Jockey of Hollywood Horse "I'll Have Another" Knows What's at Stake
After winning both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, local horse "I'll Have Another" is set to try for the Triple Crown this weekend during the Belmont Stakes.
John Cádiz Klemack, Mike Tauber
After winning both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, Hollywood horse "I'll Have Another" is set to try for the Triple Crown during the Belmont Stakes. John Cádiz Klemack reports from Belmont Park for the NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on June 6, 2012.
Hollywood horse "I'll Have Another" is getting ready to try for the coveted Triple Crown this weekend during the Belmont Stakes.
"Excited. I'm very excited," said jockey Mario Gutierrez. "I want Saturday to be tomorrow."
Gutierrez knows what's at stake.
"I know what I'm getting myself into," he said. I know the magnitude of the event, but like I always say, I'm just trying to be focused on the Belmont right now."
Trainer Doug O'Neill said the track is a good one. He's hoping for a dry Saturday for safety's sake, but adds that "I'll Have Another" is ready.
"Other than the birth of my two kids, it'd be one of the best things ever," O'Neill said.
On Wednesday morning, it became official. "I'll Have Another" set as the number 11 horse. It's a bit on the outside, but O'Neill said it's perfect for the win.
"The horse is doing fantastic," O'Neill said.
Some rule changes happened Wednesday, too. All 12 Belmont horses were moved to a new barn.
O'Neill said it's inconvenient so close to the race, but overall a good idea.
"Just for transparency purposes and for public perception," O'Neill said. "Just to show that they're all in the same locker room. They're all being looked after the same way."
Come Saturday, while focus is on the Belmont Stakes, the LA team knows there's more to it than that.
"If I get a positive result then, on Saturday," Gutierrez said, "I'm going to take everything that comes with it."
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