Posted on 06/07/2014 4:14:03 PM PDT by kingattax
The longest wait in sports is not over.
California Chrome's bid to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978 fell short in Saturday's Belmont Stakes.
After winning both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes by a length and a half, the mile-and-a-half Belmont proved to be too much for Chrome, who finished fourth to winner Tonalist.
And with that, the longest drought in Triple Crown history continues.
Since Affirmed's sweep 36 years ago, 13 horses now have gone to Belmont Park with the Derby and Preakness in hand only to falter somehow, some way. Real Quiet was nipped at the wire in 1998; War Emblem stumbled out of the gate in 2002; Smarty Jones faltered down the stretch in '04; and I'll Have Another was scratched with an injury the day before the race in '12.
Now add Chrome's fade down the stretch to the list.
Still, it was an impressive run for Chrome, especially considering the horse's backstory: a modest pedigree, blue-collar owners, 77-year-old trainer who'd never sniffed a Triple Crown start until now and jockey who was believed to be past his prime.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...
Tonalist was coming off the Peter Pan I believe a week before the Preakness.
The California Chrome owner came off like a sore loser.
Thanks for the info on Swaps. I assume you know that you can watch Secretariat win the Belmont Stakes on YouTube. I couldn’t resist watching it 3-4 times yesterday.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_Crown_of_Thoroughbred_Racing
You’d be surprised at how many countries have had their own “Triple Crowns” for years.
Isn’t the longest wait in sports for the Cubs to win the pennant?
Too many horses these days are inbred to Native Dancer, a champion of the 1950s who had weak ankles.
Horse racing has been going on since the Bedouins. Thoroughbred horse racing came out of England.
I always tape it. The show is 2.5 hours with a 2 min race. Sing the dam song and start the race.
The California Chrome owner came off like a sore loser.
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I didn’t watch the interviews but he should be thankful that his $10,000 horse
took him this for into wealth and fame. He paid $8,000 for the mare and $2,000 for
the stud fee, not a bad investment. But many others do the same without any return
to speak of.
You can find Native Dancer in a huge number of breeding lines. We had a mare who was from Native Dancer lines... Beautiful mover but flat out crazy.
Of course the playoff are a single tournament. The Crown is not, it’s 3 separate events chosen for their differences to test a horse’s complete ability.
Chrome’s owner is an idiot. The races have ALWAYS been open to horses that didn’t race in the previous events. Spoilers ENCOURAGED, it’s what makes the Crown a challenge. If it was the same field of horses in all 3 events there’d be Crown winners every couple of years.
yes but lets remember that Secretariat holds the fastest record at the Belmont regardless, even amongst horses that only ran that race. Amazing...
I tune in 15 to 20 minutes before the end of their “block” on the TV guide, which usually get me the walk from the paddock. Normal horse races the pre-amble isn’t as severe, but there’s still a lot of down time between races.
This from a guy who convinced the track to change the rules and allow the horse to run with a breathe right strip on his nose.
The airflow may have been a problem. Or most likely the extra distance of 1/4 mile was the problem.
Big Red would have beaten this field by 31 lengths....
If you knew anything about the owners, you just might have a differenct perspective.
Why does it always have to be political?
One of the best. They have done studies and found some winning horses have literally big hearts are proven leaders and winners. Their hearts weigh more. I like Chrome; but he just didn’t have that “I want to win”. His owner has a point; but there is dirtiness in all kinds of sports. There will another Triple Crown winner and you will see that look, feel that feeling of a leader and winner.
have you ever seen the movie ? Diane Lane plays the part of the owner Penny Chenery. very good movie. made in 2010.
the winning time was 2:28.52
Thanks. Did not know that.
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