling duo of Silver Charm and Free House and starting to motor. Silver Charm was too focused on not letting Free House by him that he didn’t notice when Touch Gold surged to the lead. It was Touch Gold by less than a length.

2) Smarty Jones

Smarty Jones was that type of horse that anyone could love without any guilt. Not a West coast horse nor an East Coast horse just a well made Mid-West Horse that came to the Belmont undefeated. With a no name jockey In Stewart Elliot, Smarty was able to win the Kentucky Derby over two lengths and then crushed his opposition by a record of over eleven lengths. This was the year that the Triple Crown drought would end. But it seemed that every other jockey was out to get Smarty and Elliot. They were not allowed a breather as the pace was a solid one and Smarty was not too far from it. In the backstretch, the other horses behind Smarty made a run at the lead and Smarty would respond by chugging along with them until they faded, then a new challenger would emerge. But Smarty was still able to open a three length lead in the stretch but all the constant pressure had left Smarty weary legged. It was Birdstone to spoil the Smarty Party as he just rolled on by in deep stretch. A complete devastation for fans of Smarty Jones and horse racing as this Pennsylvania bred was unable to hold on in the grueling mile and a half race.

1) Real Quiet

I have seen my fair share of tough beats at the Triple Crown but the one that still gets me is the Year of The Fish. Real Quiet (nicknamed the fish by his trainer Bob Baffert) gut wrenching defeat is the most difficult to watch yet I still get goosebumps watching the replay as Kent Desormeaux opens up what seems like an insurmountable lead turning for home. I remember clearly watching it at Hollywood Park with my parents and the other horse players. The grandstand went wild as Kent let The Fish run as they turned for home. It was a nightmare watching as Victory Gallop with Gary Stevens (who had been denied of the Triple Crown the previous year) split horses and start cutting into the lead in the stretch. The insurmountable lead was fading and so was Real Quiet. With one furlong to run, we all cheered for an extra burst, another gear, one final wave of energy to carry Real Quiet to the finish. With one eye looking for the wire and the other looking at the onrushing Gallop, the last ten seconds were equally unbearable and scintillating as any in my lifetime. The finish line came as these two beautiful beasts lumbering, head bobbing towards victory. Some sighed, others groan, others cheered. Grizzly veteran horseplayers differed on who had won the bob. It took a lifetime for the photo to come done showing us all what we had feared. Victory Gallop had just crushed our Triple Crown dreams. Some will blame the jockey, others will say that the distance was well beyond Real Quiet’s comfort zone, but this near miss would make me savor I’ll Have Another’s victory much more.

This Saturday, I’ll be at Santa Anita where the dream for Team I’ll have Another started in the Robert Lewis (who curiously was the owner of two near misses in Silver Charm and Charismatic). I wish that Saturday night, I’ll have another drink to honor I’ll Have Another’s accomplishment and hopefully so would you.