California Chrome preps for World Cup in Thursday handicap

California Chrome will begin in earnest to take care of unfinished business when he races Thursday night in the sixth race on the Meydan card in Dubai.

The 2014 Kentucky Derby winner has for months been pointed to the $10 million Dubai World Cup on March 26. He finished second as the favorite in that race last year, upset by the highly unlikely winner, Prince Bishop, after which his glittering career went off the rails.

California Chrome was sent straight from Dubai to England to race, failed to adapt and saw his condition deteriorate, and was sent back to the U.S. after a couple of months without starting. He arrived in July at Arlington International with plans to prepare for the Arlington Million, but California Chrome was skinny and not in any condition to attempt a major race, and the plug was pulled on his season.

But now he is back and perhaps better than ever at age 5. Taylor Made Farm, where California Chrome will stand stud when he’s retired, bought into the horse last summer, and the new ownership group finally let trainer Art Sherman do his job and let California Chrome settle into a satisfying rhythm.

He was brought steadily along to a comeback race Jan. 9 at Santa Anita in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes, where he rallied into a slow pace and won by one length, an ideal first start back. Not long afterward, in a major change from 2015, when California Chrome was shipped to Dubai shortly before the World Cup, California Chrome and assistant trainer Alan Sherman flew back to Dubai, where Chrome has settled in and blossomed while working steadily for his race Thursday night.

“Alan said he couldn’t ask for the horse to be doing better,” Art Sherman said. “I like the comment, ‘He’s a beast, Dad.’ That means he’s better than ever.”

Art Sherman himself made the long trip from California to Dubai on Sunday. “I’ll be glad to see the big boy,” he said.

California Chrome is following the path that Curlin took to win the 2008 World Cup, using a relatively minor handicap race over about 1 1/4 miles as a World Cup prep.

Final entries for the race hadn’t been drawn as of press time, but in overseas betting, California Chrome will be an overwhelming favorite to win a race for horses rated 95 or higher. So superior is California Chrome’s form to all of the other horses who might start that he will spot them all at least 17 pounds as the 132-pound (60-kilogram) highweight.

“We want him to come out of the race without stress,” Art Sherman said. “He’ll be a short price. I think he’ll run awfully good.”

California Chrome is one of three American horses training in Dubai for the World Cup. Frosted won Round 2 of the Al Maktoum Challenge and will train up to the World Cup, while Keen Ice was a recent arrival there. At least one other U.S. horse, Mshawish, is expected for the World Cup, though Effinex no longer is being considered for the race.

– additional reporting by Steve Andersen

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the race number on the Meydan card for California Chrome's return. It is the sixth race, not the third.