A few minutes before the start of Saturday’s Belmont Stakes — when Frank Sinatra Jr. was singing “New York, New York” and a high-voltage atmosphere gripped Belmont Park — a TV camera caught Steve Coburn, co-owner of California Chrome, and his wife Carolyn crying in the stands.
It was an extremely touching moment, coming just before California Chrome’s attempt to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed got the job done in 1978.
A few minutes later, however, after his horse had struggled home tied for fourth place, Coburn ruined not only the day but the Triple Crown adventure that his beautiful, speedy horse had taken him on.
As you’re undoubtedly aware by now, Coburn, when interviewed by NBC after the race, lashed out at the owners of the horses who had not run in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes and had come to the Belmont with fresh horses. One of those fresh horses, Tonalist, came out a long nose in front of another fresh horse, Commissioner, to win a stirring renewal of the Belmont.
Instead of congratulating Tonalist’s connections, Coburn launched into a rant based on his allegation that the owners and trainers of the fresh horses had somehow sucker punched California Chrome (and Coburn, of course) and that they were “cheaters” and cowards.
As I watched it unfold on TV, I really couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I’ve never seen anything like it in the 40-plus years I have been following thoroughbred racing.
I interrupt this post to tell you that this morning, Monday, Coburn went on “Good Morning America” and finally apologized for his unsportsmanlike conduct.
“Very ashamed of myself,” Coburn said, with Carolyn at his side. “Very ashamed. I need to apologize to a lot of people.”
Carolyn added: “I’m proud of him for coming up here and doing this. It was something we needed to do. Our story has given so much joy to so many people. I hope that this 30 seconds (of ill-tempered remarks) doesn’t destroy all that.”
…In the minutes after Coburn lashed out, I began to realize that I really shouldn’t be too surprised at what he had said. In the course of five weeks, the 61-year-old Coburn had established himself as a loudmouth and show-off, although, right up to the moment of his sour-grapes comments, he had seemed not only harmless but also engaging.
As we all know, however, those big personalities can sometimes go south in a hurry. And, oh, how quickly the complexion of things can change when one allows the bile in his brain to reach his lips.
Caroline Coburn appeared shocked at either her husband’s ill-tempered remarks after the Belmont Stakes or at his reaction to her advice to clam up. “I don’t care!” he told her.
Just after the interviewer cut away from Coburn, Carolyn apparently advised him to button his lips. His reaction was to wheel around and say angrily, “Well, I don’t care!”
Now, there, I submit, is a guy who is double stupid.
First, he didn’t know when to keep his mouth shut, and then he didn’t have the good sense to listen to his wife’s sound advice.
As I have advanced through life and nearly 30 years of marriage, I have come to appreciate more and more my wife Patty’s counsel in virtually everything I do — from what route to take when driving from Point A to Point B to the importance of listening to other people instead of planning what I’m going to say next.
It took me a while, but I came to realize that marrying well carries an obligation: Listening to your spouse and taking his or her advice very seriously.
**
I have to amend something: Coburn is actually triple stupid. If you’re the forgiving sort, you might say, “Well, he was wrong in what he said, but he was caught up in the heat and disappointment of the moment.”
Granted. But a night of sleep apparently didn’t bring any clarity to Coburn’s judgment, because on Sunday morning he was still firing with both guns on national TV.
…Here’s the deal. The same quality that made Coburn fresh and interesting — “rookie” racehorse owner who speaks his mind — is the same quality that quickly converted him into a heel.
The rookie part of the equation is particularly important; you could go a thousand years without seeing or hearing a veteran thoroughbred owner run off at the mouth like Coburn did.
As California Chrome’s 77-year-old trainer, Art Sherman, said insightfully, referring to Coburn:
“He hasn’t been in the game long and hasn’t had any bad luck.”
Coburn was convinced his and his horse’s magical run was going to continue at least through the finish line at Belmont Park. He couldn’t accept the fact that California Chrome lost because of one or more of the following reasons: he was tired from the first two races; he was poorly ridden by jockey Victor Espinoza; or he was hurting from a hoof injury he suffered at the start of the race.
The really bad part is that, as award-winning racing writer Bill Finley said in an ESPN.com story Sunday, California Chrome will henceforth be carrying on his back not only his jockey but Steve Coburn’s exposed personality.
“California Chrome will still have his fans,” Finley wrote, “but not as many as before. Coburn took care of that.”
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
A first world problem. If you want a true indication of how fast we’re going downhill as a country and a culture take a look at how much of our time is being wasted on distractions like this. **** him and the horse he rode in on.
An update: Having apparently learned what to kiss and when, Coburn has apologized to his wife and the other horse owners and so now we have to go back to thinking about the VA, the IRS and all of Obama’s terroist pals he just cut loose. Thank God the NBA finals are still on and we can ridicule Le Bron for getting the cramps instead of actually giving a shit about anything..
Two great posts from Altevogt!
LMAO!
Everything you said is true, and, I think you are grouchier than I am.
I’m sensing a good deal of yawning over the post-Belmont drama, John, so I guess we’ll have to pick up our bags and move on down the line.
I think its interesting he spoke about “the rules” right after the race–he was aware of the situation and lashed out–kinda silly, but it’s great for TV. Only three horses in the Belmont ran all three races. And its that way every year. I could tell early the horse was in a bad spot along the fence, rather than staying there and going forward, the jockey choose to move to the outside, it took too much time and he lost. It’s the old saying “it’s why they play the game”.
One of the regrettable aspects of the whole controversy is that it detracted from one of the best Triple Crown races in years. What a tremendous effort Tonalist made to run down Commissioner in the final strides. You don’t see that very often in a mile and a half race; usually they’re all tired and hold their positions.
Also, I thought the NBC post-race coverage was pretty bad, other than the Coburn interview. It was one commercial after another, which didn’t allow for a thorough analysis of the race and its internal drama.
…I don’t think Espinoza’s ride was a factor in Calif. Chrome’s defeat; the horse was laboring from the backstretch to the home stretch.
I usually turn the Derby on right before they ‘rider up’ and only watch through the lady on the horse interviewing the winning jockey. I turned the Belmont on just to see a Triple Crown. Pre-race coverage was long and boring. And this particular post-race was bad. Crome’s jockey was interviewed first at the end of the race. The jockey who won went next and wasn’t being interviewed as the victor but as the spoiler. NBC has turned into ESPN-bad on covering live events. All they showed was the losing owners reaction, I have no idea who the winning horse’s owner or trainer looks like.
Right you are, Jennifer — NBC, not CBS, as I said initially in the post and in my previous comment. Thanks for the subtle correction. Always appreciated.
It’s easy to remember NBC. Use memory association tricks. I just think NBC. Three digits, as it were, like 911 and the 911 tapes they doctored.