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Triple Crown 2012: Bodemeister Won't Race In Belmont Stakes

Bodemeister, the runner-up in this year's Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes races, is expected to sit out the final leg of the Triple Crown.

By Satchel Price
May 19, 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Mario Gutierrez aboard I'll Have Another pulls past Mike Smith aboard Bodemeister to win the 137th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. Mandatory Credit: Maxwell Kruger-US PRESSWIRE
May 19, 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Mario Gutierrez aboard I'll Have Another pulls past Mike Smith aboard Bodemeister to win the 137th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. Mandatory Credit: Maxwell Kruger-US PRESSWIRE

Trainer Bob Baffert revealed to reporters on Sunday that Bodemeister, the runner-up in this year's Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, will not be racing in the Belmont Stakes on June 9.

As Baffert tells Jerry Bossert of the New York Daily News, the horse will not challenge I'll Have Another's quest for the Triple Crown in its third leg after failing to win either of the first two legs.

Bodemeister was initially the favorite entering this year's Kentucky Derby, but I'll Have Another has captured the crowns in the first two legs of the Triple Crown while leaving him second both times.

Instead of trying to challenge I'll Have Another's run towards the first Triple Crown since 1978, Bodemeister will rest up and prepare for races later in the summer.

According to Baffert, the plan is for Bodemeister to return to the races on July 29 for the Haskell Invitation at Monmouth Park.

For more, stick with SB Nation Chicago. For all news, notes and analysis from the 2012 Preakness, visit SB Nation's StoryStream.

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