Retired I’ll Have Another could be overtaken for award

The first half of the racing season is all about the Triple Crown. With I'll Have Another retired after grade 1 wins in the Santa Anita Derby, Kentucky Derby and Preakness, his resume is now complete.

I have a ballot in the weekly NTRA poll. I continue to vote for I'll Have Another as the leader for Horse of the Year. However, he is in the clubhouse, and there are many others, especially in the handicap division, that can overtake him.

Two races Saturday - the Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park and the Hollywood Gold Cup at Betfair Hollywood Park - can move some contenders way up.

The handicap division is usually divided into key races in the East, Midwest and West.

We saw Ron the Greek upset Wise Dan in the Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs on June 16. Ron the Greek won the Santa Anita Handicap and was second in the Oaklawn Handicap and Sunshine Millions Classic, so the Bill Mott-trained colt is definitely one of the division leaders.

The Suburban field is loaded with talent, including To Honor and Serve, Stay Thirsty and Mucho Macho Man, among others.

To Honor and Serve is a stablemate of Ron the Greek. He's won such big races as the Cigar Mile and Westchester but was a beaten favorite in the Met Mile last out.

Stay Thirsty ran second in his season debut last month. He is being groomed by trainer Todd Pletcher for such major handicap races as the Whitney, Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Mucho Macho Man beat Ron the Greek in the Sunshine Millions Classic and followed that with a win in the Gulfstream Park Handicap.

Meanwhile, the Hollywood Gold Cup looks like the Bob Baffert Invitational. Game On Dude was an easy winner of the Californian and the Gold Cup goes through him. Jockey Chantal Sutherland adds to the allure of this gelding that ran second in the Breeders' Cup Classic last year.

Baffert's uncoupled entry includes Richard's Kid, who got good at this time two years ago with wins in the Pacific Classic and Goodwood. Richard's Kid returns to the Baffert barn after a five-race losing streak in Dubai.

I suspect the handicap division can enjoy a renaissance in future years, and that would be really good for the sport.

First, more young colts are running as 4- and 5-year-olds because of economic factors. For every I'll Have Another who retired early, a lot more of this year's Triple Crown stars will likely run next year.

Second, the Kentucky Derby point system instituted by Churchill Downs potentially could lower the purse structure of Derby preps. With Derby preps slotted by a point system, tracks can attract the same kind of horses for less money. Hopefully, that extra purse money could be used to beef up handicap stakes.

Richard Eng's horse racing column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at rich_eng@hotmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick.