ARCADIA, Calif. — The 33rd running of the Breeders’ Cup Classic was supposed to be the coronation of California Chrome, widely regarded as not only the best horse on the planet but also one of the most beloved. He is the Horatio Alger of the equine set, a determined athlete who outran his modest pedigree and endured the chaos often foisted upon him by the humans around him.
Happy endings, however, are hard to come by at the racetrack, especially when there is a $6 million purse on the line, as there was on Saturday at Santa Anita Park for the Classic.