Belmont Day: A Study In Contrasts

Photo: Bob Mayberger / Eclipse Sportswire

I purposely waited a few days to speak my piece on the 2014 Belmont Stakes. A few days would make things a little clearer, I thought, and it was better to wait and type out a measured response to California Chrome’s failed Triple Crown quest than to submit something instantly (are you listening, Steve Coburn?).

In watching the Belmont from the Long Island Railroad platform near the far turn, it sure looked like we’d see history once the field turned for home. Victor Espinoza had begun to ask California Chrome for his run, one we’d seen in every prior start this season. At first, the modestly-bred 3-year-old pinned his ears back and dug down, but in mid-stretch, it became clear that the late kick wasn’t coming.

Maybe it was the 12-furlong distance. Maybe Matterhorn ruined all chance of a Triple Crown winner at the start, when he collided with California Chrome. Maybe it was the ghosts of Affirmed and the other Triple Crown winners handing down a fateful judgment, slowly shaking their heads as if to say, “Not yet.”

California Chrome returned to Los Alamitos and will likely get the long break he deserves. Maybe he’ll be back for the Pacific Classic, or perhaps the connections will wait for the Awesome Again at Santa Anita this fall. At any rate, he deserves a chance to rest up before coming back to tackle the likes of Palace Malice, Mucho Macho Man, and Game On Dude later in the year, and that’s exactly what he’s getting.

However, in finding reasons for excusing California Chrome’s loss, let’s not forget how well Tonalist ran in victory. The Peter Pan winner broke from an outside post and was wide most of the way, yet still had just enough left to win a head-bob over hard-luck loser Commissioner. With California Chrome headed west for the rest of the season, Tonalist is certainly the horse to beat in the major New York 3-year-old races this summer.

Don’t discount Commissioner, either. The son of A.P. Indy showed a new running style Saturday at Belmont in going straight to the lead. He nearly wired the field, and he showed that races run at a mile and a quarter should not be a problem. Oddly enough, though, the race he may have wanted most this year, given his all-distance pedigree, is the Breeders’ Cup Marathon, which was, of course, cancelled.

Unfortunately, what may have been one of the greatest days of racing in the history of Belmont Park was marred by a series of post-race nightmares. Coburn’s media follies have already been discussed elsewhere, and won’t be repeated here. Dale Romans and Mike Maker were at each other’s throats over General a Rod’s late arrival to the Belmont paddock, and transportation-related issues left many race-goers confined to their cars as NYRA personnel tried, and failed, to funnel traffic certain ways. Additionally, public transportation had its own major problems, culminating with the well-documented failures of the LIRR after racing had concluded.

The numbers will show that the day was a staggering success for Belmont Park. Handle surged to north of $150 million, while attendance totaled more than 102,000 people. The good news is that Saturday showed racing can still captivate the public, and undercard performances by the likes of Palace Malice and Bayern may have given those horses more of a following going forward.

However, once California Chrome fell short in the Belmont, the day went south, and quickly. More than one postmortem has cited first-time track-goers who said they would not return after the late-day chaos, playing into horse racing’s image as a game that struggles to attract and keep new fans. Coburn’s antics after the race made him look like the sorest loser imaginable, and despite the best efforts of Victor Espinoza and the Sherman family (who had all been pictures of class throughout the Triple Crown trail), that may affect how we remember California Chrome.

Once again, we looked to a horse for heroism, thinking that THIS one would be the one to end the Triple Crown drought. What we got was a fantastic day of racing, but without the payoff that many thought was a cinch. We were disappointed, but this time, it wasn’t just because of the horse, one who showed a ton of heart persevering through injury to even have a chance at winning when the field turned for home.

This game may need a Triple Crown winner. Even more so, though, it needs to stop shooting itself in the foot with public relations disasters like the ones we saw this past weekend. If racing is to regain relevance among the casual sports fan more than a few times every year, conscious efforts needs to be made across the board.

Saturday showed what horse racing could still be in the eyes of a country that loves feel-good stories. Unfortunately, it also showed why negative perceptions about this great game exist, ones that need to disappear immediately if racing is to thrive.

Read More

Wood Memorial fair odds: Can Iron Honor pass 2-turn test?
On paper, the Grade 2 Wood Memorial on Saturday at Aqueduct has the look of a race with...
Updated clinch scenarios for Kentucky Derby and Oaks 2026
This is not about historic trends or the likelihood of attrition. Both will be measured soon enough. This...
Barn Tour: Walsh updates on Bella Ballerina + 12 others
You might not have noticed, but Brendan Walsh had an outstanding 2025, with 17 graded-stakes wins that included...
Beckman's Ocelli, cross-entered at Keeneland, will go to Wood
After entering Ocelli in both the Grade 1 Blue Grass and Wood Memorial (G2), trainer Whit Beckman has...
Wednesday works: 11 graded-stakes winners are on the tab
Deterministic , unraced since winning the Grade 1 Fourstardave in August, fired a bullet Wednesday morning at Payson...