Kisses for Chrome

Happy New Year to all of you wonderful horse racing fans!  I hope that each of you have a safe and pleasant evening followed with good luck in all of 2016.  The New Year is a time to reflect on the past and plan for the future.  It is also a time for celebration and tradition.  I will be going to my same favorite bar and grill as I have done for 15 years now.  Many folks will exchange a kiss at the stroke of midnight.  As I think back on this year, I remember a very special kiss.  I stole a kiss from California Chrome!

That’s right, I kissed Chrome this September.  I was advised after not to do so, by a staff member at Taylor Made Farm in KY, but I have zero regrets and I look forward to the day he retires to stud there and I might sneak another peck!  In fact I am very excited for the new year to see what the future has in store for California Chrome.

Right after I saw Chrome twice in late September, which I covered in my story below, he shipped back to California in October and began training in November.  After healing his bruised cannon bone in Kentucky, that occurred sometime after his last race in March of 2015, he is just about ready to race again.  The plan for California Chrome appears that he will hopefully race January 9, 2016 at Santa Anita Park in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes for a $200,000 purse.  He may then ship to Dubai for another chance at the $10 million dollar Dubai World Cup at Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse on March 26, 2016.

Kentucky Chromasomes

Chrome has had seven workouts on dirt since 11/14/15.   All of these workouts were at the Los Alamitos Quarter Horse track in California.  His last workout was 12/27/15 and was 7 furlongs.  He is gradually running further.  This champ is the son of Lucky Pulpit and Love the Chase.  Chrome was born in 2011.  He has earned over $6 million dollars in his 18 career starts.  This horse has won 9 times, placed 3 times and showed once.  California Chrome is trained by Art Sherman.  He will use his regular jockey in Santa Anita.  The jockey is Triple Crown winner, Victor Espinoza.  Victor was the jockey when Chrome won the 1st 2 legs on the Triple Crown and then disappointingly came in 4th in the final race, the Belmont Stakes.  Chrome has raced 6 times at Santa Anita in California and has won 3 times there including graded stakes wins.  Chrome placed 2nd in the Dubai World Cup last March.  I am hopeful that in 2016 we will see him excel again.  He was the Eclipse Award winner in 2014 for both Horse of the Year and Champion 3 Year Old Colt.  It would be wonderful if 2016 brought him another Eclipse Award!

The 2015 Eclipse Award finalist will be announced at Gulfstream Park Racing and Casino in Florida on January 6, 2016.  Then the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters and the Daily Racing Form will together vote on the winners.  The winners will be announced at Gulfstream on 1/16/16.  Tickets can be purchased here: Eclipse Award.  The Eclipse Award, founded in 1971, is named for the successful race horse and sire from the 18th century, Eclipse.  These awards are given to both human and horse champions in the Thoroughbred racing industry.  This year there are 17 categories from which a winner will be named for each.

Happy New Year! Leave a comment on which horse you would like to smooch in 2016!  Tomorrow marks the birthday for all Thoroughbreds and for my blog, Thoroughbred U.