California Chrome’s Connections Like “Whine” With Their Cheese [Opinion]

You've probably figured out I like to follow horse racing. I love our hometown track of Evangeline Downs and I really enjoy the Triple Crown events. What I don't like is the remarks made by Steve Coburn one of the co-owners of California Chrome. I can understand him being emotional but that is not a bona fide reason for being a douche-canoe.

After Coburn's entry California Chrome fell short in the Belmont to Tonalist, a horse that was better suited for the distance and the track, Coburn started whining like a little girl who just dropped her ice cream.

"I look at it this way, if you can't make enough points to get in the Kentucky Derby, you can't run in the other two races. It's all or nothing. Because this is not fair to these horses that have been running their guts out for these people and for the people that believe in them to have somebody to come up like ... this is the coward's way out in my opinion, this is the coward's way out."

I read Coburn's remarks in a story on NOLA.com. My first reaction, " Ten minutes ago I liked and respected you for what you were able to do with your horse, now I think you are total jerk and a crybaby".

Winning the Triple Crown may be the most difficult feat to accomplish in sports. Golf and Tennis have their Grand Slams. Car racing has it's Indy 500 and Daytona 500. Bicycle racing has its Tour de France. The bottom line is this to have your named engraved in immortality you have to be something special. California Chrome was not a special horse. He was a good horse, but not a Triple Crown winner.

The reason Chrome won the Derby, Ride On Curlin' with Calvin Borel got boxed in behind horses. In the Preakness Chrome was the better horse that day, but not much better. In the Belmont, Chrome was  finished on the backstretch. His rider made a tactical error much like the jockey on Smarty Jones did a few years ago.

Face it Mr. Coburn, the rules are the rules.Actually there aren't any rules at all. To be a Triple Crown winner you have to win The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness and The Belmont in the same year. It's not governed by a ruling body. So even if there were rules and even if they changed them now people would still say, "Secretariat did it" beating all comers.  Seattle Slew and Affirmed managed to defeat their foes too.

It's really hard for me to find any sympathy for you sir. You're going to make millions of dollars off of California Chrome's stud fees. The horse is going to spend the rest of his life living the good life and having regularly scheduled sex dates. I think you and Chrome are going to be okay. If I didn't already have the best job in the world , minus the millions of dollars and regular sex, I might be willing to trade places with you.

I guess your horse, California Chrome, just isn't a Triple Crown winner. Learn to deal with this fact and keep your mouth shut. You're destroying a great story of a horse and his connections that almost overachieved their way into history. Unfortunately because of your entitlement opinion most people will forget about California Chrome and remember you for being a whiner.