#PHOTOFINISH
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 and 3 others —
Were California Chrome and Ride on Curlin the only two horses from the Preakness? It’s a lot tougher coming off that a few weeks ago.
I agree. Where do you place Swaps?
He utterly beclowned himself.
I agree with the owner, it’s not a fair race to race a horse who’s been in the previous Kentucky Derby and Preakness against rested horses.
Life isn’t fair....A true champion overcomes. That’s why the Triple Crown is such a rare feat. Chrome just wasn’t worthy of it in the end.
But how else can he win the Triple Crown unless they put more time between the races? I wonder if previous years were the same amount between.
Isn't that what other Triple Crown winners have gone through?!?
I know nothing about racing. But how much rest does a horse need? Preakness was 3 weeks ago. Not enough time to rest up for the next race????i
Does anyone know the winning time?
Trigger and Flicka are not happy.
I have no horse in this race, (badummp chee) so it doesn’t matter one way or the other to me but is it really fair to those horses that have grinded the other 2 races to then have to go against fresh horses?
I agree with the owner. He won’t see another triple crown winner in his lifetime.
“I agree with the owner, it’s not a fair race to race a horse who’s been in the previous Kentucky Derby and Preakness against rested horses.”
Someone mislead him to believe that everything in life is fair. He came off as a very sore loser, but a loser all the same
#PHOTOFINISH
I remember that race, and I agree completely.
That’s why the Triple Crown is so hard to win. It’s the true champion horses that win all three races and not the better than average ones who win just the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. Oh well, maybe next year we’ll get a Triple Crown winner.
Blood-Horse magazine ranks Swaps 20th in their list of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century.
Swaps held all kinds of records and was in the money 23 of 25 starts, winning 19 times.
great horse, no doubt about that. He was a descendant of Man O’ War.
Sounded like a DemocRat aka loser.
I’ve been following horse racing since the 1960s.
The breed has been compromised by breeding for speed, instead of endurance. I think that’s why you saw so many more Triple Crown winners in the past. Also why there seems to be more injuries and deaths among a breed that has been inbred to the point of unsoundness, IMHO.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.