Taylor Made has acquired the interest in dual Classic hero and reigning Horse of the Year California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit–Love the Chase, by Not For Love) previously owned by Steve and Carolyn Coburn.
“We are thrilled to be part owners of such a historic racehorse as California Chrome, and are most grateful to Steve and Carolyn Coburn and Perry and Denise Martin for giving us this exceptional opportunity and entrusting him with our care,” said Duncan Taylor, President and CEO of Taylor Made. “California Chrome is simply the all-time leading earner from the A.P. Indy sire line, and he's a tremendously good-looking, athletic, and well-balanced horse who possesses great speed. Remarkably, he became the fifth Kentucky Derby winner from his deep female family, and he embodies the incredible toughness and soundness of the throwbacks from his family. You won't find many horses of his quality that made 18 starts in 23 months. He's just now getting his first break from training.”
Following his runner-up effort in the $10-million G1 Dubai World Cup Mar. 28, California Chrome was sent to the Newmarket yard of trainer Rae Guest with an eye on the G1 Prince of Wales's S. at Royal Ascot. He was forced to miss that engagement and was withdrawn on the eve of the race and was mooted as possible for the G1 Sussex S. this month. California Chrome was instead returned to the U.S. and was stabled at Arlington Park, with the GI Arlington Million as the target. But news emerged this week that he was suffering from bone bruising. California Chrome was examined in Kentucky by Dr. Larry Bramlage, who suggested a return to training is very much a possibility.
“California Chrome's x-rays showed all of his joints to be remarkably clean. He has the early signs of bruising to the bottom of the cannon bones,” Bramlage commented. “Horses training at high levels for long periods of time, like California Chrome has, gradually get behind in the bone's response to the stress because we train them and then ask them to stand in the stall for most of the day. Horses evolved as grazing animals and that is how their bone's blood supply works best. So the treatment is to get them back to their natural state, let them be a horse in the paddock until the bone returns to normal. The return rate for horses with this problem is very high. When we researched prognosis for distal cannon bone bruising, we found that recovery rate was 95% after giving time in the paddock to heal.”
A maiden winner at second asking over the Hollywood synthetic track, California Chrome helped bring a close to the Inglewood oval with a victory in the King Glorious S. in December 2013. That was the first of six consecutive added-money scores, a streak that included a 7 1/4-length score in the GII San Felipe S. and a 5 1/4-length tally in the GI Santa Anita Derby ahead of his 1 3/4-length success in as the 5-2 favorite in the GI Kentucky Derby. The blaze-faced chestnut followed with a 1 1/2-length victory in the GI Preakness S., earning a date with destiny in the GI Belmont S., but he stumbled slightly at the start and finished in a dead-heat for fourth. A wide-trip third to Bayern (Offlee Wild) in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic following an imperfect preparation, California Chrome added a victory in the GI Hollywood Derby, an effort which clinched Horse of the Year honors. In two starts this year at four, he finished a game runner-up to Shared Belief (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the GII San Antonio S. Feb. 7 ahead of his excellent effort in the World Cup.
Bred by Steve Coburn and Perry Martin, California Chrome currently owns a record of 18-9-3-3–all within a 23-month period–and earnings of $6,322,650. The plan for California Chrome going forward is to monitor his progress closely to see if he will return to racing in 2016 or start his stallion career for the current owners, Perry and Denise Martin and Taylor Made.
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