When I read that Art Sherman said that California Chrome is the best he’s been since he’s had him, I wondered what might be possible in the San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita, knowing that this race is definitely not the goal. They are going after the $10 million Dubai World Cup, not the $200,000 San Pasqual. Still, the trainer’s comments and the workout pattern, especially the six-furlong work in 1:10, hint that California Chrome could deliver a huge performance right off the bench. This was a horse good enough to produce Beyer Speed Figures of 108, 107, 105, and 113 as a 3-year-old as well as a 105 in his first start as a 4-year-old. He got nothing even approaching a good trip in the 2015 World Cup but still ran a winning race. I am thinking something around a 110 Beyer in the San Pasqual. It looks like California Chrome will have a target in Alfa Bird, the speed on the rail. My concerns for California Chrome are twofold: It has been a long time since he’s been in a race, and with the speed of Mystery Train outside of him, how will California Chrome react if he is kept from getting outside position? Remember, this is a horse who never liked being on the inside as a 2-year-old or as a 3-year-old. It is possible he has grown out of that, but it is an unknown. The bottom line: Sherman’s words and those works trump all concerns for me. I am hoping and expecting to see an older version of the California Chrome that so dominated his Kentucky Derby preps and the Derby itself. Hoppertunity, working on a 102, 104, 103 Beyer series, certainly is competitive, but the horse was just 1 for 9 in 2015. Imperative has some back numbers but is just 1 for 17 in the last two years, that win being a huge upset in the 2014 Charles Town Classic. This really looks like the perfect spot for California Chrome’s comeback. Let’s see what the $6 million earner has. The 3-year-olds with dirt form in the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita are so slow as a group that a grass horse with much better form, Dressed in Hermes, must be considered. Dressed in Hermes ran very well when chasing the pace in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and then came back with an 86 Beyer in a Grade 3 grass win. Dressed in Hermes’s only dirt race, a decent fourth July 25 in a maiden race behind Exaggerator, was more than acceptable. Since that was almost six months ago, there is every reason to think that Dressed in Hermes can go much higher on the Beyer scale now in a race where an 80 is likely to win. Collected finished just behind Dressed in Hermes, so even though both of his races have been on grass, he must be considered as well. The horses with dirt form all look about the same, and none is terribly inspiring. Perhaps some horse will emerge from this race to become a serious 3-year-old factor, but I am not optimistic. I am a Valid fan, and it looks like he should get an excellent stalking trip in the Hal’s Hope at Gulfstream Park, his favorite track, where he has won six of his 11 races. He finished fourth in this race last year with a 103 Beyer. I think that number wins this year. With a 103, 105, 102 series last winter at Gulfstream and a 102, 103, 101, 100 series last summer at Monmouth Park, Valid has proved his consistency. That he came back to south Florida with a win and a 100 last month suggests he is about to get on another roll. It was hard to know how to interpret the 105 that Matrooh got when he won the Bold Ruler at Aqueduct on Oct. 31. It looked like a bit of a one-off. Well, after a brilliant third and a 104 Beyer behind Tonalist and Red Vine in the Cigar Mile, those figures look like the new normal, which makes this horse a major contender in the Hal’s Hope. Hal’s Hope entrant Mshawish was all grass and in great form when Todd Pletcher sent him in the Cigar Mile on dirt. It was a great call, as the horse never stopped trying and duplicated his superior grass form on the main track.