California Chrome proves as popular and good as ever in San Pasqual

ARCADIA, Calif. - Before and after the $200,500 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita, California Chrome was the subject of widespread adoration on Saturday.

Fans furiously snapped away with cell phones and cameras in the paddock, and when California Chrome walked on the track for the post parade. The “Chromies” were at again, along with official photographers, when California Chrome walked into the winner’s circle of a race for the first time since November 2014.

Sunday morning, the photos resumed behind the scenes in the Santa Anita stables. This time, there was a need for identifying photographs required for an equine passport to ship California Chrome to the United Arab Emirates for the $10 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse on March 26.

Chrome posed for conformation pictures and showed no evidence of being tired from the effects of his first race since a second-place finish in the Dubai World Cup last March.

Trainer Art Sherman joked California Chrome pulled up from Saturday’s race “a little better than I did.”

The 2014 Horse of the Year, California Chrome ($3.20) won the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes at 1 1/16 miles by 1 1/4 lengths over Imperative. California Chrome was given a Beyer Speed Figure of 103, comparable to the 105 he earned last February when second to Shared Belief in the San Antonio Stakes.

In the San Pasqual, California Chrome was well-placed throughout under jockey Victor Espinoza, stalking the longshot pacesetter Alfa Bird for the first six furlongs. Espinoza urged California Chrome to the front entering the stretch and held off a stubborn Imperative in the final furlong.

“My point of view is he ran as well as he needed to run,” Sherman said. “He still needed the race.”

Minor injuries prevented California Chrome from racing after the Dubai World Cup in 2015. He missed scheduled starts at Royal Ascot in England in June, and in the Arlington Million in August. California Chrome was rested for 90 days in late summer and early fall at Taylor Made Farms in Kentucky.

By the time, California Chrome returned to Sherman’s main base at Los Alamitos last October, Taylor Made Farms had bought minority owner Steve Coburn’s share of the horse. Perry Martin remains the majority owner of California Chrome.

Sunday, Frank Taylor of Taylor Made Farm was as relieved as delighted at the San Pasqual result.

“It’s a tough race because you’re expected to win,” Taylor said. “It was a long layoff.”

The farm will stand California Chrome at stud in 2017.

California Chrome will be sent to Dubai on Jan. 21 where he is scheduled to have a prep race in late February or early March before the Dubai World Cup. He will resume light training this week at Los Alamitos before departing.

The long-term schedule is for California Chrome to return to California after the Dubai World Cup and have a summer and autumn campaign geared toward the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 5.

Without California Chrome in Southern California in coming months, Imperative and Hoppertunity may have greater roles in the older horse division. They will be considered for the $500,000 San Antonio Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on Feb. 6.

Imperative, trained by Richard Baltas for Kenji Morinaga, was second to the well-regarded Dortmund in the Grade 3 Native Diver Handicap at Del Mar on Nov. 28. Baltas said on Sunday that he is hoping he has seen the last of runners such as Dortmund and California Chrome for the near future although Dortmund could run in the San Antonio Stakes.

“He’s faced the best of the best,” Baltas said of Imperative. “Those are pretty good horses. I thought California Chrome might have been a little vulnerable, but Art had him ready.”

Dortmund was nominated for the San Pasqual but skipped the race after battling a recent foot problem, trainer Bob Baffert said.

Baffert said on Sunday that he was disappointed in Hoppertunity’s performance. The 5-year-old closed from last of seven to finish 2 1/4 lengths behind California Chrome.

“I thought he’d run a good race, but no matter how far I run him, he gets into it in the last 100 yards,” Baffert said.

Hoppertunity won the 2015 San Pasqual Stakes, but is winless in his last nine starts, all Grade 1 or Grade 2 stakes.

California Chrome earned $120,000 for the win in the San Pasqual and is now the richest California-bred in history, with earnings of $6,442,650. He surpassed Tiznow, the 2000 Horse of the Year who earned $6,427,830. California Chrome earned $2 million for finishing second in the Dubai World Cup last year. Tiznow only raced in the United States.

Sherman expects California Chrome to have a banner season this year, beginning with the journey to Dubai.

“He’ll be a super horse next time,” Sherman said. “This is what he needed.”