California Chrome's Triple Crown Bid Boosted by Experience of Victor Espinoza

California Chrome and jockey Victor Espinoza entered the Kentucky Derby as a heavy favorite and turned that into a convincing win at the 140th Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs on Saturday. 

This has all fueled talks and hopes of horse racing finding its first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. 

In fact, people are so excited over Chrome's prospects that Oddschecker lists his odds to win the Triple Crown at 9-4 and 2-1 in the two sportsbooks it shows on May 5 at 6:30 p.m. ET as having odds up for the Triple Crown. 

For something that hasn't been done in over 30 years, those are tiny odds. The odds certainly caught Sporting News' Troy Machir by surprise: 

Although it is clearly the horse who is in the center of the spotlight and hope, Chrome won't be able to pull of this monumental task without an expert performance by Espinoza. He is the right man for the task. 

To better understand this, let's look at the big problem with a horse winning the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont. 

Since War Emblem in 2002, five horses have entered the Belmont, the final Triple Crown race, with a chance at history. Obviously, all five have failed. 

The Belmont is the longest test of the three Triple Crown races. That hurdle is amplified by the fact that if a horse wins both the Kentucky and the Preakness, there is a strong chance he will be the only horse in the field who has run the first two legs of the Triple Crown. 

This means he will be racing a long run against a field that is far more rested.

As New York Daily News' Jerry Bossert reports, Chrome's quick turnaround has trainer Art Sherman a touch concerned. Sherman: “I’m not a two-week kind of guy. I’m a guy who likes to go seven to eight weeks between races. It kind of gets me a little shook up sometimes when I think about it.”

Now, this is where Espinoza comes into play. He's won over 3,000 races in his brilliant career. More important than that number, however, is the fact that he had the mount on War Emblem during that fine colt's close march to history in 2002.

That experience came up on Saturday. Chrome made his move from third at the start of the homestretch. He quickly left the field in the dust, and about halfway down the stretch, it was clear he wouldn't be caught.

So, Espinoza smartly didn't push Chrome too hard.  

Beth Harris of The Associated Press passed along a quote from Sherman on that subject: 

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'(Espinoza) said he didn't ask him for too much thinking about saving something for the next one, for the Preakness,' Sherman said, adding that his colt is 'peaking now. He's full of himself.'

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Does that mean Chrome will now have the stamina to do what no horse has done since 1978? Only time will tell. It certainly helps put Chrome in the best position to pull off the task, and that is exactly what a jockey is supposed to do.