Union Rags

Union Rags won the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.  He had been my choice for the Kentucky Derby but had some bad racing luck and never got into the race.  Sadly he never had another chance to meet I'll Have Another.  This tarnished his victory a little bit.  Skipping the Preakness also tarnishes his victory a bit but that seems to be the way in the Triple Crown races these days.  Good horses that don't win the Derby are given some time off and then sent out to beat whoever won the Derby and or the Preakness.

Michael Matz has a good horse and I hope he runs at Saratoga and is able to run in the Breeders Cup races this fall.  He felt that I'll Have Another might have over trained for the Belmont leading to the injury that cut his career short.  Horses aren't motorcycles and maybe he did over train but I feel his connections did the right thing by scratching him rather than risking further injury or a really bad race.

Given the amount of money involved in the sport and the difficulties involved in even qualifying for the Kentucky Derby, there may never be another Triple Crown winner.  It is just too easy to pick off a horse that may be lightly raced but a horse that has worked like crazy for a chance to win three races in a little over seven weeks.

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