Horse racing fans will trudge back to the big oval on the Queens\/Nassau border Saturday afternoon hoping to finally see some history.<\/p>\n
This is the 14th time a three-year-old thoroughbred has occupied a Belmont barn in early June with a shot at the Triple Crown since Affirmed completed the difficult deed in 1978. All 13 tries subsequent to Affirmed\u2019s success have ended in failure. Some were oh so close. This one Saturday offers some promise of success – although we\u2019ve heard this song and dance before.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s ok to be cynical. I think that\u2019s why it\u2019s been kind of a quiet week around here. American Pharoah\u2019s attempt to break the long Crown drought at half past six PM Saturday doesn\u2019t seem to be generating the level of excitement seen in the run-up to tries by California Chrome (2014), Big Brown (2008), Smarty Jones (2004) and Funny Cide (2003).<\/p>\n
Some fans have lost faith in the feat\u2019s viability given its extreme difficulty. Others are simply disgusted about the on-track experience with a crown on the line. The six-figure crowd that showed up last year to see California Chrome finish in a dull tie for fourth was beleaguered by day\u2019s end given a series of security, hospitality and transportation lapses that impacted a large percentage of the patrons.<\/p>\n
It was such a lousy mess out there last year that some people vowed never to return if a triple crown was at stake.<\/p>\n
The New York Racing Association hasn\u2019t been demonstrably confident in its self-assessments re: preparedness for this Saturday\u2019s big Crown party. Rather than a promise to bolster all of the services that fell short last year, NYRA claims it will tell people to stay home when ticket sales reach 90-thousand.<\/p>\n
When\u2019s the last time you heard a bookmaker turn away people with money in their pocket? I don\u2019t recall it ever happening but that\u2019s all you need to know about NYRA\u2019s inept action plan to remedy last year\u2019s fiasco.<\/p>\n
Still, all of us usual suspects will be out there Saturday in section 3T in the off chance Pharoah can get it done. I\u2019ll sound like the same broken record I am every time a crown is on the line and say Pharoah\u2019s legs turn to rubber well before the line. But I\u2019ll cheer like crazy if they don\u2019t. It\u2019s been a long enough wait. I want to see a crown.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Horse racing fans will trudge back to the big oval on the Queens\/Nassau border Saturday afternoon hoping to finally see some history. This is the 14th time a three-year-old thoroughbred has occupied a Belmont barn in early June with a … Continue reading