California Chrome

Gosh I’m excited for today’s Belmont Stakes.  I am a big fan of California Chrome, I like his back story, I like that he’s local, and his owners and trainer seem like decent people.  Of course, being from California myself, I’ve been rooting for him all along.  And now, once again, we have a shot at a Triple Crown.  It’s been forever, hasn’t it?  I find the history of it to be pretty interesting.  There was a wealth of Triple Crown winners in the 1930s and 40s.  3 horses won the Triple Crown in the 30s, and 4 in the 40s.  Then nothing until Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths, setting the record that still stands today, in 1973.  Seattle Slew in 1977, Affirmed in 1978, and then nothing since then.

We weren’t a sports watching family, so I didn’t see Secretariat or Seattle Slew run, but back in 1978 we were in Stockton, and every Saturday we’d go have dinner at my Grandparents’ house.  My grandfather was a sports watching man, and spent some time in his youth as a jockey (he told my mom he won the Kentucky Derby, which was way above his level of racing, but she didn’t know that, and went and told her friends at school…and of course some smartypants knew better, so she was humiliated.)  So we watched all three races, and I was captivated by the story of Affirmed, and mostly by his jockey, Steve Cauthen, who was so young.  He was just 18, and they called him, “The Kid”.   If you didn’t watch all three races, you didn’t see the rivalry between Affirmed and Alydar.  Alydar was a great horse, and in any other year, I suspect he would have won the Triple Crown.  As it was, he came in second in all three races…losing by a length, a head, and a nose. God, that third race was exciting! I wanted Affirmed to win, but also, kind of felt bad for Alydar, coming in second again and again.

Being so young, Steve Cauthen wasn’t finished growing, and soon couldn’t make the low weights required of U.S. races, so he moved to England, and raced there. If you’ve forgotten how young 18 is, look at this picture.

Alydar, said to be the greatest horse to have never won a championship, died in 1990 under suspicious circumstances.  He was likely murdered, so the owners could collect the insurance money on him.  He was a very successful sire, and was insured for quite a bit.  The speculations was that someone tied a rope around one leg, tied the other end to a truck, and drove the truck away until the leg broke.  God, straight out of a Dick Francis novel.  (I loved Dick Francis, and I’ve been reading the stories put out by his son, Felix, which are quite good in their own right.)  Horrific and cruel.  Poor Alydar.

Growing up when I did, with three Triple Crown winners in the 70s, two of them in successive years, I had no idea it would be at least 36 years until there was another winner.  There have been 21 horses to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and failed to win the Belmont Stakes.  Most recently Big Brown in 2008, who had trouble with his shoe during the Belmont Stakes, and ended up coming in last.  I’ll Have Another won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 2012, but was injured and did not run in the Belmont.

I had a dream last night about the Belmont Stakes.  California Chrome lost, but just by a nose, and the record set by Secretariat in 1973 was finally broken.  Yes, I’m excited.

UPDATE: Not this year. He got trapped for a bit, but he had a straight shot when he needed it, and it looked to me like he just didn’t have it in him. Sigh. One of the owners was just ranting about how unfair it is that it’s not all of the same horses in all three races, as some of the horses are fresher than others. I may be wrong, but I don’t think it’s ever been a requirement, so I’m not sure what his beef is. Did the rules change? I don’t think so.