Baffert, Delahoussaye, Young weigh in on Chrome's loss in Belmont

Opinions were as plentiful as discarded mutuel tickets at Santa Anita Sunday

morning in the aftermath of California Chrome's unsuccessful bid to become the

first Triple Crown winner in 36 years, followed by the politically incorrect

rant-heard-round-the-world on NBC-TV by Chrome's co-owner/breeder Steve Coburn.

During the post-race interview, Coburn said horsemen who didn't run in all

three legs of the Triple Crown took "a coward's way out" and that his horse had

"a "target on his back" in the Belmont Stakes.

Coburn stood by his comments in an interview Sunday morning on ABC's "Good

Morning America."

"Art (Sherman, trainer of California Chrome) forgot to put a tongue-tie on

his owner," one prominent trainer cracked Sunday morning at Santa Anita, where

the buzz was all about the Belmont.

"Hindsight is 20-20," said another. "What was a feel-good story became a

black eye for racing."

Coburn's reaction overshadowed a gallant grass-roots effort by the

California-bred chestnut, who captured the hearts of down-home folks nationwide

by winning the Santa Anita Derby, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes

before falling less than two lengths short in the Triple Crown's most elusive

jewel, 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes.

California Chrome finished in a dead-heat

for fourth in the race, marking the first time in his previous six starts, all

victories under Victor Espinoza, that California Chrome did not have the lead at

any point in the race.

"It wasn't Victor's fault," private clocker Gary Young. "California Chrome

looked like he was falling asleep in the paddock. That was the first sign the

horse wasn't going to run well.

"He was dead. I mean, you don't want him washing out and going nuts, but you

like to see him on his toes a little bit. For a modern-day racehorse to run

three times in five weeks and the last race being a mile and a half is a very,

very tough thing.

"If the Triple Crown remains at a two and three-week intervals, we'll see a

Triple Crown winner sooner or later, but they'll be few and far between because

the modern day race horse isn't supposed to run like that. I wanted the horse to

win, but like I told you (before the Belmont), it was 50-50.

"It was unfortunate that they put the microphone in Coburn's face and he went

from a lovable Wilford Brimley to the grandfather from hell with those comments.

"(Jockey Javier) Castellano (on Commissioner in post position 8, who was

beaten a head by Tonalist) had horse. If Victor goes (on the lead from his No. 2

post), Castellano's going to be outside of him breathing on him the whole way.

quarter-pole, on the aerial shot, when he asked, there was nothing there."

Bob Baffert, who has had three shots at winning the Triple Crown (Silver

Charm, 1997; Real Quiet, 1998; and War Emblem with Espinoza up in 2002), chalked

Chrome's defeat up to one of those things.

Baffert absolved Espinoza's tactics.

"They were going to get him; they were going to go after him," Baffert said.

"I think the horse didn't respond to him. He didn't have the horse. That's why

the Triple Crown is so hard; it wears on the horse. The horse was a little flat,

but you don't know that.

"You can train on them and they'll fool you. You send them up there and

they'll come back and the rider will say, 'You know what? He was flat.' He

didn't have the gears, and a lot of that is it finally gets to them.

"That's why it's so difficult. I have so much respect for those names (of the

Triple Crown winners) that are on the (Belmont) infield, because not only did

they win it, they trained hard before the third leg, and they handled it.

Eddie Delahoussaye won the Belmont twice, with Risen Star in 1988 and Horse

of the Year A.P. Indy in 1992. Espinoza was blameless, in his eyes.

"California Chrome broke outward, and (40-1 shot) Matterhorn broke in and

collided with him," Delahoussaye said. "Victor got his horse straight and he was

trying to get through a hole before he got to the first turn, and he got

through, but after that other horses were right in front of him and it was like

that all the way to the turn for home and there's not much you can do when

things like that happen.

"If it looked like Victor was trying to reserve his horse, it's because the

other horses made him do it, because they had him pinned in. When he finally got

out, he was good (though five wide) and he made a little run, but then he just

hung it up.

"But I know when a horse gets cut like he did (suffering a gash to his right

front foot when making contact with Matterhorn after the break), at the

beginning of the race, because of the adrenalin, they don't feel it as much. But

once they start relaxing, they'll feel it. It was just bad racing luck.