California Chrome won the 139th Preakness Stakes on Saturday afternoon, becoming the 13th horse since 1978 to win the first two legs of the Triple Crown.
The heavy favorite after taking the Kentucky Derby, California Chrome dominated the final furlong with a thunderous performance, holding off Ride On Curlin. He finished the 1 3-16th mile course in 1:54.84, good for his sixth consecutive race win.
Ride On Curlin finished second and Social Inclusion ended third. General a rod took fourth and Ring Weekend was fifth.
| Horse | Win | Place | Show |
|---|---|---|---|
| #3 California Chrome | 3.00 | 3.00 | 2.40 |
| #10 Ride On Curlin | 5.60 | 3.80 | |
| #8 Social Inclusion | 3.40 |
$2 Exacta (3-10) paid $18.20, $1 Trifecta (3-10-8) paid $38.00, $1 Super (3-10-8-2) paid $173.80.
All eyes now shift to the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, New York, where California Chrome and jockey Victor Espinoza will have a shot at the Triple Crown.
It will be Espinoza's second shot at the opportunity, after he rode War Emblem to wins at the Derby and Preakness in 2002 before falling to 70-1 Sarava in the final stretch of the Belmont.
It took a little bit of moving around in the middle of the pack for Espinoza to get his horse where he needed to be.
"I was on a dead run, then I seen another horse go to the front, and I was going to sit second," Espinoza told reporters. "Next thing I know, I see another one, it moved too early. I had to use my brains too much at that point. I sat back and saw that the other horse got clear of him and it worked out perfectly. "
The 3-year-old Chestnut Colt is the first California-bred horse to win the Preakness since Snow Chief in 1986. Co-owner Perry Martin did not attend the race, while his partner Steve Coburn used the opportunity on the microphone to take a shot at Churchill Downs.
Chrome owner Steve Coburn accepts Preakness trophy -- and uses national TV to tell Churchill they could take hospitality lesson from Pimlico
— rickbozich (@rickbozich) May 17, 2014
California Chrome is the 34th horse to win the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Only 11 of those horses went on to win the Belmont, something no horse has completed the crown since Affirmed in 1978.
Here is how the 12 horses to win the first two legs before coming up short at the Belmont finished under the big spotlight.
| Year | Horse | Belmont Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Spectacular Bid | 3rd |
| 1981 | Pleasant Colony | 3rd |
| 1987 | Alysheba | 4th |
| 1989 | Sunday Silence | 2nd |
| 1997 | Silver Charm | 2nd |
| 1998 | Real Quiet | 2nd |
| 1999 | Charismatic | 3rd |
| 2002 | War Emblem | 8th |
| 2003 | Funny Cide | 3rd |
| 2004 | Smarty Jones | 2nd |
| 2008 | Big Brown | DNF |
| 2012 | I'll Have Another | Did not start |
The 36-year drought is the longest ever between Triple Crown winners. Secretariat ended a 25-year drought in 1973, and Gallant Fox closed a 11-year gap in 1930.
The Belmont Stakes is set to run June 7. It is the longest of the Triple Crown races at a mile-and-a-half, and is known as "The Test of a Champion."
77-year old trainer Art Sherman, in this position for the first time, was glowing about the opportunity to make history. "Wow, It's quite a thrill. I know we had to run harder this race for me, just watching him perform, coming back in two weeks, I was concerned. But I'll tell you one thing, he's a real horse. The mile and a half is up his alley too because he's a very good horse."
Espinoza was also brimming with confidence in his ride to handle the extra distance. "You never know until he runs but it seems like he's going to be all right. A little bit more time, he's going to get back his energy. And you know what? We'll get it done."