A horse might win the Triple Crown for the first time since Affirmed did it in 1978. Why wouldn't there be drug rumors?
Following another brilliant performance by I'll Have Another to beat Bodemeister in the Preakness Stakes, talk of drug usage has started to swirl significantly.
I'll Have Another's trainer, Doug O'Neill, has been under siege for supposedly supplying the horse with chemical help. O'Neill has strongly denied all of the rumors being lobbed his way.
"We play by the rules," O'Neill said, according to SI.com. "It's all about the horse. We're going to focus on the horse. I think we've got a horse and a team that, with a little bit of luck, will have an unbelievable time in three weeks."
O'Neill has also dismissed talk that I'll Have Another has received a "milkshake", also known as a combination of bicarbonate soda, sugar and electrolytes.
"I swear on my kids' eyes I never milkshaked a horse," O'Neill said nine days before the Preakness. "We had some people in charge of California racing I think didn't like a few of us that were doing well. Anyway, it's all being heard by the courts and I'm very confident everything will be fine."
Triple Crown 2012: I'll Have Another Wins Preakness Stakes (via sbnation)
It's truly a shame all of this background noise has to play into what could be an amazing finish to the Triple Crown at Belmont.
For more on the Belmont Stakes, be sure to check out our blog And Down The Stretch They Come along with SB Nation Boston for all the latest news and updates.