California Chrome co-owner Steve Coburn says his chestnut colt’s unlikely Triple Crown bid is an object lesson in what pluck can do.
“This horse, what he’s doing for two guys that work their butts off every day just to put beans and bacon on the table, this horse has given everybody else out there the incentive to say ‘We can do it, too,’” Coburn said after the chestnut colt added the Preakness Stakes to his Kentucky Derby crown.
That puts ‘Chrome’ two-thirds of the way to US racing’s elusive Triple Crown, with the final challenge coming up on Saturday in the 146th running of the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes.
It’s an unlikely tale that starts with a pair of unlikely owners in Coburn and Perry Martin, who turned a dig about their lack of expertise into the name of their fledgling racing outfit: “Dumbass Partners”.
More experienced horsemen scoffed when Coburn and Martin spent $8,000 for the ordinary mare Not For Love.
They spent about another $2,000 to breed her to undistinguished stallion Lucky Pulpit.
Even in the admittedly inexact science of racehorse breeding, it seemed a match unlikely to produce equine greatness.
Even when California Chrome arrived at this year’s Kentucky Derby on a four-race winning streak, many among racing’s elite were skeptical.
That included trainer Dallas Stewart, whose Commanding Curve finished second in the Derby on May 3.
“I was wrong,” Stewart admitted. “We all tried to get smart and add up the breeding. You knocked him because he was from California and he ran on the speed track at Santa Anita.
“We were wrong. That horse is just a runner.”
Coburn and Martin had thought the colt was something special all along, drawn by his eye-catching white markings – four socks and a wide blaze as well as his athleticism and curiosity.
“To watch this little guy grow up and watch him develop and watch his personality develop and just watch his mind develop, he’s an amazing animal,” Coburn said. “He’s like one in a bazillion.”
The 61-year-old Coburn works for a company that makes magnetic strips for credit cards and hotel keys.
In his cowboy hat and boots, Coburn takes point when it comes to the press and doesn’t mind letting his emotions show.
The more retiring Martin, who with his wife owns a materials testing company in Sacramento, California, came up with few words in the winner’s circle at Churchill Downs, then opted to watch the Preakness from afar.
After California Chrome’s 5 1/4-length victory in the Santa Anita Derby, and before his Kentucky Derby triumph, the pair were offered a reported $6 million (Dh22m) for a controlling interest in the colt.
They turned it down.
“We were offered quite a bit of money for 51 per cent of this horse and controlling interest,” Coburn said in Kentucky. “They wouldn’t race him in our colors. They’d move him, they’d change trainers.”
In addition to their reluctance to take the horse from trainer Art Sherman, Coburn said another thing turned him off the deal.
“The offer we got for this horse was from somebody that has never even put on a pair boots to go to work in the morning,” he said.
For Coburn, who makes a point of thanking not only Sherman and jockey Victor Espinoza after California Chrome wins but his exercise rider and groom, that just didn’t seem right.
To him, California Chrome, on his ride toward racing immortality, is “letting American know that the little guy can win”.
“It may not be a racehorse. It may be the idea that they have in their head or a new product or whatever, but we just hope that this horse is letting America know that the little guy can win.”
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Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.
Results:
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,400m.
Winner: Walking Thunder, Connor Beasley (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap (rated 72-87) Dh 165,000 1,600m.
Winner: Syncopation, George Buckell, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,400m.
Winner: Big Brown Bear, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap (75-95) Dh 190,000 1,200m.
Winner: Stunned, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Handicap (85-105) Dh 210,000 2,000m.
Winner: New Trails, Connor Beasley, Ahmad bin Harmash.
9.25pm: Handicap (75-95) Dh 190,000 1,600m.
Winner: Pillar Of Society, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
