California Chrome will shuttle to Chile

Two-time Horse of the Year California Chrome will shuttle to Oussama Aboughazale’s Haras Sumaya in Chile for the Southern Hemisphere breeding season.

California Chrome, a 6-year-old son of Lucky Pulpit, is in the midst of his debut season at Taylor Made Stallions in Nicholasville, Ky., where he stands for an advertised fee of $40,000. Aboughazale stands his homebred Grade 2 winner Protonico at the same farm.

“California Chrome has generated a lot of interest from the Southern Hemisphere, so we agreed to explore the option of shuttling,” said Duncan Taylor, president and CEO of Taylor Made Farm. “We are very happy to partner with Sumaya Stud, and feel extremely comfortable that it’s a great situation for California Chrome.

“This was a decision that was not taken lightly,” he continued, explaining how and he and Ben Taylor, vice president of Taylor Made Stallions, “flew down to see several potential farms and did an extensive amount of due diligence, evaluating whether or not there was a situation that met a very high set of standards established by our entire advisory team and our shareholders. Ultimately, the health and safety of California Chrome, quality of facilities, experience of staff, and reputation of the farm were all paramount.”

Personnel from Taylor Made Stallions will accompany California Chrome during his time in Chile, and a coordination of protocols has been established by Drs. Charlie Scoggin and Rolf Embertson of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, as well as the two on-location veterinarians at Haras Sumaya, led by Dr. Carolina Rojas.

California Chrome will enter quarantine for export this summer at the conclusion of the Northern Hemisphere breeding season.

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Taylor Made stallions who have shuttled to the Southern Hemisphere in recent years include Northern Afleet, who became a leading sire in Brazil; Unbridled’s Song, who spent three Southern Hemisphere seasons in Australia; and Forestry, who stood in Argentina and Peru.

Owned by a partnership that includes Taylor Made and co-breeder Perry Martin, California Chrome earned his second Horse of the Year title in 2016 on the strength of a campaign that included wins in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup, the Grade 1 Pacific Classic and Awesome Again, the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes and San Diego Handicap, and the non-graded Winter Challenge Stakes at Los Alamitos. He finished second in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, and finished his career in January with a ninth-place effort in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes.

California Chrome earned his first Horse of the Year title at age 3 with wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby and Hollywood Derby, and the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes.

In total, California Chrome won 16 of 27 starts for earnings of $14,752,650, making him the highest-earning North American Thoroughbred of all time.

Bred in California by Martin and Steve Coburn, California Chrome is out of the winning Not For Love mare Love the Chase, who is the dam of one winner from three foals to race. He is from the extended family of Grade 3-placed Chase the Dream and Lemonade Kid.

The deal to stand California Chrome at Haras Sumaya was brokered by Chile’s Sullivan Bloodstock in conjunction with Taylor Made Bloodstock.