Chrome-plated Triple Crown bid

It gets even harder from here on out for California Chrome.

He won easily in his home state of California, he dazzled in the Kentucky Derby and he dug deep to win the Preakness on Saturday.

In three weeks comes the toughest test of all, the Belmont Stakes.

The chestnut colt with four white feet will attempt to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont, something that hasn't been done since Affirmed in 1978.

Since then, 12 horses have won the first two legs and failed to complete the sweep in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont; the last was I'll Have Another, who was scratched on the eve of the Belmont two years ago.

"You have to have a very good horse to win these three races," said Art Sherman, the winning 77-year-old trainer. "I'm hoping I've got one right now."

California Chrome defeated Ride On Curlin by 1 1/2 lengths in the Preakness, covering 1 3/16 miles in 1:54.84 on a sunny and cool day at Pimlico.

He has now won six straight races. The streak started with four in a row in California by a combined 24 1/4 lengths. Then California Chrome coasted home in the Derby by 1 3/4 lengths after opening up a big lead in the stretch.

The colt's co-owner, Steve Coburn, shed tears after his horse crossed the finish line.

"I don't mean to be bold or cocky or arrogant," Coburn said. "I saw this baby when he was a day old, I told my wife, 'Carolyn, this horse is going to do something big. I don't know what it is, but we're going to stay in the game to make sure this colt gets to be the best that he can be.'"

Quite a statement from a guy with a one-horse stable.

Coburn and partner Perry Martin bred an $8,000 mare to a $2,500 stallion to produce California Chrome.

Based on the colt's humble breeding, he probably shouldn't be on the verge of making history. His mother, named Love the Chase, won just one race.

The owners were long shots to get this far, too.

Coburn and Martin named their operation DAP Racing, which stands for Dumb Ass Partners. Their silks include an image of a donkey.

Coburn and Perry, who live on each side of the California-Nevada border, get up early for their jobs - Coburn working as a press operator and Martin running a lab that tests high-reliability equipment.

"We just hope this horse is letting America know that the little guy can still win," Coburn said.

Sent off as the overwhelming 1-2 favorite by a record crowd of 123,469, California Chrome bounced out of the gate running, with jockey Victor Espinoza moving the colt into the clear. Pablo Del Monte, a 34-1 shot, charged to the lead and was soon joined by filly Ria Antonia.

Espinoza tucked California Chrome into third, an ideal spot behind the leaders. They stayed there until making their move approaching the final turn.

Victor Espinoza celebrates aboard California Chrome after winning the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Saturday. Matt Slocum / Associated Press

(China Daily 05/19/2014 page23)