Belmont can crush Triple bids

It’s tougher than ever to pull off feat last done by Affirmed in 1978.

A nose. That’s all that separated Real Quiet from racing immortality. He was beaten by the smallest of margins in the 1998 Belmont Stakes, the longest and toughest leg of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown.

Affirmed was the last to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont, 34 years ago. Since then, 11 horses have won the first two only to come up short in the Belmont, felled by a safety pin picked up in a stall, a stumble out of the gate or a jockey’s judgment.

Now it’s I’ll Have Another’s turn to try to become the 12th Triple Crown winner.

The chestnut colt chased down pacesetter Bodemeister in the final 100 yards to win the Kentucky Derby on May 5. Two weeks later, he surged past Bodemeister a few yards from the finish line in the Preakness to win by a neck.

Bodemeister won’t be back to challenge I’ll Have Another in the Belmont. But 10 other rivals are likely, including Derby also-rans Dullahan, Optimizer and Union Rags. The others are horses that skipped one or both of the first two legs, leaving them well-rested for the 1 1-2 mile run around the deep, sandy dirt track.

“It ain’t like the old days where everyone used to run in all three,” said Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who is 1 for 13 in the Belmont. “It’s taxing on the horse to run in all three. If somebody is hiding behind the bushes waiting to jump you when they’re all fresh, they can beat you.”