By Alan Carasso
California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit–Love the Chase, by Not For Love), the dual Classic and G1 Dubai World Cup winner who took his earnings past the $14-million mark with his game runner-up effort in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic Nov. 5, will stand his first year at Taylor Made Stallions for a fee of $40,000, the farm's Duncan Taylor confirmed Tuesday.
“We gave some thought to standing him for a bit more, but in the end, it was important to us that we give breeders a chance to make money with him and we are confident that he is priced the right way to do that,” Taylor explained. “In terms of his popularity, he is really as close to a Secretariat that there has been, even more so than American Pharoah. Everyone knows California Chrome and that can give him an edge.”
Despite California Chrome's apparent “humble” and “blue-collar” parentage, Taylor is confident that the 2014 Horse of the Year will offer breeders surprising pedigree appeal.
“People look at him and say he's by a $5,000 stallion and out of a mare that ran for $8,000,” Taylor offered, “but what they don't see is that he is line-bred to [champion] Numbered Account and has multiple strains of Buckpasser.
He continued, “What California Chrome brings to the breed is soundness, in a word. The same qualities were apparent in Numbered Account, a horse that made 10 starts at two, winning eight of them, including three races in 21 days at Saratoga, of which she won two. Then she won the Test and the Spinster the next year. In the case of California Chrome, you don't see many horses get started in May of their 2-year-old season, become a Classic winner at three, remain a force at four and achieve true greatness at five. He is quite amazing.”
Taylor and his partners in the stallion were busy Tuesday at Keeneland, acquiring GISP Right There (Eskendereya, hip 45) for $325,000; and hip 95, Uchitel (Afleet Alex), the dam of GSW & GISP Suddenbreakingnews (Mineshaft), for $420,000.
“We want to breed him to a group of sound mares and those two fit the bill,” Taylor offered. “Hopefully he will reproduce himself, and if he does, he's got a real chance.”
California Chrome is expected to make his final career appearance in the GI Pegasus World Cup in January. A victory in that $12-million event would take his earnings past $20 million.
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