Tellytrack will be televising the American Triple Crown Third leg on Saturday evening!
Dual classic winner California Chrome drew post position 2 and was installed the 3-5 morning-line favourite for his attempt at the coveted Triple Crown when he faces 10 other 3-year-olds in the June 7 Gr1 Belmont Stakes .
“It’s sinking in,” said Coburn when asked about being on the edge of the Triple Crown. “It’s all coming to the top of the pyramid right now. They’ve got three points…Triple Crown pyramid. Just like that trophy right there, three points.
“To watch this horse develop, to watch him grow up… he’s just an amazing animal. I wish everybody in the business could have a horse like this.
California Chrome, a California-bred son of Lucky Pulpit trained by 77-year-old Art Sherman for Steven Coburn and Perry Martin is seeking to become the 12th horse in history to win the three American spring classics—Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), Preakness Stakes (gr. I), and Belmont—and the first to complete the sweep since Affirmed in 1978.
Chrome’s Preakness victory May 17 was the colt’s sixth consecutive win, a streak that began with the King Glorious Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park last December. In addition to that race, the Derby, and Preakness, California Chrome won the California Cup Derby, the San Felipe Stakes (gr. II), and Santa Anita Derby (gr. I).
With eight wins and a second-place finish in 12 starts, California Chrome has earned $3,452,650, a healthy return on Lucky Pulpit’s $2,500 fee when Coburn and Martin sent their mare Love the Chase (by Not for Love ) to the Harris Farm stallion.
“He’s America’s horse because we’ve got the entire country, if not the entire world, behind us,” Coburn said. “We just want to hope and pray that everybody gets a clean break, every horse has a safe trip, and everybody gets to come home clean and let the chips fall where they may.”
“I think going a mile and a half, it’s a good post position,” said Sherman. “We feel we can save ground leaving from there. I think it’s going to be a jockey’s race anyhow. It gives you a chance to see who’s going to have the speed and where you land going into the first turn.”
Just to the right of the podium at the draw sat Patrice Wolfson, who has ties to Affirmed, the last winner of the Triple Crown. She, along with her husband, Louis Wolfson, bred and raced the Florida-bred Affirmed at their Harbor View Farm. She’s clearly a fan of California Chrome.
“This horse has such pizzazz,’ she said. “He’s captured the people’s imagination. His owners are different and are very close to their horse. They’re refreshing, very refreshing.”
Asked about the 36-year span since Affirmed won the Triple Crown and California Chrome’s upcoming bid, she put things in perspective.
“Well, there was a long drought between Citation (1948) and Secretariat (1973)…it was 25 years,” she said. “The ’40s had four Triple Crown winners and the ’70s had three, almost four with Spectacular Bid.”
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