2014 The Year Of California Chrome

By: Claudia Lorena

It’s hard to read the final page of any book. Will it give us closure; will things be left unsaid; will it have a happy ending?

As the Eclipse Awards unfolded on the evening of January 17th, we paid respect to many of thoroughbred racing’s greatest stars of 2014. Untapable, Main Sequence, American Pharoah, Take Charge Brandi, were a few of the equine award winners, while Javier Castellano, Barbara Livingston and Tom Durkin, were just a few of the human recipients.

While last year saw many greats, there is no denying that the year truly belonged to one horse, and one horse alone. A year filled with triumphs etched in chrome, 2014 was the year of the underdog. It was the year of California Chrome.

Sweeping all categories in which he was nominated, California Chrome was honored with the NTRA Moment of The Year for his win in the Kentucky Derby, was awarded Three-Year-Old Male, and later received the one award many spend their lives trying to attain—the golden eclipse for Horse Of The Year.

When Steve Coburn and Art Sherman were lead onto the stage to discuss the NTRA Moment of the year, the audience may have gotten a little quieter. It was, after all, Steve Coburn on stage. And, well, he is known to surprise.

But there would be no surprises and Mr. Coburn would be nothing short of grateful. “I want to thank the fans for their support… this has been an amazing journey and a fairy tale come true for us.” He said from under his signature stetson, voice full of emotion.

Later on in the evening Coburn would return on stage to accept the award for Horse of The Year on behalf of his three-year-old colt. This time his wife, Carolyn, by his side.

“I want to take a moment to thank Love The Chase—California Chrome’s mother—because none of this would have been possible without her. Thank you.” An appreciative Steve Coburn expressed in his final statement, which also served as closure on one of the most exhilarating years in racing.

From the California Cup to the Santa Anita Derby and cross country on a quest for immortality in the Triple Crown, California Chrome brought thousands of people together, from all walks of life, racing and non racing fans alike. He may have been defeated in the Belmont Stakes and Pennsylvania Derby, but Chrome came back to run one of his most gallant races in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, silencing those that had publicly chastised his talent. One month later, Chrome dazzled on the lawn, capturing his first win since the Belmont on a new surface in the Hollywood Derby, becoming only the second horse to win a grade I stakes race on the turf after winning the Kentucky Derby in the same year. Who was the first horse? Secretariat. Everything about California Chrome’s story was and continues to be inspirational.

And so, we bid farewell to a year that will be hard to top. A year that saw an unlikely star become one of the brightest stars in the sport. A year we will forever hold dear in our hearts. The year of California Chrome.

Congratulations to California Chrome, the Shermans, the Coburns, the Perrys, Willie Delgado, Raul Rodriguez and everyone that was involved behind the scenes.

Photo courtesy: Penelope P. Miller / America’s Best Racing