Now that Steve Coburn has been raked over the coals by everyone from David Letterman to Colin Cowherd to Stephanie Miller – Stephanie Miller, for Pete’s sake – it’s probably time to go back to the most important issue raised by California Chrome’s failed attempt to win the Triple Crown.
How do we fix the Triple Crown?
You can’t say they didn’t try. California sent its two best 3-year-olds, its best middle-distance 4-year-old, its best older filly, and its most accomplished 3-year-old filly to Belmont Park for that big pile of money offered last Saturday, and – except for Bayern’s romp in the Woody Stephens – they came away with legs bleeding and egos bruised.
To the dispassionate outsider gazing down upon Thoroughbred racing from a perch of sports neutrality, the Belmont Stakes with a shot at a Triple Crown has all the trappings of a cynical bait-and-switch, with customers lured by the promise of witnessing a historic event. Then, when the event goes bust – as it has now 13 times since 1978 – fans are subjected to a dreary lecture about sandy racetracks, rough trips, and the inherent fragility of the modern-day Thoroughbred.
There were several Mid-Atlantic horses on the wonderful Belmont Stakes card with varying degrees of hope. None brought more hope to New York than the amazing Maryland-bred that is Ben’s Cat.
Owner-trainer King T. Leatherbury could have opted for the slightly easier spot in the $150,000 Governor’s Cup on May 31 at Penn National. Instead, Leatherbury went for the $300,000, Grade 3 Jaipur Invitational against some of the best grass sprinters in America, including Marchman and Undrafted.
In the days leading up to the Belmont Stakes, California Chrome’s pursuit of the Triple Crown was depicted as a fairy-tale story. Two down-to-earth owners had struck it rich. Jockey Victor Espinoza had delivered flawless performances on the colt, with whom he had a wonderful affinity. And the horse himself became almost larger than life -- a budding superstar who might resuscitate the whole sport.
There are reasons aplenty to root for California Chrome to win the 146th Belmont Stakes Saturday and become racing’s first Triple Crown winner in 36 years. He’s a likeable horse with a nifty ability to spurt away from his rivals, a seemingly kind and generous temperament, and a mostly appealing crew of handlers.
Another reason to like him is that he may be the last of his kind, perhaps the final horse given a chance to win the Triple Crown as it is currently constituted.
The melting point of chromium is 3,465 degrees Fahrenheit, 1,857 degrees Centigrade, or 20 minutes spent in an underground New York City garage on a warm weekday evening waiting for someone to find your rental car.
If California Chrome wins the Belmont Stakes on Saturday to become the 12th winner of the Triple Crown, he will have withstood more heat and more pressure than any American Thoroughbred since Affirmed said “no means no” to Alydar 36 years ago.
Art and Alan Sherman have their father-and-son routine pretty much nailed down cold when it comes to training a horse for the Triple Crown. They complete each other’s sentences and read the other guy’s mind so effectively that Art can drink a glass of water while Alan talks, and nobody sees anybody move their lips.
I am not quite sure what Spectacular Bid, Silver Charm, Real Quiet, and Smarty Jones have to do with Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, other than that their names will get typed thousands of times this week as reasons why California Chrome can’t win.
I am going to give you the most obvious reason why he can win: California Chrome is the best horse.
