JC / Railbird

California Chrome

He Likes It

After the Kentucky Derby winner jogged on Tuesday:

[Exercise rider Willie] Delgado said California Chrome seemed to prefer the dirt at Pimlico to that at Churchill Downs. “Churchill wasn’t one of his favorite tracks,” he said. “He just tolerated it.”

California Chrome wasn’t drawing raves for the way he went over Churchill’s surface before the Derby — “not the prettiest mover,” observed Mike Welsch, “Jay Privman said he’s certainly looked better back west” — so it’s interesting to see him praised for how he’s handling Pimlico.

Apparently, he’s also feeling fresh (PDF):

California Chrome … didn’t seem to appreciate being shut down for the day after passing a “Sunrise at Old Hilltop” group near the wire after jogging an easy mile. “Settle down … settle down … settle down,” Delgado calmly asked of his charge as he began applying the brakes.

And holding his weight: Trainer Art Sherman estimates that California Chrome “has put on about 35 pounds since winning the Derby,” tweets Claire Novak.

It’s all looking good for Saturday …

5/15/14 Addendum: What’s this? Chrome coughs; his people say he’s fine.

Posted in Racing on May 14, 2014 / Tagged California Chrome, Favorites, Pimlico, Preakness Stakes, Triple Crown

Fresh

Trainer Art Sherman on California Chrome’s likely Preakness competition:

“You know, they’ve all gotten beat,” he said. “People are gonna have to realize [California Chrome] is coming off five victories straight and a lot of [these other] horses are still eligible for conditions. There are no bona fide stakes horses in there.

“If you’ve been in the game as long as I have, you’ve got to prove yourself. You’re not going to get away with an easy-go just because you’re fresh coming into this race. [Chrome] is a seasoned, veteran horse right now coming into these races and I think that’s going to be a big help for him.”

The Kentucky Derby winner and nine others are possible for next Saturday.

Posted in Racing on May 11, 2014 / Tagged Art Sherman, Bayern, California Chrome, Preakness Stakes, Social Inclusion, Triple Crown

More Speed

Interesting reading from TimeformUS about how California Chrome’s Kentucky Derby figure was revised from a preliminary 104 to a final 110:

… we believe the wind and maintenance and distance … combined to make the final time seem even slower than it really was. California Chrome may not have broken any records, but his TimeformUS Speed Figure suggests his Derby was stronger than some may think.

I guess we won’t know until after the Preakness Stakes, or possibly later in the year, but I share the sense that his Derby win was better than the figures look, especially taking the wind into account for the first quarter, during which California Chrome had to make use of his tactical speed to secure a position rating off the early pace. He’s the only starter who ran a sub :24 first quarter to finish in the top four — the closest any of the other 10 who did the same finished was fifth, and six in that group finished 14th through 19th.

See also: Rob Bingel’s analysis of wind and time in the Derby (PDF) (via).

Related: Bob Ehalt talks to Len Friedman about California Chrome’s 7 1/4 sheets figure, “the slowest number since Cannonade earned an 8 in 1974.”

5/12/14 Addendum: Mike Watchmaker on the Derby Beyer speed figure:

… in this Derby, an incredible 15 of the 19 starters received lower Beyers than they did in their prior starts. In fact, it is incredible when such a large percentage of the field tails off Beyer-wise in any race, and is immediate cause to question the veracity of the winning fig.

The revised TimeformUS figure is roughly equivalent to 103 on the Beyer scale, which is still a regression from California Chrome’s previous 107 and 108, but seems a more plausible number than the 97 Beyer given to the Derby.

Posted in Racing on May 9, 2014 / Tagged California Chrome, Churchill Downs, Kentucky Derby, Speed Figures, The Sheets, TimeformUS