what a day of racing on Saturday – CALIFORNIA CHROME is a fun story, will get all the hype heading to the Derby, but what did he beat? WICKED STRONG made CONSTITUTION look really good winning the Wood Memorial with ease..Woodbine rider LUIS CONTRERAS wins his first Grade 1 race (but his Derby horse faded)…
MORE KISSES for CALIFORNIA CHROME by co-owner Steve Coburn
CALIFORNIA CHROME – shiny and gives us the shivers. This is after he won the San Felipe – ECLIPSE SPORTSWIRE PHOTO
CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’
Is California Chrome the next Swaps? (His trainer Art Sherman used to gallop the Cal-bred Derby winner!)
“Right now, he’s kind of freaky and I’m enjoying it,” Sherman said of the winner. “I can’t believe the races I’ve been seeing. A length or two might have been all right with me.” – trainer ART SHERMAN
His owners call themselves DAP STABLES (Dumb Ass Partners); the silks are loud purple and green with a donkey logo.
His dam was bought for $8,000 by his current owners; the sire is a California stud who won a 5 furlong stakes race at Arlington Park when he was racing and has a stud fee of $2,500.
But CALIFORNIA CHROME does not know any of that, he just continues to crush his rivals in California, a small group of colts who appear to be of modest quality. It was the way the son of Lucky Pulpit won, however, that has him heading to the Kentucky Derby as one of the favourites. He seeks to become the first Cal-bred to win the Derby since DECIDEDLY in 1962.
And the win by this flashy fellow has everyone talking SWAPS, since 77-year-old trainer ART SHERMAN galloped that colt when he was the 1955 Derby winner. Now, SWAPS is one of the greatest horses of all time, so we will have to tone things down a bit. There have been many times a fleet Californian has buckled under pressure at the Derby.
LOS ANGELES TIMES STORY:
By Bill Dwyre
April 5, 2014, 9:45 p.m.
The world of sports has its unlikely stories. Now it has a topper, a horse named California Chrome. The Kentucky Derby has no idea what’s about to hit it.
Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby became a backdrop for the improbable. Make that the unbelievable.
It wasn’t just that the gorgeous chestnut horse from trainer Art Sherman’s barn ran away with the $1-million Grade I race. Based on the horse’s previous outings, the victory was no surprise. Nor was the winning margin of 51/4 lengths, making his last four victories, all under rides by veteran Victor Espinoza, total 241/4 lengths of daylight.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-santa-anita-derby-dwyre-20140406,0,2342094.column#ixzz2y6vqjSKy
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-santa-anita-derby-dwyre-20140406,0,2342094.column#axzz2y6venYKZ
WICKED WOOD
WICKED STRONG – 104 BEYER FIGURE in rally win
His win may have been overshadowed by the tingly run by California Chrome an hour later on the other coast, by Centennial Farms’ Hard Spun colt WICKED STRONG was pretty good in the Wood. The colt rallied from off the pace to win the Grade 1 Wood Memorial with flair, posting a 104 Beyer Figure in his all-important 3rd start off the layoff. He blew by favoured SOCIAL INCLUSION, the undefeated whiz-kid from Florida who had a tough post but settled nicely on the pace. The colt’s rider Luis Contreras then looked behind him inclde the quarter pole when they cleared the field, looked behind him again off the turn but then suddenly ran out of horse. They lost 2nd place to previously unbeaten SAMRAAT at the wire.
Also at Aqueduct: DADS CAPS got to set soft fractions in an early pace duel and had a lot left to win the Carter (grade 1) under leading Woodbine jockey Luis Contreras. Contreras, winning his first ever Grade 1, must have felt some relief with that important win for this colt by Discreet Cat – Seeking the Silver, by Grindstone. The Vincent Scuderi homebred just added a pile of money onto his value as a stallion prospect. Rudy Rodriguez trains the 4yo who is 4 for 9 in his career now and was taking his first stakes win.
The slow pace hindered CLEARLY NOW, owned by Up Hill Stable and trained by Brian Lynch. The Canadian owned colt rallied for 3rd.
CANADIAN STUFF
Jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson and trainer Reade Baker hooked up to win the last race at Gulfstream on Saturday with Stronach Stables’ HOLY EMPRESS. The 3yo Ghostzapper – Holy Grace, by Holy Bull filly was making her second career start after a troubled debut. She rallied wide to win the 1 116 mile turf race with a 72 Beyer Figure. It was the 2nd win of the year for Wilson and Baker.
Baker is 10 wins away from 1,000 victories.
MARK CASSE has had a good start to the Keeneland meeting with 4 wins in 2 days. On Saturday, the first 2yo race went to the Casse-trained. John Oxley-owned coly SKYWAY, a son of Sky Mesa – Bedside Manner out of Dr. Blum. He won by more than 6 lengths under Stewart Elliot.
It was Oxley, Casse and Elliott again later in the card when CREATIVE SPIRIT, a daughter of Smarty Jones (Elliott’s Derby winner) crushed a field of maidens by 8 3/4 lengths in 1:10.31.
It was not a great day for Canadian star UP WITH THE BIRDS, who was last in an allowance grass race altough less than 5 lengths behind the winner, Boisterous. The newly turned 4yo was under a good hold behind a soft pace and simply could not quicken. Forte dei Marmi was just ahead of him, he was one of the top grass horses at Woodbine in 2013.
Then it was time for Hall of Fame Canadian ROGER ATTFIELD, who sent out Charle’s Fipke’s SEEKINGTHEIAMOND to win race 7, a 7 furlong allowance event. The 5yo horse rallied in time in his 2nd race since last september to win for the 3rd time in his 11th career race. The Kentucky bred by Perfect Soul was the first winner for Attfield this year.
FRANK CIRILLO and HIDDEN SPRINGS INC.’S 5yo gelding PHINEUS won the first race at Gulfstream for $16,000. The 1 1/16 miles grass race was the 3rd win for the Argentine bred wo was trained at Woodbine by Kevin Attard. The gelding has won two straight races for Attard’s father Tino, who takes care of the Florida string.
Cirillo has been busy at the claim box at Gulfstream and other tracks around North America. His horses were trained by Marty Drexler in 2013.
PHINEUS posted a career best 79 Beyer Figure.
TINO ATTARD then claimed SAMMY ALEXANDER from trainer Brian Lynch in race 5. The 6yo gelding was in for $16,000 and was edged at the wire, finishing second by a head. The gelding has won 4 of 24 races and had raced at Woodbine last season, finishing in the top three in a couple of high claiming grass races.
In the same race. the HOME TEAM STABLE and trainer NICK GONZALEZ claimed VANQUISHER, a 10-year-old Gulch gelding who was 3rd in the race. This old timer has won $547,000, mostly on the grass and mostly at 1 1/16 miles.
The 14-time winner has never tried synthetic.
Later at Gulfstream, Terra Racing’s WHY KATHERINE, an Ontario bred by Whywhywhy was 3rd in the Powder Break Stakes. The 5yo mare had won a previous start and is a model of consistency on the grass. She is 4 for 17 in her career and Tino Attard/Kevin Attard train.
LEADERBOARD – KENTUCKY DERBY POINTS
Rank Horse Points Owner(s) Trainer Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1. California Chrome 150 Steven Coburn & Perry Martin Art Sherman $782,250
2. Vicar’s in Trouble 120 Ken & Sarah Ramsey Mike Maker $760,000
3. Wicked Strong 102 Centennial Farms (Don Little Jr.) Jimmy Jerkens $640,000
4. Samraat 100 My Meadowview Farm (Leonard Riggio) Rick Violette Jr. $650,000
5. Constitution 100 Twin Creeks Racing Stables LLC & WinStar Farm LLC Todd Pletcher $600,000
6. Hoppertunity 95 Karl Watson, Mike Pegram & Paul Weitman Bob Baffert $576,000
7. Intense Holiday 93 Starlight Racing (Jack & Laurie Wolf & Donald & Barbara Lucarelli) Todd Pletcher $527,500
8. Wildcat Red 90 Honors Stable Corp. (Salvatore Delfino) Jose Garrofalo $665,000
9. We Miss Artie 60 Ken & Sarah Ramsey Todd Pletcher $544,000
10. Chitu 54 Tanma Corporation (Susan Chu) Bob Baffert $440,000
11. Midnight Hawk 52 Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings, Inc. (John Sikura), Mike Kitchen, Mike Pegram, Tice & l Quenneville Bob Baffert $320,000
12. Ring Weekend 50 St. Elias Stable (Vincent Viola) & West Point Thoroughbreds (Terry Finley et al) Graham Motion $260,000
13. Tapiture 42 Ron Winchell Steve Asmussen $420,738
14. General a Rod 40 J. Armando Rodriguez Mike Maker $240,000
15. Albano 34 Brereton C. Jones Larry Jones $190,000
16. Candy Boy 30 C R K Stable LLC (Lee and Susan Searing) John Sadler $380,000
17. Cairo Prince 24 Godolphin (Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum et al), Namcook Stables (Terry Murray), Paul Braverman, Harvey Clarke & Craig Robertson III Kiaran McLaughlin $520,000
18. Uncle Sigh 24 Wounded Warrior Stables (George “Chip” McEwen) & Anthony C. Robertson Gary Contessa $180,000
19. Vinceremos 20 WinStar Farm & Twin Creeks Racing Stables LLC Todd Pletcher $190,000
20. Harry’s Holiday+ 20 Skychai Racing LLC, Terry Raymond & Jana Wagner Mike Maker $150,956
21. Commanding Curve 20 West Point Thoroughbreds (Terry Finley et al) Dallas Stewart $104,000
22. Social Inclusion 20 Rontos Racing Stable Corp. (Ron Sanchez) Manny Azpurua $100,000
23. Ride On Curlin 15 Daniel J. Dougherty Billy Gowan $154,387
24. Kristo 14 Hronis Racing, LLC (Kosta Hronis) John Sadler $60,000
25. Coastline 13 John C. Oxley Mark Casse $129,679
