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California Dreamin' - California Chrome can end a 36 year wait for a Triple Crown winner

The Triple Crown dream is well and truly still alive in the US after California Chrome’s fairytale story continued with victory in the Preakness on Saturday.

With two legs of American racing’s Holy Grail under his belt, California Chrome has now arrived in New York ahead of the third and final leg – the Belmont Stakes – on 7th June.

Art Sherman’s charge has history and some pretty damning stats to overcome if he’s to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978 but he is head and shoulders above the other three-year-olds in the US this season and hasn’t exactly had hard races in Kentucky or Baltimore.

In the immediate aftermath of the Preakness Ladbrokes went 2/1 that he lifts the Triple Crown which looked generous, they’ve subsequently clipped that to 6/4 but with news that Danza, Kentucky Derby third and to my eye California Chrome’s main danger in the Belmont, will miss the race that 6/4 still looks pretty tasty given many other books have him closer to even money.