The Chrome-plated Kentucky Derby outcome Saturday in Louisville has the Triple Crown crowd thinking this might be the year.<\/p>\n
California Chrome is easy to cheer for. He has a scoffed-at pedigree. A humble old-school trainer. Regular-guy owners. And then on the big day, the good-looking colt flashed a big, steady stride as he cut through a strong headwind down the main straight. His victory looked easy. Is this the year? Nah. Don\u2019t get too excited about the prospect of seeing California Chrome become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978.<\/p>\n
Chrome\u2019s trainer Art Sherman is already expressing apprehension about running the Derby winner in the Preakness off just two weeks rest. Nowhere in Sherman\u2019s playbook is the diagram that shows him how to run back so quick off a win at a mile and a quarter. If there wasn\u2019t such a crazy obsession over the rarity of the Triple Crown accomplishment, Sherman wouldn\u2019t think twice about taking Chrome back west for a month or two before finding another spot to run him in. Someday, a guy like Sherman will do just that and say the heck with the crown. But right now too many people are telling him (his owners included) that a Triple Crown is within reach. So Sherman will succumb to extreme peer pressure and run Chrome in the Preakness a week from Saturday. If he wins at Pimlico – and he could – he\u2019ll stay on the Crown trail and try to win the Belmont Stakes the first Saturday in June. It\u2019s all too much for the modern thoroughbred to handle. But Sherman will give it a shot. And I think all racing fans wish him well.<\/p>\n
I watched the Derby over at Marc\u2019s house. Perl was there. It was a party. Super ramped-up ramp dip was served. So were juleps.<\/p>\n
I thought Johnny Weir\u2019s effort to mimic<\/a> the manic movements of a horse\u2019s mouth during the NBC\u00a0broadcast was really funny. The on-air chemistry between Weir and Tara Lipinski is kinda hard to find. For me, their combined wit and humor is a welcome addition to horse racing coverage on television. If the usually reliable Costas can\u2019t handle the job of putting Steve Asmussen on the grill, why not let Johnny and Tara run around the barns and don frilly hats.<\/p>\n The 97 Beyer number assigned to Chrome\u2019s Derby effort is the lowest such figure for a Derby or Preakness winner since Andy Beyer devised his rating system. Beyer himself said it was the \u201clowest ever\u201d score given to a Derby or Preakness victor. The new horseplayer-friendly past performance\/handicapping web site TimeformUS was a bit more favorable with its final assessment of Chrome\u2019s run but came to that conclusion after reconsideration of the stiff winds and tiring surface said to be left unsprayed by water (which is unusual) for a long period before the feature. TFUS initially set Chrome\u2019s number at 104 but revised it upward to a 110 which would translate a notch or two better than Beyer\u2019s take.<\/p>\n The low numerical assessment connected to Chrome\u2019s Derby win probably works in his favor. Perhaps it indicates less-than-all-out gut-busting and something left for the quick turnaround. Whatever happens on Old Hilltop however, fumes are all that\u2019ll remain if Chrome stays on the crown trail up to Elmont. Don\u2019t get too excited about all this. Or go ahead. That\u2019s what the Crown is all about.<\/p>\n At least you didn\u2019t bet on Candy Boy. Imagine staring at the tote as they loaded into the gate for the Derby only to see Candy Boy\u2019s price plunge from 16 to 1 all the way down to 9 in a blink. An unidentified whale put a big stack of chips (more than a million bucks) on Candy at the last second. So, not only did Candy bettors lose value without time to cancel, they then watched their horse go five wide into the first turn. Candy Boy finished 13th.<\/p>\n A friend who attended the Derby this year (and spent a lot of time on track in the days prior to the event) said the ostentatious Churchill Downs makeover that started several years back with obstructed views of the twin spires is now giving way to some fan-friendly developments. Most interesting to me was our friend\u2019s observation that the massive new hi-def video board on the backstretch is so effective it\u2019s relieved congestion in the paddock area where in years\u2019 past many general admission fans would congregate to watch a much smaller lo-def board. The new screen\u2019s magnificence has created what perhaps is an unintended shift in crowd movement but is a win-win given the enhanced experience for the tens of thousands of fans who previously had a sub-par perspective of the oval that surrounded them. At the same time, those who cherish visits to the saddling area without getting stuck in human gridlock benefit from clearer paths to and fro.<\/p>\n -Rutgers University will hold its commencement celebration at the big, on-campus football stadium in Piscataway a week from Sunday but the invited featured speaker isn\u2019t showing up. In another unscripted episode in a year or two full of them at Rutgers, Condi Rice announced on Facebook of all places that she won\u2019t come to Jersey to get booed by rabble rousers. Said Condi: \u201cCommencement should be a time of joyous celebration for the graduates and their families. Rutgers’ invitation to me to speak has become a distraction for the university community at this very special time…As a Professor for thirty years at Stanford University and as it’s former Provost and Chief academic officer, I understand and embrace the purpose of the commencement ceremony and I am simply unwilling to detract from it in any way.\u201d Rice\u2019s invite was disclosed at the University\u2019s Board of Governors meeting three months ago. She was to receive an honorary degree and a 35-grand fee. Students and faculty at Rutgers who remember Rice\u2019s role in the Bush\/Cheney rush to war started making noise. Condi heard the noise from afar and probably expected a less than warm reception in the football stadium. So she bailed out. I support those on that campus who objected to a payday and a spot on the dais for a warmonger. But when Condi accepted the invite from a university looking for someone with stature to headline the commencement, she had to know there would be grumblings. She should\u2019ve showed up, weathered the storm and tailored remarks to an audience that includes people who taught and studied her role in history. Instead now Rutgers will roll out a less controversial Republican. Former Governor Tom Kean will speak (for free). Former Rutgers defensive lineman Eric LeGrand, who has worked to overcome an on-field injury that left him paralyzed from the neck down is also slated to say some words. Rutgers botched LeGrand\u2019s involvement in the ceremony. The university first told him he\u2019d speak – then said he\u2019d been replaced by Kean – only to announce both would participate. Because of the size of the venue, Rutgers says any and all can attend the commencement without a ticket or invite.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Chrome-plated Kentucky Derby outcome Saturday in Louisville has the Triple Crown crowd thinking this might be the year. California Chrome is easy to cheer for. He has a scoffed-at pedigree. A humble old-school trainer. Regular-guy owners. And then on … Continue reading