California Chrome Headed to Royal Ascot

[TJ]

Wow TJ not like you.....

If chrome was not by lucky pulpit but his sire or by another of his sons say Tapit he would be the most exciting stallion prospect in America.

As I said before racing is what makes a pedigree, results on the racetrack.
People made a play for chrome before last years Derby trying to buy him for what they thought he was worth thinking that they were dealing with someone they could buy easily i.e. new dumb owners to the game.

This didn't happen and then since then Chrome hasn't got the pedigree and now he is the only horse in America with a crooked leg.

Look what coolmore did with Verrazano running him in Europe on the turf and Declaration of War not standing him in America straight after his classic run.

More experienced horsemen are doing dumber things with their horses and we have to remember they are THEIR horses.

Hi Dub,
It's exactly like me and I'm not concerned about the effect it may have on his stud career. To me the horse and his welfare come first. I have no problem if they own the horse and train the horse. Then they would understand how Sherman looks at it. It's very simple for the owner to get a trainers license...in most jurisdictions the owner would be allowed to train THEIR horse without thorough knowledge of the business. They are only allowed to train their own horses as it is a restricted trainers license.
When most trainers take on a horse, they take on the responsibility to do right by that horse. Many horses, no matter how talented, have what we call hole cards. Not every horseman is created equal and it is figuring out these hole cards that makes the claiming game so interesting. Something another does that the other didn't and bam, they turn around big time. I feel for Sherman, it's like losing your best friend...and he wouldn't be so outspoken if he wasn't so concerned for CC.
It's a different ball game...the question is, will Chrome be up to the challenge and will he be as effective in his new environment. I truly hope these concerns, change of venue, new hands, conformation, track surface, uneven surface, high grass, soft grass, hills and dales never come into play for the sake of this overachiever. I wish he handles his new assignment with the same dexterity he has over dirt and firm, trimmed turf courses here in the states. He truly is a special horse and he is a winner, hopefully he will overcome it all. TJ

[da hossman]

Training on turf is so much easier on horses, particularly those with deviations. I believe training there will actually lengthen his career as opposed to training here on the dirt.

Regarding the offers made for him prior to the Derby, no one was trying to take advantage of green owners, the money offered was crazy (reportedly $12 million). The statement from Majority owner says it like it is, he had watched Sherman & Coburn make all prior decisions and decided he would make a decision.

If Chrome runs well in Ascot it means the Japanese will likely swoop in and offer more money than anyone in the USA (unlikely Chrome would ever be attractive to European breeders). It is a gamble, but if Chrome does well they may end up netting (purse earnings + sale as stallion) almost as much as they would have if they had taken the original offer.

If Chrome does not run well at Royal Ascot then he goes back to the States without having lost any of his limited stallion appeal. I think it may have been the smartest longterm move these Dumbass Partners have made.

Having said that, I must say I don't think he beat anything on the grass in CA and must improve leaps and bounds while overcoming Dubai jet lag to do well at Royal Ascot!

[TJ]

Training on turf is so much easier on horses, particularly those with deviations. I believe training there will actually lengthen his career as opposed to training here on the dirt.

Hi Hoss,
I agree especially over the manicured and maintained turf courses in America. But, they won't allow you to train over it when it is off. They also remove the race from extremely wet or soft turf courses here in the states....so few are prepared for Euro turf. "Off The Turf" doesn't happen across the pond, you have to handle whatever they throw at you and it's all new for CC. Switching leads as he tires without turns, uphill, downhill runs, soft and deep turf, hardly ever hard and firm, uneven surfaces, could certainly be treacherous, nothing like home turf.
It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out when he attempts this feat. Animal Kingdom fell short in his attempt and I thought he was better suited to give it a try then CC is. If all goes well, CC is to be entered in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on May 16th and will likely meet BC Mile winner Karakontie in that prep race. Next appearance would be the Prince of Whales at Ascot June 16th, with Solow and The Grey Gatsby as possible contenders. This means CC raced March 28th in Dubai after shipping across the world, ran hard and if you listen to Sherman, he says he was a tired horse after the World Cup. So now he has to run two more times within the next 3 months. Just hope he bounces back in good shape after the World Cup. TJ

[geowarrior]

Ok so now the Arc De Triomphe is on the radar?

http://www.drf.com/news/california-chrome-set-ambitious-path

[TJ]

Ok so now the Arc De Triomphe is on the radar?

http://www.drf.com/news/california-chrome-set-ambitious-path

Hi Geo,
I like the comparison the author makes...when following the ever changing CC saga under the direction of his horse savvy owner. The author's quote...."California Chrome, the 2014 Horse of the Year, may have a 2015 campaign that more closely resembles that of a Formula 1 car than a top-class Thoroughbred racehorse." Typical of many owners, who only look at the black and white of the horse and not the flesh and blood.....there's just so much juice in a lemon. Sherman is also making his feelings heard and if he continues will most likely never see Chrome again with a delusional, egomaniac owner like that. Sherman's quote.... “I don’t think we’ll see this horse back here in California,”.....“They’re talking about so many races. The horse will have to be a super horse to do what he wants.” I don't expect that will sit right with this owner. TJ

[Mahubah]

Sherman's quote.... “I don’t think we’ll see this horse back here in California,”.....“They’re talking about so many races. The horse will have to be a super horse to do what he wants.” I don't expect that will sit right with this owner. TJ

Sad but true. I'm afraid Sherman may have seen the last of his favorite.

[dublino]

Judmonte farms regularly had horses in training in Europe and then sent them stateside to trainers like bobby frankel etc. You Americans need to get over yourselves a bit, there is a big world outside of the mainland USA.

OK so maybe the main owner is going about things the way armchair quarterbacks might want but its his horse who is the HOTY already nothing to prove in the US and going to test his horse against the European horses on their turf, fair play to the man, he is an ass but at least he is trying to create some history with his horse.

[TJ]

Judmonte farms regularly had horses in training in Europe and then sent them stateside to trainers like bobby frankel etc. You Americans need to get over yourselves a bit, there is a big world outside of the mainland USA.

OK so maybe the main owner is going about things the way armchair quarterbacks might want but its his horse who is the HOTY already nothing to prove in the US and going to test his horse against the European horses on their turf, fair play to the man, he is an ass but at least he is trying to create some history with his horse.

Hi Dub,
Yes I agree the world is very big out there, but that's not the issue. The issue is the horses welfare and the fact the owner is an ass, which you seem to agree with. I've seen owners ruin horses because they told the trainer where and when to run them. They are not machines and they all have breaking points. Sherman is a horseman worried about the horse that made his life and put him into racing's history books. Horses like CC are so hard to come by and when you get one that changes your life, there's nothing you wouldn't do or say publicly to protect that horse.
It's not about American racing versus Euro Racing, or about American's having to get over themselves? California Chrome still has so much to prove here in the States. His HOTY title was up for grabs and he won it by default, he needs to prove that wasn't a fluke. He hasn't even proven he's a better horse than Shared Belief. He hasn't won a race on the dirt in over 10 months, so he has lots to prove right here in the USA. If he doesn't get the chance to prove it this season, he will become a forgotten and spent horse when he returns to America....if he ever does? TJ

[TJ]

Sherman's quote.... “I don’t think we’ll see this horse back here in California,”.....“They’re talking about so many races. The horse will have to be a super horse to do what he wants.” I don't expect that will sit right with this owner. TJ

Sad but true. I'm afraid Sherman may have seen the last of his favorite.

Hi Mahubah,
I agree, so sad after all they've been through together. TJ

[dublino]

I believe if the horse places in the lockinge you will never see him race in the us again.

He will the go to Ascot then France then Japan and then off to stud.

Should he run badly in England then he will go back to the US and prep for the BC and then Dubai once more.

[TJ]

California Chrome will miss the Lockinge Stakes and go straight to his toughest assignment of his grass career at Royal Ascot. Sherman told these geniuses CC was a tired horse after the World Cup, so they missed this one because he wasn't ready....maybe the genius owner of Dumb ASS Partner's Stable (DAP) will miss the next one too at Royal ASSCOT. TJ
http://live.drf.com/nuggets/14072

[geowarrior]

We've all seen that California Chrome isn't at his best off a layoff - he races himself into fitness. Now he's missing his prep. for Royal Ascot. He's a very good horse if he can overcome all this.

[TJ]

We've all seen that California Chrome isn't at his best off a layoff - he races himself into fitness. Now he's missing his prep. for Royal Ascot. He's a very good horse if he can overcome all this.

Hi Geo,
You're right, he does take some racing to round into form. Though it could have been by design, as Sherman is very cautious with that horse. It's also tough to bring him to razor sharpness when you are never sure what the owner is going to tell you about where and when to run. As I said owners like DAP look at the black and white of a horse and forget about the flesh and blood. A top trainer picks his/her spot, draws up a tentative training schedule including possible prep races if need be...then goes about bringing that horse to prime fitness for the chosen race. Sherman didn't want to run in Pennsylvania after that layoff (he wasn't ready), but the owners wanted the money they were promised just to race him at Parx. So he packed up DAP Stable's trick pony and took him to Parx for a beating. Sherman is a better trainer then that and probably wasn't very pleased with the way he's taken for granted by these owners. He's a class act, but you can see he's annoyed with DAP and misses his champion. Here's a video of Sherman, who will be at this years Derby. TJ
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/ ... hill-downs

[geowarrior]

TVG posted on Facebook that per Art Sherman California Chrome is headed to the Arlington Million after Ascot.

[wilf]

Hi there, I saw a video of Chrome warming up on the exercise grounds in England and he did not look very smooth. Hopefully he will come around gradually over there but he is going to miss a prep race? This may end in tears.