Just when you think that the bar can be raised no further, something like this happens.
Facing arguably the best group of horses ever assembled for the GI TVG Pacific Classic, California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) made horses like defending champion Beholder (Henny Hughes) and 'TDN Rising Star' Dortmund (Big Brown) look comparatively ordinary, setting a good pace before steaming home to score by five convincing lengths.
“Before the race, no matter what strategy I have, everything changes when the gate opens,” explained winning jockey Victor Espinoza. “So, right when I was behind the gate I thought, 'You know what, I'm going to send out of here. I'm going to send hard out of the gate and then move out just a little toward the middle of the track.' I tapped California Chrome a couple of times and I was surprised I opened up two or three lengths right away. By that time I was very confident and happy. That's where I won. The fractions weren't that slow, the pace was pretty good. But he was doing it comfortable and I didn't want to take him out of the race after I sent him out of the gate.”
He added, “I don't worry about any other horse. I just worry about California Chrome and as long as he's comfortable and happy he's going to win the race.”
It was the fourth victory in a seven-furlong race for the 5-year-old, who becomes the seventh California-bred winner of the Pacific Classic since its inception in 1991.
Saturday, Del Mar
$1 MILLION TVG PACIFIC CLASSIC S.-GI, $1,001,380, DMR, 8-20, 3yo/up, 1 1/4m, 2:00.13, ft.
1–CALIFORNIA CHROME, 124, h, 5, by Lucky Pulpit
1st Dam: Love the Chase, by Not For Love
2nd Dam: Chase It Down, by Polish Numbers
3rd Dam: Chase the Dream, by Sir Ivor
O-California Chrome, LLC; B-Perry Martin & Steve Coburn (CA);
T-Art Sherman; J-Victor Espinoza. $600,000. Lifetime Record:
Ch. Horse of the Year & 3yo colt & MGISW, 23-14-3-1,
$13,252,650. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”racingforthevfoundation”]2–Beholder, 119, m, 6, Henny Hughes–Leslie's Lady, by Tricky
Creek. ($180,000 Ylg '11 KEESEP). O-Spendthrift Farm LLC;
B-Clarkland Farm (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella. $200,000.[bullet ad=”clarkland-bredraisedsold”][bullet ad=”clarkland-halfbrobyscatdaddykeesep”]3–Dortmund, 124, c, 4, Big Brown–Our Josephina, by Tale of
the Cat. 'TDN Rising Star' ($85,000 RNA Wlg '12 KEENOV;
$90,000 Ylg '13 FTKJUL; $140,000 2yo '14 EASMAY). O-Kaleem
Shah, Inc.; B-Emilie Gerlinde Fojan (KY); T-Bob Baffert.
$120,000.[bullet ad=”lanni-hillndale-purchased”]Margins: 5, 2 1/4, 1. Odds: 1.10, 3.00, 2.40.
Also Ran: Hoppertunity, Dalmore, Imperative, War Story, Hard Aces, Win the Space.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Shining Chrome…
Winner of four Grade I events at three, including the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S., California Chrome was voted Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old for 2014, but was soundly defeated by that year's Pacific Classic hero Shared Belief (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the 2015 GII San Antonio S. ahead of a runner-up effort in the G1 Dubai World Cup. From there, chaos ensued, as California Chrome was programmed for a turf campaign and was stabled for a time in Newmarket before a start in the 2015 G1 Prince of Wales's S. was called off on the eve of the race. Returned to the U.S., the chestnut was flown to Chicago and resided on the backstretch at Arlington Park, with the GI Arlington Million a potential target, but that also never materialized and California Chrome, diagnosed with cannon bone brusing, was sent for some R & R at Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky after Taylor Made purchased the interest in the colt previously owned by the oft-controversial Steven Coburn.
Given a clean bill of health and pronounced sound to return to training, California Chrome rejoined the Art Sherman barn at Los Alamitos late last year and began preparations for a 5-year-old campaign. An easy winner from Imperative (Bernardini) and Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday) in the GII San Pasqual S. Jan. 9, the striking chestnut was sent early to Dubai and prepped for the World Cup with a two-length handicap victory under top weight of 132 pounds Feb. 25. Despite having his saddle slip in the Meydan centerpiece, California Chrome strode home 3 3/4 lengths to the good of Mubtaahij (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and got some well-deserved down time. With the Pacific Classic the next near-term objective, he returned in this track's GII San Diego H., stalked the pace of Dortmund all the way around and toughed out a half-length success while spotting his younger rival five pounds. Having previously produced some sub-par efforts when drawn low, California Chrome was done no favors by being assigned the fence, but Art Sherman was confident that could be overcome.
And was it ever.
Victor Espinoza hit the gas as soon as the gates flew at the top of the Del Mar chute and California Chrome, who drifted out to 11-10 after touching 3-5, was somewhat unexpectedly the early leader while kept well out into the track. Beholder was a tracking second to the inside of Dortmund, and the three chief protagonists really dominated the story over the course of the 10 furlongs. California Chrome led them under the line for the first time after an opening quarter in :23.20, but Espinoza was able to slow the pace down through the next couple of furlongs and Beholder and Dortmund were close enough after a half-mile in :47.29. As they reached the midpoint of the backstretch, California Chrome was given just a bit of rein and put a couple of lengths on his two main rivals, still traveling ominously well. Popped the question entering the final five-sixteenths of a mile, California Chrome opened an unassailable advantage and while effectively eased up the last little bit, came his final quarter-mile in a remarkable :24.44 for an imperious success. Beholder lost no admirers in second, while Dortmund held off his stablemate Hoppertunity for third.
“I saw the hold Victor had on him and he was just cruising I thought, 'It's all over,'” commented winning conditioner Art Sherman. “She [Beholder] was driving to catch him and I knew that if Victor had to get after him, he was just going to rebreak and pull away. What can you say about him? He's just a super horse. That's why he's the best horse in the country.
Sherman added, “When you get a couple of horses [like California Chrome and Beholder] in the same race–when do you ever see that. The mare ran a hell of a race; she's a nice mare. But I looked at the field she ran against last year and I said, 'She's hooked up a different horse.' So I felt pretty confident.”
California Chrome will stand at Taylor Made upon retirement, and it was announced last month that a portion of his earnings for the rest of this racing season will be donated to the V Foundation for Cancer Research (click here for more).
Pedigree Notes:
California Chrome has two full-sisters at the track at present, the 3-year-old Hope's Love, placed last year at two for trainer Steve Sherman, and the 2-year-old R Sunday Surprise, unplaced in two runs and most recently fifth in a Cal-bred maiden at Del Mar July 30. Love That Chase is the dam of a yearling full-brother to California Chrome named Faversham. California Chrome's second dam is void of black-type, while his third dam was a multiple stakes-winning New York-bred who foaled the decent turf mare Amourette (El Gran Senor). Love That Chase was most recently bred to Tapit.
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