Comments on: Tonalist Wins the Belmont Stakes

By: Ellen

Ellen — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 14:55:42 +0000

Well said Galadriel! Your second and third paragraphs perfectly explain what others are not considering. And anyways, if all the horses had to compete in all three races, we’d probably have a Triple Crown winner every other year! How special would that be? No one would care about it anymore. It’s supposed to be a somewhat rare occurrence.
Adding to Galadriel’s Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing argument, only one person has been able to do it (Pippa Funnell). And you are allowed to win on different horses in each competition!
I do have some corrections to make to Galadriel’s comments: the Kentucky Derby(mile and a quarter)is not the shortest Triple Crown race, the Preakness(mile and three-sixteenths) is. Also, most training workouts aren’t as intense as a race.

By: PKL

PKL — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 05:34:40 +0000

Disappointed?? Yes, but shake hooves/hands like a good sports men do, and move on. Nice pictures.

By: Galadriel

Galadriel — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 23:40:09 +0000

Steven Coburn sure is a sore loser! Wow, even his wife was telling him to stop it and he turns around and says “I don’t care” to which she replies, “I do!”
The whole point of the Triple Crown is that to win it you must have a horse of such calibre that he not only wins 3 races within a month but that he can also win against fresh horses. All the other Triple Crown winners did it.
And, the races are not connected with each other. The Triple Crown term was coined by the press. There is no purse involved but there certainly is historic prestige.
As your article says, when Sir Barton won all three races no one called it a Triple Crown. In fact, he even won another race between the Preakness and the Belmont.
Many other horses have come close to winning, much closer than California Chrome in fact, by placing 2nd in the Belmont. Some horses placed 2nd in the Derby and then went on to win the other 2 races. These horses show greater stamina as the Derby is the shortest of all 3 races.
Perhaps California Chrome just didn’t have the stamina to keep the speed up for the extra distance. After all, when horses are training it’s like they are racing every day.
Whatever the case, we have yet another near win and maybe one day we’ll actually have a horse/trainer combo good enough to win the Triple Crown!
BTW, we have a triple crown in eventing too, The Rolex, Burghley Trials, and Badminton. I don’t think most people expect competitors to compete in all 3 events! And in this case there IS a purse at stake.

By: l

Sun, 08 Jun 2014 18:23:44 +0000

cool

By: kygal

kygal — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 14:33:49 +0000

I had hoped that Chrome would have won but since he didn’t maybe there will be a winner next year. The owner has the right to his opinion just like the rest of us.

By: Wayne

Wayne — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 09:42:31 +0000

I agree with Coburn. It is taking the coward’s way out!!! It’s like playing in game 7 of the world series without having to play in the other games!

By: PKL

PKL — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 07:12:47 +0000

It has come out that California Crome was shown to have been injuried and it looks like from right at the gates, perhaps, things would have been different.

By: Judy

Judy — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 05:10:16 +0000

I agree with the owner, it’s called the Triple Crown. If you haven’t won these other two races it should be the One Crown for that winner.

By: Ellen

Ellen — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 03:33:04 +0000

It was a disappointing race, but Steve Coburn was just being a bad sport. Winning a Triple Crown means competing against horses that haven’t raced all three races. Otherwise it wouldn’t be a true Triple Crown. Eleven other horses have done it; it’s not impossible. California Chrome is still a very good horse, just not quite a Triple Crown winner. Show some dignity in defeat, man!

By: krista

krista — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 01:29:35 +0000

bad managment on california
chrome should have rested him better…