California Chrome was outrun in the stretch of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, but did he have an excuse?
Turns out the Triple Crown hopeful may have been stepped on by Matterhorn coming out of the gate.
Jockey Victor Espinoza thought Chrome "might have stepped on himself out of the gate,” as he told Daily Racing Forum. “I noticed when I jumped off him he was bleeding a little bit in the right front. Maybe that affected him.”
Photos taken while the horse was walking back to the barn after his loss in the third leg of the Triple Crown show the injured hoof.
Espinoza, however, didn't cite that as the only reason Chrome finished in a dead heat for fourth place. The jockey felt his horse wasn't as energetic as he was in winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. In response, Espinoza decided to stalk the pace-setters rather than race on the lead.
“I feel like California Chrome was not the same as before (and) that’s why I make my decision,” he told reporters, per the DRF. “Before he breaks running and he take me right into the race. Today I feel like he was empty and not the same as before (and) that’s why I decided to be behind the lead.”
The horse was the overwhelming favorite in the Belmont and his supporters were hoping he would become the first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978.
Contributing: The Associated Press
