California Chrome drills six furlongs for Awesome Again Stakes

CYPRESS, Calif. – California Chrome’s autumn schedule is set.

The nation’s leading older horse, California Chrome is being prepared for the $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 1, a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Classic there on Nov. 5.

The details of California Chrome’s winter schedule are not as certain. California Chrome is scheduled to have his final start in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28 before going to stud in Kentucky.

The portion of the season between the Breeders’ Cup and the Pegasus World Cup may include a prep race, trainer Art Sherman said on Saturday. Sherman did not specify where or when he would like to run California Chrome in that span but said plans will be discussed with owners Perry Martin and Taylor Made Farm.

“We’ll have to talk about a prep,” Sherman said. “We’ll have almost three months between starts.”

On Saturday, the focus was preparing California Chrome for the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes, which is run at 1 1/8 miles. California Chrome worked six furlongs in 1:13.20 in a predawn workout at Los Alamitos, his second-to-last workout before the Awesome Again Stakes. Sherman’s stable is based at Los Alamitos.

Ridden by exercise rider Dihigi Gladney, California Chrome worked alone. The 5-year-old started slowly, running the first quarter-mile in 25.60 seconds. He was quicker through the middle quarter, reaching a half-mile in 49.40 seconds, and was sharp through the stretch, finishing the final quarter-mile in 23.80.

California Chrome worked under the lights, with visibility hampered slightly because of light fog. Still, Sherman noticed California Chrome was not at full speed through the first furlong.

“He’s just galloping,” Sherman said.

Moments earlier at the stable, Sherman and Gladney had planned for a workout ranging between 1:12 to 1:13. While Sherman said he was happy with the finish, he would have preferred a sharper start.

“I thought he’d go in 12 and change or 13, but he does everything so easily,” Sherman said. “You could see that with the way he was finishing.”

The 2014 Horse of the Year, California Chrome was the convincing winner of the $1 million Pacific Classic by five lengths at Del Mar on Aug. 20. California Chrome is unbeaten in five starts this year, including the $10 million Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates in March.

A winner of 14 of 23 starts, California Chrome has earned $13,252,650, a record for a North American-based Thoroughbred.