Victor Espinoza Falls Short At 2014 Belmont Stakes

History Repeats For Victor Espinoza At 2014 Belmont Stakes

With jaw-dropping workouts under California Chrome’s belt, Victor Espinoza was ready to take his second shot at a Triple Crown victory at the 146th Belmont Stakes, Saturday, June 7th. Going into the race as the favorite with good tactical speed and a post position that is known to produce winners, California Chrome had everything going for him to become the 12th Triple Crown winner in history. So what happened?

While the announcer reported Chrome broke well, the colt actually experienced some trouble coming out of the gate when he and Matterhorn collided. The outcome is evident in the photo (shown above).

Matterhorn caught California Chrome’s front right hoof immediately out of the gate and ripped off a chunk of flesh right above the colt’s hoof – an area that is extremely sensitive and surely must have been very uncomfortable to run on (pictured at right).

Quickly recovering from the unfortunate mishap, Espinoza moved right onto the rail – a position with the highest winning rate in the history of the Belmont Stakes. But instead of staying on the rail Espinoza left enough room for Robby Albarado to squeeze Medal Count in between; Mistake #1.

Now, Chrome had Medal Count to his left, Commissioner directly in front kicking dirt in his face (something Espinoza knows he does not like) along with General A Rod, Tonalist to his right, and Wicked Strong at his rear; He was completely boxed in with no room to move.

With California Chrome in a position where he had been unsuccessful in the past, manuvering to the outside after losing the rail would have helped get him out of the dirt and traffic and allowed the colt to collect himself as they approached the far turn. But instead, Espinoza did nothing and waited far too long to get Chrome to the outside, severely hindering their chances of moving into a good position on the final turn and abolishing a tactical position for Chrome to make his move at the top of the stretch; Mistake #2.

In the post race press conference, Espinoza was asked how he felt going into the race and how he felt regarding his 4th place finish in a race that, ultimately, could have sky rocketed his career. “It is just another race and I’ll move on.” Not exactly the kind of answer a jockey should have regarding a race as important as this.

But this was not Victor Espinoza’s first time riding a Triple Crown contender in the Belmont Stakes.

In 2002 Espinoza had a shot at winning the Belmont Stakes aboard War Emblem, but the colt stumbled out of the gate and down to his knees. Following the race Espinoza told the press, “I knew at that moment that our chances of winning were gone.”

Yet, if you watch the video of the 2002 Belmont Stakes, Espinoza managed to get War Emblem up to the front of the pack and did not miss too many beats after the stumble. In fact, at one point, he got War Emblem positioned right on the rail, but then got stuck right behind Wiseman’s Ferry, Medaglia D’oro and Proud Citizen who kicked dirt in his face while Sarava – the eventual winner – stalked him from behind. Espinoza stayed in that position most of the race and then was able to get out of the traffic and into the lead approaching the top of the stretch – but it was too late. He had wasted too much time and energy running behind the other horses and War Emblem faded on the rail down the final stretch – finishing 8th.

The 1-1/2 mile Belmont Stakes, the “Test of the Champion,” is well known to be a graveyard for speed horses, but it is also known as the race where jockey error clips the wings off fairy tale endings. Art Sherman calls the Belmont, “A jockey’s race,” and jockey Angel Cordero Jr. has described it as, “A place where a lot of races are lost on mistakes. Things happen at the Belmont that don’t happen anywhere else. The best horse doesn’t always win.”

This article is not meant to belittle Espinoza’s ride. Jockeys are some of the bravest athletes in the world, risking their lives every single time they climb on a horse and shoot out of a starting gate. But jockeys are only human, they are not perfect, and like all of us – they make mistakes. Taking all circumstances into consideration – colliding at the starting gate, sustaining an injury, and the misfortune of history repeating itself in the ride – Espinoza still managed to cross the wire with California Chrome in 4th.

The circumstances surrounding June 7th’s Belmont Stakes may have prevented Victor Espinoza and California Chrome from joining horse racing immortality, but looking at it on the bright side, 4th is four steps up and a much better finish from 8th.

By: Claudia Lorena

Take a look at the videos below to compare War Emblem’s 2002 Belmont Stakes to California Chrome’s 2014 attempt.

2002 Belmont Stakes

2014 Belmont Stakes