Belmont Stakes 2014 results: Tonalist wins Belmont Stakes, keeps California Chrome from Triple Crown

“I need to apologize to the winners. They ran a beautiful race … I did not mean to take anything away from them.”

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During his post-Belmont Stakes interview, California Chrome’s co-owner Steve Coburn attacked the Triple Crown system in a rather heated, but accurate, tirade.

While most sports fans will probably just stick fingers in their ears and shout, “SORE LOSER! SORE LOSER!”, they’d be completely missing the point.

All eyes were on California Chrome during the 146th running of the Belmont Stakes as he ran for the Triple Crown. It wasn’t meant to be, however, with Tonalist closing stronger and beating California Chrome and the rest of the field to take the Belmont Stakes. If you missed it, or just want to see it again, you can watch full video of the race.

California Chrome started from the No. 2 gate and broke clean, having no issue getting to the rail. California Chrome was just off the pace in the early going, running in third or fourth position. He remained along the rail and tucked behind horses. Commissioner led for much of the early going, with California Chrome eventually getting to the outside at the 3/4-mile mark. They started the stretch four-wide, with California Chrome making a heavy charge. It wasn’t enough, however, with Tonalist beating Commissioner by a nose. California Chrome dropped back to a fourth-place tie.

Coming off extremely impressive showings at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, California Chrome opened as a heavy favorite to win the Belmont and become the 12th horse to win the Triple Crown. He would have been the first to accomplish the feat since Affirmed won in 1978. Instead, he joined Big Brown, I’ll Have Another and others in coming up just short. There was some worry that the longer 1-1/2-mile track may prove too big a challenge for California Chrome, and that proved to be true as he didn’t have enough left during the final charge. Tonalist was a 12/1 favorite in the final odds.

Tonalist has won the 2014 Belmont Stakes, finishing the 1.5 mile race ahead of the pack. A Triple Crown bid was dashed in the final leg of the three races needed for the elusive trophy once again. California Chrome finished tied for fourth.

California Chrome was unable to make history, failing to break a 36-year span without a Triple Crown champion. California Chrome was a a heavy favorite leading into the race, but the historic run to the Belmont Stakes has come to an end.

California Chrome broke well, but got pinned up against the rail a bit early on. He was able to get out to the outside and appeared to be in very good position down the stretch. The field turned four-wide in the final turn and California Chrome made an initial surge, but didn’t have enough left in the tank to pull away from the field. He instead faded, with Tonalist and Commissioner going neck-and-neck to the finish line, with Tonalist just edging out Commissioner for the win. Tonalist ran out of gate No. 11. The horse was 12-1 before the start of the race.

California Chrome joins a list that includes Big Brown (2008), Smarty Jones (2004), Funny Cide (2003) and War Emblem (2002) as horses who have fallen short of the Triple Crown at the Belmont. The race is historically challenging in part because it’s the longest of the three Triple Crown events at a mile and a half.

Apparently, NBC uses the same format to introduce jockeys as they do during Sunday Night Football. So, we really couldn’t help ourself splicing in the most famous SNF introduction.

We have a funny feeling Terrell Suggs wouldn’t be a very good jockey, though -- slightly taller and bigger than he’d need to be.

The final odds for the 2014 Belmont Stakes have been posted, and as expected, California Chrome remains the heavy favorite.

California Chrome has been dominant this year, winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. With a win on Saturday, he’ll become the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win the Triple Crown of horse racing. At a mile and a half, Belmont is a longer race than he’s faced before, however.

For the 37th consecutive year, there will be no Triple Crown winner. For bettors that put their money on Tonalist, that’s good news.

Tonalist, who entered the 146th running of the Belmont Stakes with 12-1 odds, upset race favorite California Chrome, demolishing any chance for the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

Less than an hour before the 146th running of the Belmont Stakes, the odds are staying relatively steady.

California Chrome, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, remains the odds-on-favorite, but has moved from 3/5 to 4/5. If the horse can pull off the win on Saturday, he would be the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

California Chrome, fresh off impressive wins at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, will attempt to run for the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, and viewers will be able to watch his attempt at history. No horse has captured the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978, but California Chrome will enter the Belmont as a heavy betting favorite to become the 12th Triple Crown winner.

Viewers will be able to watch California Chrome’s run for history on television and online, with NBC providing the live coverage. NBC’s live television coverage began at 4:30 p.m. ET, leading up to the 6:52 p.m. post time. That will allow for plenty of time to preview the race, but also allow fans to watch the horses leave for the walk to the paddock and the post parade, which is scheduled to begin at 6:39 p.m.

The seven-furlong stakes race on dirt paid out a $500,000 purse, and Bayern, listed at 5-1 odds, won with a speedy time of 1:20.75. Top Fortitude, listed as a longshot at 20-1, was second, and Social Inclusion, listed at 7-5, came in third. Ten other horses competed in the largest field of the day so far.

The Belmont Stakes is scheduled to post at 6:52 p.m. ET, and California Chrome will attempt to claim the first Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978. For a complete schedule of Saturday’s races, click here. For full results, click here.

The stakes race was six furlongs on turf, paying out a $300,000 purse. Undrafted entered as one of the favorites, listed at 5-1 odds, and won with a time of 1:07.24. Marchman, listed at 3-1, came in second, and longshot Global Power, at 30-1, was third. Six other horses competed, and two were scratched.

The first three races of the day were won by Wabbajack, Kid Cruz and Norumbega, respectively. Next up is a seven-furlong race with a $500,000 purse.

California Chrome will break out of the No. 2 gate at Belmont Park on Saturday as he attempts to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978 and break horse racing’s longest drought without a Triple Crown winner in its history.

California Chrome was the No. 5 horse in the Kentucky Derby and the No. 3 horse in the Preakness Stakes; 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat -- which many consider the second-greatest horse of all time and the most dominant in the Triple Crown era -- ran out of those three gates in that order in his historic rout of the Triple Crown. He set race records in all three races, all of which still stand today.

When California Chrome takes the track at the Belmont Stakes with the hopes of winning the Triple Crown, he will be following a long list of horses before him who have failed. Since 1978, when Affirmed took home the crown, 12 different horses have won races at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. All 12 of them have lost at the Belmont Stakes.

That’s the type of drought that California Chrome is trying to break. Of those 12 horses, eight finished within the Top 3; Big Brown did not finish in 2008 and I’ll Have Another did not start in 2012. Spectacular Bid kick-started the drought in 1979, finishing third at the Stakes after winning the Derby and Preakness.

California Chrome will try to complete the first Triple Crown win since 1978 in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, but first, there are several undercard races. Wabbajack won the first of the day, the 1 1/16-mile allowance race on dirt.

Wabbajack entered with 3-1 odds and finished with a time of 1:42.31. The horse bested second-place Lieutenant Seany O and third-place Bernardo, as well as six other competitors. Bernardo was the favorite at 3-1 odds.

Welker and a group of friends won more than $42,000 at the Kentucky Derby, mostly by boxing 37-1 longshot Commanding Curve, who finished second. However, per ESPN, the group was overpaid by about $14,000. The error was was made by the track, so Welker and friends were not asked to return the money.

Undrafted is running in the fourth race of the day at Belmont.

California Chrome remains the heavy favorite heading into the 2014 Belmont Stakes. The lines have hardly changed since they were first released, pegging the horse as the one to break a 36-year span without a Triple Crown champion. Bovada (via OddsShark) still has California Chrome as the favorite with 3/5 odds to make history Saturday.

The morning line opened with Wicked Strong out of the No. 9 gate as the horse most likely to spoil California Chrome’s Triple Crown bid. Bovada and Daily Racing Form each give Tonalist the best odds to take the Belmont Stakes. Whatever the outcome is, weather is not expected to affect the results. The forecast is clear for Saturday with temperatures expected to be in the 80s in the afternoon.

History could be made today as California Chrome tries to do what no other horse has been able to do since Seattle Slew back in 1977, win the Triple Crown. California Chrome and all the other horses participating in today’s Belmont Stakes will see similar weather to what they saw at The Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, sunny and dry conditions which equals a dry fast race track.

Large area of high pressure dominates the weather today over the Northeast which will mean more sunshine over the track. There was some rain on Thursday, where locations around New York City picked up between a half to three-quarters of an inch or rain. With the sunshine and dry condition on Friday the track for the Belmont Stakes should be mostly dry and fast.

California Chrome is the 3-5 morning line favorite to win the 146th Belmont Stakes and become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. Even if picking a horse to accomplish such a rare feat seems like a stretch considering how many horses have come this close, many experts picked California Chrome to win, while others couldn’t pull the trigger on predicting a Triple Crown win.

Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated said the 36-year Triple Crown-less streak has gained mystique over the years, but he thinks California Chrome will win for the same reason he won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes: He’s the fastest, most versatile horse in the field.

The last time a horse won the Triple Crown, Affirmed in 1978, the Internet was still science fiction. Even in 2008, the last time a horse -- Big Brown -- raced in the Belmont Stakes with a chance to win the Triple Crown, major networks had yet to adopt widespread use of streaming for live sporting events, a practice that seems so common just six years later.

When California Chrome loads up the gate at Belmont Park on Saturday evening, you’ll be able to find coverage just about anywhere you are in civilization, be it on television, radio or streaming online.

The week leading up to the Belmont Stakes has been all about California Chrome, and it should be. The West Coast rock star took horse racing by storm with his thunderous wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, signed a deal with human shoe manufacturer Skechers, and is the 3-5 morning line favorite to win the 1 1/2-mile Belmont. In doing so, the horse would claim the Triple Crown for the first time since Affirmed won the Belmont by a nose in 1978.

California Chrome is the prohibitive favorite, but the Belmont Stakes has proven to be a cruel final foil to otherwise-brilliant runs at horse racing immortality. Because of the race’s length -- it’s the longest race on the calendar, two furlongs longer than the Kentucky Derby -- it’s proven extraordinarily difficult for powerful frontrunners to maintain the stamina necessary to make it to the finish line without being passed or completely running out of energy.

California Chrome will attempt to win the Triple Crown on Saturday at the Belmont Stakes, a feat that hasn’t happened since 1978. He will do so as the odds-on, 3/5 favorite. As we know from the last several attempts, having the best odds at Belmont doesn’t necessarily mean much: Smarty Jones and Big Brown were 1/5 favorites in 2004 and 2008 respectively, according to OddsShark, and both horses lost badly.

California Chrome has won six races in a row, including back-to-back victories at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. Wicked Strong has the second best odds at 6/1 and Tonalist is third at 8/1. Below is a full list of the Belmont Stakes odds, according to the track’s official website.

On Saturday, California Chrome will attempt to become the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win the Triple Crown. The 35-year drought is the longest in thoroughbred history, but the second-longest -- 25 years -- was broken by Secretariat in 1973, in a Belmont Stakes performance for the ages.

Secretariat was a genetic marvel, considered one of the greatest race horses of all time. His Triple Crown run began with decisive wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, setting records in both races that still hold to this day. But it was his Belmont run that cemented his place in history.

The Belmont Stakes runs Saturday evening, and all eyes will be focused on California Chrome busting out of the No. 2 gate at Belmont Park just before 7 p.m. ET. The California-bred three-year-old will race for the chance to become horse racing’s first Triple Crown winner since 1978 and the 12th in the series’ history.

California Chrome -- the 3-5 morning line favorite -- let off the throttle and coasted to his win in the Kentucky Derby, and he triumphed for a big win in the Preakness Stakes three weeks ago. The last horse to race in the Belmont Stakes having won the Triple Crown’s first two jewels was Big Brown in 2008, but he eased and did not finish the Belmont. Before that, Smarty Jones led the Belmont with one furlong to go in 2004 but had no gas left, and 36-1 longshot Birdstone surged past to win by a length.

Belmont Park has breathed new life into the undercard at its track’s biggest day of the year -- Belmont Stakes day --and the day of races has five other Grade 1 stakes races before all eyes turn to California Chrome’s attempt to snag the first Triple Crown in 36 years.

Race 6 is the first Grade 1 race of the day, the TVG Acorn Stakes for three-year-old fillies. Kentucky Oaks winner Untapable won’t be there, but the 13-horse field is otherwise loaded. My Miss Sophia, the Kentucky Oaks runner-up, is the favorite at 6-5.