Chrome's Belmont loss doesn't mean Triple Crown needs to change

In the hours preceding the Belmont, Triple Crown-winning jockeys Turcotte, Jean Cruguet (Seattle Slew) and Cauthen signed autographs for more than four

A crowd of 100,000-plus anxiously watched as California Chrome approached Triple Crown history :: Bill Frakes/SI

While California Chrome missed out on Triple Crown lore, he still raced among the greats at Belmont :: Bill Frakes/SI

In the hours preceding the Belmont, Triple Crown-winning jockeys Turcotte, Jean Cruguet (Seattle Slew) and Cauthen signed autographs for more than four hours on the first floor of the Belmont grandstand. The line reached more than 200 yards long at times. Behind the three jockeys was a giant mural of Secretariat's mythic victory. So it's true at times, that racing is more museum than sport, and those who would call that a sad thing and mourn California Chrome's defeat will wallow in their tears tonight. They shouldn't. In truth, it is a worthy quest to let horses keep fighting for a place in that museum and wrong to cheapen the requirement for admission.