California Chrome likely to resume training in October

DEL MAR, Calif. – California Chrome, the 2014 Horse of the Year, continues to improve from a cannon-bone bruise that ended his current season, trainer Art Sherman said this week.

Sherman said California Chrome remains at Taylor Made Farm in Nicholasville, Ky., and is on schedule to return to training at his Los Alamitos stable in late October.

“He’s put on about 25 pounds,” Sherman said.

Sherman said California Chrome is not being ridden and is having pasture time daily.

“They said he is traveling good in the paddock,” he said. “I don’t think he’ll do anything until he comes to me. I’ll have to leg him up.”

California Chrome has not raced since finishing second in the $10 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates in March. He was sent to trainer Rae Guest’s stable in Newmarket, England, for scheduled starts in that country in May and June but never started.

California Chrome was deemed not ready for the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury Racecourse on May 16 after failing to recover from the Dubai race in sufficient time. He was scheduled to start in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 17, but a bruised foot was detected two days prior to the race.

A 4-year-old, California Chrome was sent to Arlington Park in early July with the hope of a start in the Arlington Million on Aug. 15. Those plans were scrapped when the cannon-bone bruise was diagnosed.

In mid-July, Taylor Made Farm acquired an ownership share of California Chrome from co-owner Steve Coburn, who bred the colt with Perry Martin. Martin retains a share of ownership.

Sherman said he hopes to have California Chrome ready for a start in early 2016 at Santa Anita.

California Chrome is best known for winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, which led to his titles as Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male. A California-bred, California Chrome has won 9 of 18 starts and earned $6,322,650.