COMMENTARY
By DANIEL DULLUM
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, June 7, 2014

The dream may have ended, but Steve Coburn’s exit rant from the Belmont Stakes will resonate for quite a while.

California Chrome, co-owned by Colburn, fell short in its bid for the elusive Triple Crown of horse racing. Chrome, winner of the Kentucky Derby and The Preakness, finished in a disappointing fourth-place tie with Wicked Strong at Belmont Park on Long Island, N.Y.

Tonalist, the 2014 winner at Belmont defying 9-1 pre-race odds, was running his second race since February. Under the point system that sets the Kentucky Derby field, Tonalist was nowhere close to qualifying.

Commissioner, the second-place finisher, hadn’t run since the Peter Pan Stakes on May 10 – as did Tonalist. Medal Count, which finished third, did run the Kentucky Derby but passed on The Preakness. Same for Wicked Strong, which tied California Chrome for fourth.

This has happened in six of the last eight Belmont Stakes. And that’s the rub.

After the race, a bitter Coburn told NBC Sports that the handlers of Tonalist – along with other owners whose horses didn’t run in either or both of the first two Triple Crown races – took “a coward’s way out.”

Yahoo columnist Pat Forde took offense with Coburn’s rant, calling him “part class, part ass,” and seemed to miss what Coburn actually said. Coburn wasn’t directly calling the other owners “cowards,” but was attacking the system in general. Coburn didn’t name anyone individually.

Colburn has a point – the system is flawed and has been for some time. He had to know at least that much before taking the plunge with California Chrome. The system has been set this way for decades, carefully maintained by the One Percent’s wine-and-cheese crowd that tends to dominate The Sport of Kings.

The system, by its nature, works against the possibility of a Triple Crown winner, something the sport hasn’t seen since Affirmed in 1978.

Tonalist covered the 1 ½ -mile course in 2:28.52 and paid $20.40, $9.60 and $7. Second-place Commissioner paid $23.20 and $13.20, while Medal Count paid $13.20 to show.

As for the race, California Chrome seemed to be trapped within the pack for a little too long. By the time he started to make his run, it was too late, and the horse, whose story has captivated sports fans across America, wound up settling for a tie for fourth.

At the same time, three grueling races in five weeks may have taken its toll on California Chrome. Jockey Victor Espinoza told the media, “as soon as he came out of the gate, he wasn’t the same.”

In his post-race rant on NBC, Colburn continued, “It’s not fair to these horses that have been in the game since Day One. If you don’t make enough points to get into the Kentucky Derby, you can’t run in the other two races. It’s all or nothing. … This is not fair to these horses that have been running their guts out for these people and for the people who believe in him. This is a coward’s way out, in my opinion.”

Frankly, Colburn could eat those words if he keeps Chrome out of The Breeder’s Cup, as many other owners tend to do. If that comes to pass, Colburn would have been better served to keep his rant to himself.

While this fairy tale ended on a sour note. Colburn and his partner, Perry Martin, should still be proud with what they accomplished with what started as an $8,000 investment – bargain basement by sport standards.

For what it’s worth, Colburn’s verbal exit from the Belmont Stakes was an enjoyable tweak-of-the-nose of horse racing’s upper crust establishment. Thank you, Dumb Ass Partners, for crashing this pretentious party.

TAGS: Belmont Stakes,California Chrome,Daniel Dullum