California Chrome’s riveting run, winning the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, ended with a fourth-place finish at the Belmont Stakes on June 7.

A Triple Crown threat is always a stirring prospect for Americans – even for those who’ve never come close to a horse.

But the story of Chrome, a rare California champion foaled on the Harris Ranch horse farm, and his affable and unsophisticated owners Perry Martin and Steve Coburn, made this Triple Crown run more captivating than most.

Although the streak had to end, Chrome’s defeat offers some lessons just as valuable as his triumphs. Here are just a few observations worth remembering, even outside the realm of horse racing.

• People want to believe in a good story: In spite of their lack of horse racing bona fides, Martin and Coburn hit the jackpot with a low-priced colt bred to good bloodlines.
  
  Doubters said their investment was a fluke – but the partnership reaped $3 million in earnings and two legs of the crown. Americans loved the story because it showed how gut instincts truly can reward high risks.
  
  
• A good story doesn’t replace good manners: Minutes after losing the Belmont, Coburn blamed the loss on new horses entering the race while Chrome toiled and trained for weeks to achieve the rare trifecta.
  
  Calling the competition “cowards” and “cheaters,” Coburn ruined the goodwill America had shown him, his team and his horse. He apologized only after realizing a gracious loser is bigger than a glorious winner.
  
  
• There’s always a fresher horse in the stable: Racing experts knew the odds and tradition were against Chrome winning the crown. Fresh horses skip the Derby and Preakness because they want to win any leg they can.
  
  Maybe that’s unfair, but that’s competition. Great competitors recognize the need to overcome the disadvantages created by what’s new, fresh and modern. To be worthy of a crown, you must conquer the entire field.
  
  
• If you stumble out of the gate, keep striding: Chrome sustained an injury out of the gate at the Belmont by colliding with another horse and tearing some flesh from his foot. In spite of the injury, the horse bolted to an early lead but faded down the stretch.
  
  For many insiders, Chrome’s gallant push against pain was more revealing than any win. Life sometimes requires the same from us in the challenges we run.
  
  
• The last leg is the toughest: At 1.5 miles in length, the Belmont is nicknamed “The Test of a Champion” for good reason.
  
  Since the last Triple Crown winner in 1978, 13 horses have won a Derby/Preakness double, only to falter on the Belmont stretch. Whatever our professional successes, we have a race to finish. Sometimes the real victory comes in how we endure the longest track.