I'll Have Another unanimous pick in poll voting

By: SPORTS NETWORK

New York, NY (Sports Network) - Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another, following his Preakness Stakes victory, is the unanimous choice among voters in this week's NTRA Three-Year-Old Poll. The chestnut colt also climbed into second-place in the National Poll.

Owned by J. Paul Reddam, I'll Have Another received all 47 first-place votes for 470 points. Ridden by Mario Gutierrez, the colt caught Bodemeister yards before the wire in the Preakness to post a neck victory in the middle jewel of racing's Triple Crown and is on the threshold of becoming the first horse to sweep the series in 34 years.

"My dreams always ended with winning the Kentucky Derby," trainer Doug O'Neill said. "They never were followed up with winning the Preakness and going to the Belmont. That's a new dream now I'm waiting to pull off."

I'll Have Another has already arrived at Belmont Park for the June 9 Belmont Stakes.

Bodemeister, runner-up in each of the first two legs of the Triple Crown, is second with 423 points. The colt, trained by Bob Baffert, will not start in the Belmont Stakes.

"They are two really good horses," Baffert said about the two top three-year- olds. "On any given year they could probably win those races. It was a tough year."

Creative Cause, third in the Preakness, moves up two spots to third with 339 points. The colt is followed in the voting by Dullahan (331), Union Rags (238), Believe You Can (152), Mark Valeski (143), Hansen (109), Went the Day Well (80) and Broadway's Alibi (61).

The National Poll saw a change at the top with Alternation moving from fourth to first after winning the Pimlico Special the day before the Preakness. The four-year-old colt got eight top votes and 358 points.

I'll Have Another outdistanced all others with 24 first-place votes and 331 points to rise in the voting four rungs to second.

Wise Dan fell from first to third with eight top votes and 303 points. Following the five-year-old gelding are To Honor and Serve (3, 281), Successful Dan (237), Awesome Maria (1, 187), Bodemeister (150), Mucho Macho Man (127), Shackleford (1, 124) and Game On Dude (1, 73).