and Tonalist's team in the interview.

The short-lived controversy and welcome apology cannot tarnish California Chrome's remarkable run, however. He took racing fans all over the country on a heck of a ride and made a lot of new fans in the process.

It would be hard to tell from the excitement generated by California Chrome's blue-collar bid for the Triple Crown that horse racing is a troubled sport.

The famed Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., closed at the end of its 2013 season. So did nearby Fairplex Park in Pomona. Bay Meadows near San Francisco closed in 2008; Hialeah, near Miami, Fla., saw its last race in 2001. Many remaining tracks are being propped up only by slot machines and table games.

Yet, more than 100,000 fans were at Belmont Parkon Saturday to see California Chrome attempt to be the first winner of the Triple Crown since 1978. Wagering at the track alone totaled a record $19.1 million.

By post time on Saturday, the Belmont Stakes had gone well beyond another horse race, even a Triple Crown race. It had become the stuff of which legends are made, thanks to the compelling story of the novice owners from the West, the jockey Victor Espinoza and the journeyman trainer. It was everything that the racing industry and NBC, which televised the race, could hope for.

So Coburn had good reason to be angry on Saturday. His horse had done all the work, while a handful of other horses swept in to grab a bit of the glory.

Although there are plenty of