Hovdey: Heroes of 2014 are hard to find

How the mighty have disappeared.

Living as we are in the Age of American Pharoah, it is easy to forget that the health of the sport relies on a horizontal integration of exceptional talent to maintain widespread interest. The game cannot rely on Pharoah’s daily gallops alone.

That is why it is a shame that the two most decorated American Thoroughbreds of 2014 have fallen on hard times. Neither California Chrome nor Main Sequence – with four Eclipse Awards between them – has done anything this season to write home about, leading to the inevitable conclusion that either the voters got it wrong or they are not the horses they once were.

In fact, the voters did not get it wrong. California Chrome compiled a glowing 3-year-old portfolio that included wins in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Santa Anita Derby, and Hollywood Derby, while Main Sequence went unbeaten in four Grade 1 grass races, capped by the Breeders’ Cup Turf. The game should be so lucky to have a pair of stars like that every year.

Time, though, is the great leveler. California Chrome campaigned from January through November 2014 and went right back to work in February. As a 4-year-old, he still should be in the flush of robust youth, and having just two starts in more than seven months is not exactly turning the screws. But this year, he has been training and traveling far more than he has been racing, and that can take a significant toll.

As for Main Sequence, there is nothing that says he should be as good at age 6 as he was last year at 5, other than the fact that Graham Motion says he is – or at least the trainer has been getting those vibes. But after Main Sequence won his 2015 return in the Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream Park, he has been a no-show in both the Dubai Sheema Classic and then last Sunday in the United Nations at Monmouth Park.

California Chrome ran admirably to finish second to the unheralded Prince Bishop in the Dubai World Cup. His effort was worth a cool $2 million, and yet second is second, which is not exactly the point of the exercise, especially for an American Horse of the Year.

His subsequent detour to England was ambitious and potentially historic. Unfortunately, more things can go wrong than right with a racehorse and usually do. Clearly, the cobblestones and paved yards of Newmarket did not set well with California Chrome’s fancy white feet, and he was hobbled with a bruise that sent him back to the States before he could truly stretch his legs. At his very, very best, he might have been competitive over there. But only at his very, very best.

Now, California Chrome is at Arlington Park, where he will be trained under the supervision of Art and Alan Sherman’s staff with the ambitious goal of the Arlington Million on Aug. 15. If he was ready to run 1 1/4 miles against some of the best older horses in England before his scratch from the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket, it stands to reason that he could possibly get geared up in a month for the Million. If not, there are plenty of opportunities laying in wait the rest of the year. Owners Perry Martin and Steve Coburn would be advised to pay heed to the words of Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally when asked about the next start for John Henry coming off an injury or a layoff:

“We’ll get him ready, then look for a race,” McAnally said. “There will always be a place for him to run.”

As for Main Sequence, he’ll be getting a thorough going-over at his Fair Hill Training Center home base.

“We want to give him a complete overhaul before we decide whether or not to continue on with him,” Motion said. “Clearly, he didn’t run his race, and something’s obviously not right.”

Main Sequence was lagging back in the United Nations pack, as is his usual style, but then had no response for Rajiv Maragh. He was beaten eight lengths by Big Blue Kitten, while in Dubai he finished about seven lengths behind the filly Dolniya.

“Rajiv was very happy with where he was the other day right up until the running started, at which point he just didn’t give him his usual kick at all,” Motion said. “The Dubai deal was different. There, he used up his run way too early in the race. This was a situation where he was in the perfect position, in a place he had been before, and just didn’t respond.”

There is a temptation to draw straight lines and conclusions from the fact that both California Chrome and Main Sequence have gone backward as a result of their Dubai adventures. Motion resists.

“I hate to label it as a Dubai phenomenon,” he said. “For now, I don’t see it that way, although I know there will be skeptics.

“We are dealing with an older horse here who could have some physical issues,” Motion added. “Such is the nature of our game. But he’s been so good to us, and he doesn’t owe us anything. In fact, we owe it to him to be sure we’re on the right track before we carry on.”