"It's hard not to fall for a horse like California Chrome, a foal bred of ordinary parents who beats all odds and wins at the sport of kings. With Saturday's running of the Belmont Stakes, he has a shot at the Triple Crown and a fairytale ending to his Cinderella story."

"We've heard many reasons why the odds are against winning the Triple — no horse has done it since Affirmed in 1978; the track is a brutal mile-and-a-half long (the Kentucky Derby is 1 1/4 miles; the Preakness 1 3/16 miles); and the grueling schedule demands three intense races in just five weeks."

"But California Chrome seems like just the horse to surmount those odds. So many aspects of his story seem extraordinary."