California Chrome works for Prince of Wales's Stakes

California Chrome, the 2014 Horse of the Year, had his first workout at Ascot Racecourse in England on Thursday, the venue for his next start in the $806,925 Prince of Wales’s Stakes on June 17.

Jockey Frankie Dettori was aboard California Chrome in a team workout that included the 2014 stakes winner Aktabantay. Alan Sherman, assistant trainer to his father, Art Sherman, was in attendance and timed the final six furlongs of California Chrome’s workout in 1:14, according to Art Sherman.

The final furlong at Ascot has an incline. Art Sherman said the workout was California Chrome’s primary exercise for the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes. One of the goals of the workout was to familiarize California Chrome with Ascot’s right-handed layout.

While Dettori was aboard for the workout, he will not ride California Chrome in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. Art Sherman said William Buick might have the mount, although plans have not been finalized. Dettori is committed to ride Western Hymn, a four-time group stakes winner who was sixth in the 2014 English Derby.

Victor Espinoza, California Chrome’s regular rider, is not scheduled to travel to England for the Royal Ascot meeting from July 16-20.

California Chrome, who races for Perry Martin and Steve Coburn, has been in England since early April, shortly after he finished second in the $10 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates on March 28.

California Chrome has been based with trainer Rae Guest in Newmarket in recent months. Guest and the Shermans have been in frequent contact about California Chrome’s progress.

Alan Sherman traveled to England this week, while Art Sherman is scheduled to leave on Tuesday.

“I’m excited about going over there to watch the horse,” Art Sherman said from his base at Los Alamitos.

California Chrome is likely to have an additional workout at Newmarket before the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Art Sherman said.

As of Thursday, California Chrome was listed at odds ranging from 8-1 to 10-1 with British bookmakers for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, run at 1 1/4 miles on turf. Free Eagle, third in the Group 1 Champion Stakes at Ascot last October, was the favorite as low as 3-1 and generally available at 7-2.

The race lost a contender on Thursday when Al Kazeem, the winner of the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup in Ireland in May, was declared because of an injury that will keep him out of action until the autumn, at the earliest.