I'll Have Another an inspiration

If ticket sales to the Belmont Stakes are an indication of I'll Have Another's chance of winning his upcoming championship race and becoming the first Triple Crown Winner of the century, then the three-year-old colt's chances are assured.

When the New York Racing Association announced that 3,000 tickets offered on Ticketmaster sold out in three minutes it confirmed how optimistic many Americans are that I'll Have Another will conclude his Preakness Stakes and Kentucky Derby victories with the Belmont Stakes title. It pours cold water on many of the unsubstantiated theories, shared by some contrary-minded bloggers masquerading as sports journalists, that I'll Have Another doesn't have any chance of winning the Belmont Stakes on June 9, 2012. It's easier to predict that one horse in a race won't win but how about critics putting their money where their mouth is and predicting which horse will win. That would be really valuable information.

The horse racing community has put their money where their mouth is and invested in tickets to see I'll Have Another become the next Triple Crown winner. He might not win, although his chances are better than most, but what about supporting his chances to make history? We'll support any horse's chance of winning a championship, we'll even throw in some extra encouragement if a horse has even the slightest chance of becoming a Triple Crown winner, but all horses deserve the opportunity to prove themselves without some critics disparaging their chances.

Winning the Triple Crown is a phenomenal accomplishment. Only eleven horses have won the title since 1919 when Sir Barton became the first horse to win the Preakness Stakes, Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. Affirmed was the last horse to win the title in 1978. To date, 3,913 have competed for the title but only 50 horses have won two of the requisite races. If I'll Have Another wins the 2012 Belmont Stakes he will be joining the other eleven legendary Triple Crown winners; which includes Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), and Affirmed (1978). He will also be the first Triple Crown winner of the 21st century and the new millennium.

Excluding the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing and American Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing, it's not completely true to say that there hasn't been a Triple Crown winner this century because there was a Triple Crown winner on November 29, 2003.

On November 27, 2003, Annie's Dangerous won her first championship title in the Triple Crown Sprint Championship. The following day she won the Triple Crown Classic Championship. Unbelievably, on the third day Annie's Dangerous won the Triple Crown Stayers Championship to rapturous applause as she became the first winner of the Virtual Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing on Digiturf.com. It was a phenomenal accomplishment that has never been repeated; neither online at Digiturf.com nor in in real-life horse racing when Affirmed won the Triple Crown in 1978.

Virtual horse racing fever captured the world's imagination. Even Bill Finley from NY Times expressed his disbelief that a virtual horse could win $6,000.00 on Digiturf.com when he discussed virtual horse racing with Samster on Sirius XM Radio. Samster corrected Bill, confirming that while Annie's Dangerous had won $6,000.00 in Digiturf.com's Triple Crown Championships, her virtual horse had actually won $20,000.00. Samster even persuaded the respected Bill Finley to try his hand at virtual horse racing.

Anyone can be successful in virtual horse racing because it is a game of skill that anyone can learn. You can even make a lot of money on Digiturf.com because in addition to the stakes that can be won, Digiturf.com adds over $900,000.00 in sponsorships to the annual race program. No previous horse racing experience is necessary because the site offers a comprehensive help section and personalized support that will take you from rookie to champion in the time it takes to saddle your horses.

I'll Have Another is an inspiration to horse lovers around the world and the online virtual horse racing community alike. He's instilled a sense of optimism into these desperate times that we all have the potential to become a champion -- and if not, we all deserve the support and encouragement for trying.

Digiturf.com is proud to support all runners in the 2012 Belmont Stakes and offers all lovers of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Horse Racing a free stable online at Digiturf.com complete with free silks, free horses and free racing!

Digiturf.com is a simulated online horse racing game where players develop their skills and strategies in owning, training and racing virtual horses against others from around the world. The horses are computer generated but the stakes are real.

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