ChicagoTribune – I’ll Have Another, the favorite for the Belmont Stakes with a shot to win horse racing’s elusive Triple Crown, has been declared out of Saturday’s race with tendonitis, his trainer said Friday morning. Doug O’Neill said the Kentucky Derby and The Preakness winner has Achilles tendon irritation. He was unsure how the 4-5 Belmont favorite suffered the injury. O’Neill said I’ll Have Another may have run his last race while discussing the injury on The Dan Patrick Show radio program. “Usually these type of injures the (horses) hit themselves or hyperextended themselves,” O’Neill said. “Maybe he just strained himself from training. Just a freakish thing. I’m bummed we’re not participating. Whoever wins (the Belmont) will be a special horse.” I’ll Have Another was attempting to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Secretariat in 1973. Eleven horses have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown since then and have failed to complete the feat.” “I have to do what’s in the best interest of the horse,” O’Neill said.

“Irritation”? “Best interest of the horse”? IT’S A HORSE! If it rips it’s Achilles in 50 pieces it’ll still spend the rest of its days banging other horses for millions of dollars. Or at least getting jerked-off by horse semen extraction machines.  It’s not like this is your grandpappy’s donkey that you shoot in the head once it starts limping. It’s not like this is human being Derrick Rose and you’re forcing him to ruin his 20-year career for one playoff run. This horse had one more race to go before nobody on the planet gave a shit anymore. And you pulled him. I don’t get it.