2012 Triple Crown: I'll Have Another's Career After Belmont

Going back the last 10 years, Belmont Stakes winners have raced an average of about 4 more starts after this race. However, digging into these recent trends, if I’ll Have Another wins the Belmont chances are not good that he will have a successful career after this race.

The horse that had the most starts after winning the Belmont Stakes was Da’Tara. After winning the last jewel of the Triple Crown he had 11 starts in which he did not record a win. Sarva, who won the Belmont Stakes in 2002, had 8 starts after the Belmont all of which he did not hit the board.

Also, from the last 10 years, only 5 wins have been recorded from horses that won the Belmont and then went on in their racing career. The statistics from Kentucky Derby winners who went on to win races after their Triple Crown campaign is just as staggering. The only horse that won the Kentucky Derby, in the last 10 years, that went on to have a long and successful racing career after the Triple Crown was Funny Cide. Besides Funny Cide, a combined 7 wins have been recorded for horses that won the Kentucky Derby after their Triple Crown campaign.

The Triple Crown will naturally take a lot of energy out of horses. I’ll Have Another looks to have a promising chance at chasing horse racing’s most prestigious crown, but the chances of him having a successful career after these races are not proven well through these statistics.