Cathy Wurzer
California Chrome will be allowed to use a product developed in Minnesota during the Belmont Stakes after all. The trainer of the horse, which will be going for the Triple Crown on June 7, had threatened to withdraw from the race if California Chrome could not use the Flair Equine nasal strip. Until yesterday's decision, the strip was banned by the New York Racing Authority. The device keeps the nasal passages open so a horse can breathe easier during a race. The co-inventor of the Flair Equine nasal strip is Jim Chiapetta. MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with him. He was a doctor of veterinary medicine at Canterbury Downs in Shakopee when the product was developed.