No Triple Crown for California Chrome as Tonalist wins Belmont Stakes

Despite being the heavy favorite, California Chrome finished fourth; Tonalist, 11-1 going into the race, took the 146th Annual Belmont Stakes.

|
Matt Slocum/AP
Tonalist (11) with Joel Rosario up edges out Commissioner (8) with Javier Castellano up to win the 146th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race on Saturday.

Tonalist sprinted across the finish line first Saturday at the Belmont Stakes, spoiling California Chrome's bid to win the first Triple Crown in 36 years.

California Chrome finished far back in a tie for fourth. The result means the longest drought without a Triple Crown champion in history will be extended.

California Chrome and jockey Victor Espinoza lost the 1 1/2-mile race on a hot day at Belmont Park, where tens of thousands of fans were packed in hoping to see history. It was not to be, leaving Affirmed as the most recent Triple Crown winner in 1978.

"I thought he was gaining ground, but he didn't have it in him, apparently," co-owner Steve Coburn said immediately after the race. He complained that some of the horses sat out some races, and were entered just to knock out California Chrome. "It's all or nothing. This is not fair to these horses and to the people that believe in them. This is the coward's way out."

California Chrome broke quickly but was pressed immediately by Commissioner and General a Rod. Espinoza eased California Chrome back into third along the rail.

Approaching the final turn, California Chrome was maneuvered to the outside. He angled four-wide turning for home, just to the outside of Tonalist, who was close to the pace the entire race. Espinoza started whipping left handed in the lane but California Chrome had no response.

Tonalist kicked strongly in the final strides, edging Commissioner by a head to finish in 2:28:52. Medal Count got third with California Chrome finishing in a tie for fourth with Wicked Strong.

Samraat was sixth, followed by General a Rod, Matterhorn, Commanding Curve, Matuszak and Ride On Curlin.

Tonalist paid $20.40, $9.60 and $7. Commissioner returned $23.20 and $13.20 while Medal Count paid $13.20.

California Chrome became the 12th horse since Affirmed to lose his Triple try in the Belmont, the longest race in the series.

The defeat snapped the chestnut colt's six-race winning streak. His rise from a humble pedigree and his working-stiff owners resonated with sports fans who rarely take an interest in horse racing.

Conditions seemed aligned for the Triple Crown drought to end. California Chrome seemed to thrive during his three-week stay at Belmont Park. His chestnut coat gleamed and he gained weight after the Preakness on May 17. His owners, trainer and jockey oozed confidence. And so did the bettors, who made him the overwhelming favorite in the Belmont.

But this fairy tale didn't have a happy ending.

Espinoza lost his second chance at a Triple Crown. He was aboard War Emblem in 2002, when that colt stumbled at the start of the Belmont and lost all chance.

Art Sherman, the 77-year-old trainer of California Chrome, had said beforehand that his colt didn't need to win another race because he was already such a pleasure to be around.

Coburn, who with Perry Martin formed Dumb Ass Partners to race their one-horse stable, had vowed that California Chrome "would go down in history."

It just wasn't the kind they wanted to make.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to No Triple Crown for California Chrome as Tonalist wins Belmont Stakes
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2014/0607/No-Triple-Crown-for-California-Chrome-as-Tonalist-wins-Belmont-Stakes
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe