California Chrome won the $1.5 million Preakness Stakes on Saturday, following up his Kentucky Derby triumph to seize a chance at US flat racing’s elusive Triple Crown.
Ridden by Victor Espinoza, California Chrome held off Ride On Curlin down the stretch at Pimlico and will now head to the June 7 Belmont Stakes with the opportunity to become just the 12th horse to sweep the coveted treble.
The last horse to achieve the feat was Affirmed in 1978 and since then a dozen others have won both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness only to come up empty at Belmont.
Saturday’s triumph was the sixth in a row for the chestnut three-year-old, who was the odds-on favorite in the 10-horse field for the 1 3/16th-mile race.