California Chrome Owner: Belmont Winner Took 'Coward's Way Out'

Breitbart News ^ | June 7, 2014 | Breitbart California

[This Just In]

On Saturday, after California Chrome lost his chance to become horse racing's first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978, co-owner Steve Coburn went off during a post-race interview, saying it's a "coward's way out" for owners to only run their horses in one of the three Triple Crown races.

[Tula Git]

heh..that’s better

[jpsb]

Lets not forget Man of War, different era, but a great race horse

Wiki

"Man o' War was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1957. Soon after, the Man o' War Stakes was created in his honor. In the Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 U.S. Thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, Man o' War was ranked No. 1. He was also ranked No. 1 by the Associated Press as the greatest horse of the 20th century in a separate poll. He was also ranked No. 1 greatest horse in racing history by Sports Illustrated(panel of 7) in 1992.

[morphing libertarian]

apparently class does not come with the purchase of a great horse.

There is always the horse and then sometimes the horse’s a$$ is another thing.

[NormsRevenge]

it’s a brutal sport. ask the horses.

the gash on his foot didn’t help either.

[Nepeta]

Racing horses is wrong in my opinion. I'm no tree-hugging PETA type, I just think it's demeaning to the animals. If people want to have a road race, throw on a pair of sneakers and use your own body to run a race.

You must have no contact with racehorses.

They don't run because they are being flogged (go back and look at the Kentucky Derby--California Chrome ran without feeling the whip)in many countries whips are forbidden, but they still have horseracing.

Sit on the back of one of these animals, and you will understand why they run--the best of them are highly competitive. All you need to do is hiss in their ears and they will go faster.

Without racing, these animals would not exist.

[jjotto]

Oh, yeah. Records aren’t everything, beyond a certain level.

Insiders will take it into account should the rabble be successful at cheapening the Triple Crown by making it more ‘fair’.

In retrospect, for example, the last Triple Crown winner, Affirmed, wasn’t considered as desirable as or make as much money as first runner-up Alydar.

[Nepeta]

A hard race takes a lot out of a horse and the horse requires more then 2 weeks to recover from the effort. Then the horse needs to be trained up to it's top performance level about a 6 week effort for a modern USA Thoroughbred.

It's not the horses who are lacking. It's the way they are managed.

Six weeks are not required between major races. Follow the runup to Australia's Melbourne Cup (2 miles!!!), the most prestigious and sought after race in that part of the world. The likely entries may run THREE TIMES in the same month prior to this race, and perform well in ALL FOUR RACES! They may have very American pedigrees while doing this!

LASIX is the problem. Lasix is hard on a horse--and is the reason why they need so much time off. (It also doesn't help bone metabolism). NO racing on Lasix in Australia!

[Nepeta]

Was Secretariat great or was the field just mediocre, poor?

Secretariat lowered the record by 2 seconds, which roughly translates to 10 lengths back to the previous record holder, Gallant Man (no slouch!). 31 lengths back translates to most of the Belmont winners of the last 15 years.

[Nepeta]

In retrospect, for example, the last Triple Crown winner, Affirmed, wasn’t considered as desirable as or make as much money as first runner-up Alydar.

Only after Alydar proved to be a wonderful sire. His progeny made him more valuable, but Affirmed was not a bad sire: his son Peteski won the Canadian Triple Crown.

[jpsb]

"It's not the horses who are lacking. It's the way they are managed."

I am inclined to agree, we here in the USA have seen to many of our best horses break down on hard dirt. Horses do not run on hard dirt they run on grass. That said cantering for 3/4 of the race (like they do in Europe) and then a sprint home kinda sucks too.

[Nepeta]

we here in the USA have seen to many of our best horses break down on hard dirt. Horses do not run on hard dirt they run on grass. That said cantering for 3/4 of the race (like they do in Europe) and then a sprint home kinda sucks too.

Management and structure of dirt tracks have a lot of room for improvement. None of them are banked adequately.

That said, dirt racing formerly was not as hard on horses as it is today, which I believe is due to poor training and legalized "medication". But North American-style dirt racing, with emphasis upon speed--there is no dawdling at any point in a race--produced a world-class horse that when exported in recent decades dominated bloodlines. (I include Northern Dancer--foaled in Canada)

The long-term solutions to safer racing?

1)Better surfaces. George Pratt at MIT was doing work on the interaction of horse and track 40 years ago. I don't know that anyone is applying that work to tracks today.

2)Drug-free racing, like the rest of the civilized racing world.

3)Application of technology to training. The tools are out there--heart-rate monitors, heat sensors, etc, but most American "trainers" don't use them. Using data to KNOW what the horse is doing physiologically not only enables training but can spare a breakdown.

4)Longer races. Many major stakes races have been shortened. If the races were restored to their earlier lengths, there would be opportunities for horses bred for such races to shine. The Jockey Club Gold Cup, now truncated to 1 1/4 miles, used to be a 2 mile race, and while it was that length, was won twice by Nashua's daughter Shuvee, running against males! Longer races also involve more strategy, with less dependent on the start or post position.

5)Two year old racing. Yes, it is counter-intuitive, but nevertheless true that horses raced at 2 stay sound longer than those raced later. During a critical part of bone formation, their bones are stressed such that they become stronger than those handled more gingerly. More longer 2 y o races at the end of the season would also be interesting; the BC Juvenile should be 1 1/8 miles, like the Remsen Stakes, frequently a key to the next year's best 3 y os.

California Chrome in fact made his first start at 2 on 29 April, and has been in training and racing ever since, without a break, without an injury. This is much more like the way horses used to be.

6)Wherever possible, avoid the stabling of horses at racetracks where the inevitably spend 23 hours of every day in a stall, which is boring and exposes them to dust. If they could be trained more as is done in Europe, where horses sometimes are ridden through streets to reach their gallops, spending plenty of time daily outside of stalls, they would have better attitudes. Having turn-outs available would be optimal--every horse needs a good roll in the mud or sand.

[Haiku Guy]

The Triple Crown is not like kindergarten soccer, where everybody gets a trophy. It is supposed to be nearly impossible, so only the most extraordinary horses will win it.

[Haiku Guy]

The different races are suited to different horses. It might have made no sense at all to enter Tonalist in a race like the Kentucky Derby, which is shorter and on grass. If he did not have a chance in Kentucky, why run him? The chances of any horse having a shot at the Triple Crown is very small.

A prudent owner will not enter a horse in a race, and put him at risk, just to maintain the very very small chance that he might be able to win the Triple Crown six weeks later.

[Axenolith]

every horse needs a good roll in the mud or sand.

Mickey says "I agree!" :-)

"And I'll do it with that expensive saddle on if the wife doesn't get it off fast enough when I'm itchy!"

He just turned old enough to drink this year too :-) (21, but he got some occasionally before this year also. He likes Killian's and Guinness...;-)

[This Just In]

CA Chrome Owner Goes Off Again: ‘Bunch of Goddamn Cheaters’

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-Sports/2014/06/07/CA-Chrome-Owner-Goes-Off-Again-Bunch-of-Goddamn-Cheaters

Steve Coburn stated:

“They’re a bunch of goddamn cheaters,” Coburn told Yahoo Sports. “If your horse doesn’t even have the points to run in the Kentucky Derby, he shouldn’t be able to run in the Triple Crown. They’re goddamn cheaters.”

I guess Mr. Coburn isn’t being ranty or a tiny bit emotional. Sore Loser Award goes to Mr. Coburn.

[This Just In]

CA Chrome Owner Goes Off Again: ‘Bunch of Goddamn Cheaters’

Steve Coburn:

“They’re a bunch of goddamn cheaters,” Coburn told Yahoo Sports. “If your horse doesn’t even have the points to run in the Kentucky Derby, he shouldn’t be able to run in the Triple Crown. They’re goddamn cheaters.”

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-Sports/2014/06/07/CA-Chrome-Owner-Goes-Off-Again-Bunch-of-Goddamn-Cheaters

Mr. Coburn is not only a sore loser, but a classless foul mouth as well.

[Yaelle]

Holy Moley,
Not again. There IS no “Triple Crown!!” It’s like a Grand Slam. It’s not an event. These are separate races.

It’s kind of the point, that only one horse period can win three different races. Only one horse can win the first, so at that point, only he can have a chance at winning all three. So does that mean that once the one horse wins the Derby, no other horse should compete the Preakness???

The guy is now just a plain old jerk.

[This Just In]

I should have edited Steve Coburns language and bleeped out his using the Lord’s name in vain. My deeply apologies if any of you were offended. I’m esp. sorry to my Lord.

[Bigg Red]

Thank you for being sensitive to that fact. Far too many FReepers are not.

This horse owner needs to be quiet and go away. Sheesh.

[This Just In]

Deeply=Deepest