California Chrome, and after Bayern had finished second to last in the Preakness, said, "I'm done chasing him," adding, "he's super the real deal." In post-race interviews, Coburn stated that California Chrome had become "America's Horse". Belmont Stakes The day after the Preakness, a new round of minor press excitement, dubbed "nasalgate", erupted when Sherman commented that Martin might not let California Chrome run in the Belmont Stakes if the New York Racing Association (NYRA) did not allow the horse to wear a nasal strip as he had in his previous six races. Nasal strips are not considered performance-enhancing, but may reduce airway resistance, lower the risk of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), and aid post-race recovery. Sherman submitted a formal request for permission to use them, and the following day, the NYRA approved their use for all horses on New York tracks, thus resolving the matter. California Chrome shipped to New York on May 20 in a semi-trailer horse van together with Ride On Curlin. They had a police escort through New York City from the Throgs Neck Bridge to Belmont Park. The press reported that Art Sherman believed the misspelled saddle cloths at the Derby and Preakness were a good luck charm, and that he specifically asked Belmont Park for another misspelled cloth along with a properly spelled version. The first week California Chrome spent at the Belmont track was generally uneventful, other than galloping past an opossum that wandered onto the track the morning of May 23. The horse paid little attention to it, but the press pounced on the story; the animal was labeled "Dumb-Ass Possum", and someone created a Twitter account for the creature. Delgado commented, "I can tell you he loves this track, and I don't see him (having) any problem getting a mile and a half." On May 31, Espinoza arrived to give the colt a short workout known as a "breeze". Horse and jockey were greeted by a large contingent of fans and press at about 6:30 a.m., and ran a "sharp" half-mile () officially clocked at 47.69 seconds. A clocker for the Daily Racing Form stated, "He's going to be tough to beat. I think we're going to have a Triple Crown winner." Eleven horses entered the Belmont Stakes on June 7, and California Chrome drew post position 2, the same post position as Secretariat in the 1973 Belmont. Ride On Curlin