I’ll Have Another: set for Triple Crown bidat Belmont in three weeks’ timePICTURE: EquiSport Photos/Matt Wooley  

Report: USA, Saturday

Pimlico: Preakness Stakes (Grade 1) 1m1½f, dirt, 3yo

I’LL HAVE ANOTHER (Doug O’Neill/Mario Gutierrez) is on course to be the first Triple Crown winner for 34 years after catching Bodemeister in the Preakness Stakes.

Bodemeister set a more comfortable pace than he did in the Kentucky Derby but I’ll Have Another was able to catch him at the wire to score by a neck.

Third place was taken by Creative Cause, who tired after trying to follow Bodemeister.

I’ll Have Another, sent off 3.2-1, stopped the clock at 1m55.94s. “On to New York, baby!” shouted winning trainer Doug O’Neill after the race, as he considered the Belmont Stakes on June 9.

“The great part of I’ll Have Another is thatany of us could have a horse like this,” O’Neill said. “He didn’t cost a million bucks. But he’s got the heart of a champion, the stride of a champion, and the mind of a champion.

“It took every bit of the stretch to get there,” he added, “but it shows you just how brilliant this horse is and how brilliant a rider Mario is.”

Bodemeister, who looks a dirt miler, again got the lead and had all the rest in trouble at the far turn before the unheralded I’ll Have Another shot him down.

The winner, a son of Travers Stakes winner Flower Alley, is now unbeaten in four starts in 2012. He paid $8.40 for the usual $2 stake.

Rookie jockey Gutierrez was overcome. “More than anything, I thank God I didn’t disappoint people,” he told NBC. “This wasn’t about me. It’s about the horse. He has a tremendous kick. He’s more smart than I am. I just let him go.”

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I’ll Have Another: set for Triple Crown bidat Belmont in three weeks’ timePICTURE: EquiSport Photos/Matt Wooley  

Report: USA, Saturday

Pimlico: Preakness Stakes (Grade 1) 1m1½f, dirt, 3yo

I’LL HAVE ANOTHER (Doug O’Neill/Mario Gutierrez) is on course to be the first Triple Crown winner for 24 years after catching Bodemeister in the Preakness Stakes.

Bodemeister set a more comfortable pace than he did in the Kentucky Derby, althoughhis chances were compromised by an anti-speed bias at Pimlico.

I’ll Have Another, a bargain buy at $11,000 as a yearling, was able to catch him at the wire to score by about a neck.

Third place was taken by Creative Cause, who tired after trying to follow Bodemeister.

I’ll Have Another, sent off 3.2-1, stopped the clock at 1m55.94s.

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Mid Dancer: attempts to become only the third triple winner of big race

  PICTURE: Martin Lynch  

Preview: France, Sunday (3.35pm BST)

Auteuil: Gras Savoye Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (Group 1 chase) 3m5f, 5yo+

FRANCE’S richest and most historic race over jumps has an unusually open look about it this year, a fact which has encouraged connections to run a near-maximum field of 19.

Mid Dancer (Christophe Aubert/Sylvain Dehez) defends the crown he won back memorably 12 months ago after a hiatus of four years.

Aubert has followed the same route to the big day as last season with the eleven-year-old, who would become only the third triple winner in the race’s history.

“Mid Dancer is in very good form as he didn’t have a difficult race last time,” said Pegasus Farms’ racing manager Herve Barjot earlier in the week. “Mid Dancer is in top condition and physically just as good as he was last year but he is a year older.”

Rubi Ball (Jacques Ortet/David Cottin) has been the heir apparent in France ever since his duels around Auteuil with Long Run.

Having beat all but Mid Dancer in his first attempt at the Grand Steeple last year, Rubi Ball then repeated his success in the Group 1 Prix La Haye Jousselin in November.

But Ortet’s preparations this spring have been undone by sloppy jumping and the seven-year-old has not been seen since taking a crunching fall in the Prix Murat at the beginning of May.

“I think he’s at 100 per cent of his abilities and he’s schooled very well in the mornings, so I have no worries on the jumping front,” said a defiant Ortet.

The trials have allowed several legitimate contenders to emerge from the shadow of last year’s principals, notably Pistolet Rouge (Guy Cherel/Cyrille Gombeau), winner of the Murat and the Prix Troytown.

Emmanuel Clayeux also has two strong representative in Net Lovely (David Berra) and Rhilaco (Christophe Pieux), the first two home in the Prix Ingre three weeks ago.

“They have both recovered well and my main worry on Sunday is traffic problems with such a big field and possible bad luck,” said Clayeux

Net Lovely has won her last six starts at Auteuil and could become the third mare to win in the last ten renewals.

“She continues to improve with every race,” continued Clayeux. “We tried not to give either of them too hard a race last time and I certainly think there’s room for Rhialco to improve.”

Jean-Paul Gallorini sends out three for the race, with Ruby Walsh is the new partner for 2009 winner Remember Rose.

“If the ground is softer that will definitely help Remember Rose,” saidGallorini, who also saddles Shannon Rock (Thierry Majorcryk) and Quarouso (Francois Pamart). “Ruby is a real champion, especially in steeplchasing, and I’m proud to have him ride my champion.”

David Casey has been booked to partner outsider Chavoy by trainer Thomas Trapenard and said: “It’s a great bonus to be having a ride in the Grand Steeple. I’ve seen this horse run and he seems to stay well so we should have a good chance.”

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Danedream set for first run on home soil since famous Longchamp victory

  PICTURE: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)  

Preview: Germany, Sunday 3.45pm BST

Baden-Baden: Grosser Preis der Badischen Unternehmen (Group 2) 1m3f, 4yo+

A HUGE crowd is expected at Baden-Baden on Sunday as Arc heroine Danedream (Peter Schiergen/Andrasch Starke) runs for the firsttime this year.

Danedream became only the second German winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe last October and also finished a respectable sixth in the Japan Cup the following month.

The German champion now embarks on a 2012 campaign, which if all goes to plan will see her challenging for the same races again in the autumn. Although the Baden-Baden race is worth only a relatively modest €70,000, peanuts compared to the sums on offerin Paris and Tokyo, this event was long ago pinpointed as her opening race of the new season.

“We decided in the winter to start her off here,” says her trainer.

“Everything has gone smoothly so far – she’s fit, she’s well and I’m totally satisfied with her. We shall decide from race to race how things will continue, but obviously the Arc is the main autumn target, followed by Japan.”

A half-share in her was sold to Japanese breeder Teruya Yoshida a few days before her Paris victory.

Schiergen, who also saddles Silvaner (Terry Hellier) and Lindenthaler (Filip Minarik), added: “Danedream is not a flashy worker, but she is very well and under normal circumstances should win. I also expect my other two runners – who are here as there are no suitable opportunities elsewhere – to run well, although of course I cannot see them beating Danedream.”

They both ran last time in the Gerling-Preis at Cologne, with Silvaner a fast-finishing runner-up, while Lindenthaer was a disappointing seventh. In the same race Norwegian-trained Sir Lando (Wido Neuroth/ Fredrik Johansson) ran third and front-runner Mighty Mouse (Pavel Vovcenko/ Freddie Tylicki) sixth.

Wido Neuroth, trainer of Sir Lando, said: “He needed the race badly at Cologne, and I expect a really strong performance today.”

Pavel Vovcenko, who saddles Mighty Mouse, said: “The distance is a furlong shorter than at Cologne, where he did not get the run of the race, and that is a definite advantage.”

The only other non-German runner is Roches Cross (Josef Vana/ Daniele Porcu), winner of last year’s Czech Derby and bred in Ireland by Jim Bolger.

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