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BALTIMORE -- California Chrome might abandon his Triple Crown bid if New York officials do not allow the colt to wear a nasal strip in the Belmont Stakes. Trainer Art Sherman made no threats about the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner passing on a chance to become horse racings 12th Triple Crown winner, but he suggested it was a possibility. "Id have to leave it up to the owners," he said Sunday. "I know theyll be upset." Neither the New York State Gaming Commission nor the New York Racing Association stewards has received a request to use nasal strips in the Belmont on June 7. "If a request to use nasal strips is made, the decision on whether to permit them or not will be fully evaluated and determined by the stewards," Gaming Commission spokesman Lee Park said Sunday. Among the Gaming Commissions rules governing Belmont Park is one that states: Only equipment specifically approved by the stewards shall be worn or carried by a jockey or a horse in a race. In a post on its Twitter feed, NYRA said: "We operate under the rules set forth by (at)NYSGamingCommission." California Chrome has worn a nasal strip during his current six-race winning streak after co-owner Perry Martin wanted to try it. Sherman is based in California and said he wasnt aware that using one in New York might be a problem. He said he would talk to New York racing officials and the horses owners. Some horses, like humans, wear nasal strips to assist breathing. The colt wears the strip only during races, not training. At 1 1/2 miles, the Belmont is the longest and most grueling of the three Triple Crown races. "I think it opens up his air passage and gives him that little extra oomph that he needs, especially going a mile and a half," Sherman said. "Anytime you can have a good air passage, that means a lot for these thoroughbreds." Sherman said Martin likes to try different products and the co-owner thought a nasal strip might benefit California Chrome. "This guy, Perry Martin, he might not run if they say you cant run with a nasal strip. Hes very funny about things like that," the trainer said. "I dont know why they would ban you from wearing one. Well have to cross that bridge when we get there." Other states allow nasal strips while racing, and even some jockeys wear them. "Its something nonmedical that can be beneficial to a workout or a race," California-based trainer Doug ONeill said by phone. "If you think your horse could use some help with their nostrils, you do it." Two years ago, ONeill trained Ill Have Another to victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness with the colt wearing a nasal strip. New York officials told ONeill that his horse couldnt wear one in the Belmont. The issue became moot when Ill Have Another was scratched the day before the race because of a leg injury. "I cant imagine them being that ignorant that they would do that again," ONeill said. "New York has gotten a lot better with common sense. It seems like a more rational place now." NYRA has several new officials since 2012, including Martin Panza, the former racing secretary at now-closed Betfair Hollywood Park in California who now oversees racing operations at Belmont, Saratoga and Aqueduct. Sherman said California Chrome came out of Saturdays Preakness in good shape, emptying his feed tub after the race. The colt playfully nibbled on his leather shank outside the barn as his two front legs were washed off Sunday. A worker removed a poultice from each lower front leg, which had been applied under bandages as a precaution to protect the colts tendons. The nasal strip could prove insignificant, as did California Chromes cough that had no impact on his Preakness run. The colt has a small blister in his throat that caused him to cough last week, triggering rumours that he wouldnt run at Pimlico. Sherman thinks California Chrome will win the Triple Crown, something no horse has done since Affirmed in 1978. "I have a good feeling about it. Im really confident," he said. "They better have their running shoes on. I dont care how many fresh shooters they have. Hes the real McCoy." If California Chrome competes, the Belmont Stakes is shaping up as a possible 11-horse race, including two newcomers to the Triple Crown trail: Commissioner, sixth in the Arkansas Derby; and Tonalist, the Peter Pan Stakes winner. Other probables include the second- through fifth-place finishers in the Kentucky Derby: Commanding Curve, Danza, Wicked Strong and Samraat. Intense Holiday, 12th in the Derby, is on the list. Three Preakness runners could return: Ride On Curlin (second), Social Inclusion (third) and Kid Cruz (eighth). WHOLESALE JERSEYS FREE SHIPPING . Right-hander Ricky Nolasco and the Twins agreed to terms on a free-agent contract Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. CHEAP FOOTBALL JERSEYS .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at LeBron James and the Miami Heat winning their second straight NBA championship. http://www.chinacheapnfljerseyswholesale.com/ . The NFLs Defensive Rookie of the Year will be named at the NFL Honours Award show on February 1. The 23-year-old 2013 second-rounder out of Oregon becomes the third Bills linebacker to win the honour after Jim Haslett (1979) and Shane Conlan (1987. CHEAP AUTHENTIC NBA JERSEYS .com) - Devan Dubnyk stopped all 30 shots fired his way and made several big saves down the stretch for his third shutout of the season as the Minnesota Wild beat the Calgary Flames 1-0 on Tuesday. JERSEYS NFL WHOLESALE . Rajon Rondo had 18 of Bostons season-high 38 assists and the Celtics committed just seven turnovers in a 118-111 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland - A dramatic season-ending crash for Maria-Hoefl Riesch on Wednesday denied Alpine skiing one of its two overall title duels at the World Cup Finals. Hoefl-Rieschs exit — from the downhill course into safety nets, then airlifted from the slope by helicopter — left Anna Fenninger of Austria favourite to win her first giant crystal trophy one month after becoming an Olympic champion. Fenningers sixth-place finish in the final downhill built a slim 11-point lead in the standings over the 2011 champion with three races remaining. Hoefl-Riesch will miss them all after sustaining upper leg, elbow and shoulder injuries on her left side. "Its tough," Germany womens head coach Thomas Stauffer said. "We were up and running for the World Cup all season and at the end you cant battle for it." Earlier, Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway seized the mens overall lead from Fenningers teammate Marcel Hirscher, who skips downhill, in what also shaped as a back-and-forth duel this week on sunbathed slopes at Lenzerheide. Svindals fifth-place finish moved him only 41 points ahead and extended a series of results since the Sochi Olympics opened which left him just off the podium. The Olympic downhills proved a reliable guide Wednesday with mens champion Matthias Mayer of Austria repeating his gold-medal success in another tight race. Olympic silver medallist Christof Innerhofer tied for second with Ted Ligety of the United States, the Olympic giant slalom champion. They finished 0.11 seconds behind Mayers winning run of 1 minute, 29.99 seconds. Lara Gut of Switzerland, the downhill bronze medallist , delighted her home crowd with victory in 1:32.31. Runner-up Elisabeth Goergl of Austria was 0.05 back, and third-placed Swiss Fraenzi Aufdenblatten was 0.57 behind in her final World Cup race before retiring. Pre-race favourite Fenninger, trailing 1.07 behind Gut, failed to repeat her speedy training runs but 40 race points could yet be enough to clinch the sports most prestigious honour. "I hope Maria can race again," Fenninger said before the extent of her rivals injuries were known. "My focus is on the next two races. What she is doing, I cant change." Hoefl-Rieschs bitter-sweet day started atop the standings and goot better minutes before entering the start house.dddddddddddd Fenningers failure to lead assured the 29-year-old German of her first season-long downhill title after six years of domination by Lindsey Vonn, the injured and absent American. Hoefl-Riesch crashed midway down the bumpy course when her skis slipped beneath her at a sharp right-hand turn, sending her sliding off course. The downhill trophy ceremony was staged immediately after the race with an empty top step on the podium and the German anthem playing as the helicopter landed nearby. Hoefl-Riesch was driven to a nearby hospital for checks. Fenninger now leads Gut, a six-race winner, by 235 points and defending champion Tina Maze of Slovenia by 287. A maximum of 300 points are available in the final three races. Fenninger can secure the title outright by finishing first or second on Thursday in the super-G, in which she is Olympic champion. She also won Olympic silver in giant slalom, which is the World Cup season-ending race on Sunday. Svindal and Hirscher will both start in the mens super-G also scheduled Thursday. "If I had to put money on someone I have no idea who it would be," said Svindal, a two-time overall champion, of his contest with the two-time defending champion. "I used to be 1-2-3 every race, and now Im 4-5-6. But Marcel is too." Ligety is the super-G world champion and will be a contender on a steep slope that produces sharp-turning corners which suit his technical skills. "This is a hill I know I have a good chance on," said Ligety, whose career-best result in downhill improved on his fourth here in 2007. Bode Miller had seemed poised for victory Wednesday until going wide near the end of his run. He placed eighth, 0.62 behind Mayer, who got his first World Cup win. In a rare choice by World Cup race organizers, the men and women raced through the same gate-setting down the 2.3-kilometre (1.43-mile) Silvano Beltrametti course. Mayers time was 2.32 seconds ahead of Gut, who raced two hours later on a warm day. Gut had the 18th best time and was faster than two men who completed the course: Johan Clarey of France and Canadas Erik Guay. However, the woman who did not finish safely, Maria Hoefl-Riesch, left the most significant mark on the day. ' ' '