California Chrome won't have to face Dortmund, Imperative

ARCADIA, Calif. - The $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita next Saturday will be the first start for 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome since a second in the $10 million Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates last March.

His job was made easier on Sunday when Dortmund and Imperative were taken out of consideration in favor of other races.

Dortmund, the six-time stakes winner who was third in the Kentucky Derby last May, will pass the San Pasqual, trainer Bob Baffert said on Sunday. Baffert was not satisfied with the way that Dortmund finished a seven-furlong workout in 1:25.40 on Sunday.

Dortmund will be pointed for the $500,000 San Antonio Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on Feb. 6, Baffert said.

Imperative, second to Dortmund in the Grade 3 Native Diver Stakes at Del Mar on Nov. 28, has been entered in an allowance race on Friday, a race that trainer Richard Baltas said he would prefer for the 6-year-old gelding.

California Chrome is among seven probable starters for the Grade 2 San Pasqual at 1 1/16 miles, along with Alfa Bird, Blingo, Hard Aces, Hoppertunity, Mystery Train, and Point Piper.

Saturday morning, less than an hour before the start of racing, California Chrome worked six furlongs in 1:10.04 under jockey Victor Espinoza.

Working alone, California Chrome ran the opening quarter-mile in 23.65 seconds, reached the first half-mile in 46.66, and ran the final quarter-mile in 23.38.

“He went a little faster than I wanted, but I didn’t want to slow him down,” Espinoza said. “I wanted to let him go. When he started working, I thought he’d do his thing. The main thing was he was doing it easily and comfortably. It was an awesome work.”

Baffert has two contenders for Sham

Baffert will have a strong presence in the $100,000 Sham Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile next Saturday with Collected and Let’s Meet in Rio.

Collected won his debut in October and was second in the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at a mile on turf at Del Mar on Nov. 29 to Dressed in Hermes, another candidate for the Grade 3 Sham Stakes. Sunday, Collected worked five furlongs in 1:01.40.

Let’s Meet in Rio, a maiden race winner at Los Alamitos on Dec. 5, worked five furlongs in 1:01 on Sunday.

Other candidates for the Sham Stakes are I’malreadythere, Frank Conversation and Sorryaboutnothing, who were third, fifth, and seventh in the Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 19; Rare Candy, who was fourth in the DeMille Stakes; and the maiden Laoban.