On the eve of Belmont, a Triple Crown hopeful waits

Saturday marks the 146th running of the Belmont Stakes, and the day of reckoning for a horse that has captured a country's imagination.

Underdog-turned-horse-to-beat California Chrome is just a race away from becoming the 12th Triple Crown winner, but ESPN's Steve Davidowitz pens a lovely warning for those ready to hop on the California Chrome bandwagon:

"Logic says CC will be tough; sentiment says many of us will root for him; but the wallet says, not so fast. The hesitation is based on one undeniable fact: Whenever a horse is going to attract huge sums of money, we should remind ourselves that racehorses are not robots."

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No, they are not.

They are creatures that answer the whims of their owners, develop strong bonds with their riders, and sometimes — the rare sometime — offer a fitting projection for our own moments of glory and failure.

Below, images of a horse we can only hope enters his race a little bit robotic — to feel such overwhelming scrutiny is not a scenario one wishes on any competitor — prepping for a Saturday at Belmont.

(And read Davidowtiz's moving column in full, here.) --Sarah Eberspacher