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Local favorite California Chrome came up short in his bid to be the first Triple Crown winner in 36 years, but he had already paid fine dividends before the anti-climactic Saturday afternoon at Belmont Park in New York. Owners Perry Martin and Steve Coburn purchased the colt and mare for a mere $10,000; the horse’s post-retirement stud fees figure to dwarf the purchase price. The star race horse was riding a six-race winning streak with jockey Victor Espinoza in the saddle since winning the Santa Anita Derby in April. Chrome’s amiable temperament and fondness of a certain horse cookie added to his cult of personality.
