California Chrome claimed the second jewel of the Triple Crown Saturday with a win at the Preakness.
The 3-year-old horse was "like Seabiscuit," co-owner Steve Coburn told CNN, as "the people's horse," rising to a champion from underdog status.
Coburn, of Nevada, and the thoroughbred's other owner Perry Martin of California refer to themselves as regular people. Coburn works for a company that makes magnetic strips for credit cards and hotel keys, according to USA Today, while Martin and his wife own a laboratory for materials testing in Sacramento.
"We’re just everyday people," Coburn told WNST radio after the Preakness. "We go to work every day."
The duo support their horse in a joint venture they call DAP Racing—the acronym stands for "Dumb Ass Partners."
The partnership paid off when their $10,000 horse beat others that cost millions in the May 3 Kentucky Derby. In that race, California Chrome won a $1.24 million prize, and he added another $900,000 to his name after Saturday's Preakness at Pimlico, according to Bleacher Report.
Favored 3-5 at the start of Preakness, California Chrome ran the 1 and 3/16 mile race in 1:54 4/5, USA Today reported. He finished a length and three-quarters ahead of the second-place finisher, according to the New York Times, which reported California Chrome and jockey Victor Espinoza "looked as if they had been launched from a slingshot" on the final leg of the race.
Ride on Curlin came in second with Social Inclusion third, according to Bleacher Report.
If he goes on to win the Belmont, California Chrome will be the first Triple Crown winner since 1978, according to ESPN, which reported Affirmed was the last to have bragging rights.
The Belmont Stakes, the longest of the three races in the Triple Crown at 1.5 miles, will take place June 7 in New York.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
