California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit), who first gained international acclaim as the ultimate blue-collar horse after his wins in the 2014 GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S., added another chapter to his illustrious career Saturday when avenging defeat 12 months ago to win the G1 Dubai World Cup in track-record time, in the process surpassing fellow World Cup winner Curlin (Smart Strike) as the richest-ever North American Thoroughbred.
The opening stages of Saturday night's $10 million contest could have given Chrome's connections as sense of deju-vu, with the chestnut positioned, like last year, three-wide and just off the pace after breaking cleanly from gate 11 under Victor Espinoza. Some anxious moments were had in deep stretch when Espinoza's saddle began to slip as the pair streaked to a 3 3/4-length score over last year's G2 UAE Derby winner Mubtaahij (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Chrome's fellow Californian Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday), but Espinoza said he was able to keep his eye on the prize.
“I was just trying to keep my balance and not move my body,” he said. “I wasn't that concerned about it, I just kept looking forward and thinking 'where's the wire.' It was not coming fast enough.”
Saturday, Meydan, UAE
DUBAI WORLD CUP SPONSORED BY EMIRATES AIRLINE-G1, $10,000,000, MEY, 3-26, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 2000m, 2:01.83, (NTR), ft.
1–CALIFORNIA CHROME, 126, 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. $6,000,000. Lifetime Record:
Horse of the Year, Ch. 3yo Colt & MGISW-US, 21-12-3-1, $12,532,650. Click
for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating:
A++.
2–Mubtaahij (Ire), 126, c, 4, Dubawi (Ire)–Pennegale (Ire), by
Pennekamp. (€450,000 Ylg '13 ARQAUG) O-Sheikh Mohammed
bin Khalifa Al Maktoum; B-Dunmore Stud Ltd (IRE); T-Mike de
Kock. $2,000,000.
3–Hoppertunity, 126, h, 5, Any Given Saturday–Refugee, by
Unaccounted For. ($300,000 Ylg '12 KEESEP) O-Karl Watson,
Michael E Pegram & Paul Weitman; B-Betz/D J Stable/Kidder/J
Betz/Robenalt (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $1,000,000.[bullet ad=”lanni-hillndale-purchased”]Margins: 3 3/4, NK, 1 1/4.
Also Ran: Special Fighter (Ire), Frosted, Mshawish, Candy Boy, Keen Ice, Hokko Tarumae (Jpn), Teletext, Vadamos (Fr), Gun Pit (Aus).
Click for the Racing Post result, the AM Wager PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO.
California Chrome put in such a valiant effort when second in the Dubai World Cup last year that, shortly after his new ownership group announced he would return to training as a 5-year-old, another stab at the world's richest race quickly emerged as a target. The feelings of familiarity began at the post position draw, when the flashy chestnut landed in the second-to-widest gate 11 (he was the extreme outside nine last year), and continued into the early stages of the race, when the 2014 American Horse of the Year was positioned on the outside and stalking the pace. California Chrome's future Taylor Made barnmate, Mshawish (Medaglia d'Oro), was quickest from the gate, taking up the lead from stall two while last year's GI Travers S. winner Keen Ice (Curlin) broke a step slow to his inside and was relinquished to the rear of the field. California Chrome, meanwhile, was hung three-wide around the first turn, to the outside of the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3 winner Special Fighter (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), with Frosted (Tapit) racing prominently on his heels and Hoppertunity well-back with only longshot Teletext (Empire Maker) trailing him. Just a half-length off the lead and still on the outside rounding the far turn, California Chrome drew even with the leaders as Mshawish drifted off the rail, leaving a dream opening for Mubtaahij. That 4-year-old put in a valiant effort down on the inside but was no match for California Chrome, who swallowed up Mubtaahij and Mshawish in a matter of strides and was never in danger of losing while Hoppertunity put in a strong late rally to nab third.
According to Trakus, the flashy chestnut covered anywhere from five to 29 meters more than the rest of the field, bar Frosted, who traveled two metres more than California Chrome throughout the 2000-metre journey. California Chrome covered 2047 metres in total, 25 metres more than runner-up Mubtaahij, which equates to about nine lengths.
California Chrome becomes the 10th American-trained horse to win the Dubai World Cup in its 21 runnings, and the third Kentucky Derby winner to complete the double following Silver Charm in 1998 and Animal Kingdom in 2013.
“Today it proves how he can run when he's 100%,” said Espinoza, who rode California Chrome to his Classic victories and also won last year's Triple Crown aboard American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile). “Last year he finished second, and it was not very fun. My goal after winning the Triple Crown was to win the Dubai World Cup, and we did it.”
Trainer Art Sherman added, “He is a once in a lifetime horse. It [all-time leading U.S. earner] was a goal in the back of my mind. You think of all the great trainers in the history of this game and you really appreciate that it happened to us.”
California Chrome began to build a productive but unassuming CV as a 2-year-old, winning three of his seven juvenile outings culminating in a 6 1/4-length win in Betfair Hollywood Park's King Glorious S. in his first partnership with Espinoza. The pair would win their next five outings together, including the GI Santa Anita Derby, Kentucky Derby and Preakness S. before faltering to fourth in the GI Belmont S. A flat sixth in the GII Pennsylvania Derby after a summer holiday, California Chrome bounced back to finish third, beaten just a neck, in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita, and added the GI Hollywood Derby in his turf bow eight weeks later to clinch Horse of the Year–as well as champion 3-year-old–honours.
California Chrome had to settle for second to the ill-fated juvenile champion Shared Belief (Candy Ride {Arg}) in his prep for last year's World Cup, Santa Anita's GII San Antonio Invitational, and he appeared on his way to victory on this night last year when taking the lead in the lane, only to be run down in deep stretch by longshot Prince Bishop (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}).
Shortly thereafter, however, things seemed to start unraveling for California Chrome. He was set for an ambitious international 4-year-old campaign, which was intended to include a start at Royal Ascot in June, but that plan went awry the week before the race when he contracted a stone bruise while training. Rerouted to Chicago to target the GI Arlington Million in August, the chestnut was found to have bone bruising shortly after his return stateside. In the meantime, Taylor Made Farm had completed the deal to buy out Chrome's co-breeder, Steve Coburn, and he was re-routed, once again, to that operation's Kentucky paddocks for a summer holiday.
Unfinished business was not on Chrome's agenda, apparently, as the chestnut thrived at Taylor Made and it was announced he would return to training in 2016, with the Dubai World Cup as a primary goal. He returned to trainer Art Sherman last fall and made his much-anticipated return–a victory in the GII San Pasqual S.–in his new silks Jan. 9.
Connections then determined that Chrome's tilt at World Cup glory would not look like the year before. The decision was taken to ship the 5-year-old to Dubai in late January, where he spent two months under the care of Sherman's son and assistant trainer, Alan Sherman. California Chrome rewarded that move with a facile two-length score in a 2000-metre handicap at Meydan Feb. 25, which proved the perfect stepping stone to taking care of unfinished business.
Those who finished in Chrome's immediate wake expressed satisfaction with their mounts' performances.
“He's back to his best,” said jockey Christophe Soumillon of Mubtaahij, who had something to prove after finishing off-the-board in his first two runs of the year. “It was an excellent run. I had a nice position but California Chrome is just a superb horse.”
Jockey Flavien Prat, the partner of Hoppertunity, added, “Because of a wider gate, he was a bit deep on the track but he ran great in the stretch, and finished off very strongly. It's an even better run because that sort of track is different to what he's used to at home. I'm very happy.”
William Buick said he was unsure what caused Frosted to throw in the towel early. “The race went well,” he said. “We were tracking California Chrome the whole way, but Frosted came off the bridle a little bit earlier today than what he usually does. He wasn't as good today as he was last time and I'm not sure why.”
Frankie Dettori said simply of the last-out GI Donn H. winner Mshawish, “It was just too long.”
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