“He’s doing great this morning,” the conditioner said following a final
“He just walked this morning after coming out of that work real well.
California Chrome, a winner of six of 10 lifetime starts including his last
But while the son of the young Pulpit stallion Lucky Pulpit has many things
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How, many are wondering, is this California dude going to handle it?
Sherman thinks he knows.
“If you’ve been around this horse, if you’ve been around horses in general,
you know they all have their own personalities,” he said. “This horse just has a
wonderful personality, an excellent demeanor. He’s so easy-going, so laid back.
Nothing seems to bother him.
“I think he’ll walk on that airplane tomorrow morning and think nothing of
it. He’ll just get on and go. And when he gets to Churchill Downs, he’ll look
around and know he’s at a racetrack and feel right at home. That’s the way he
is.
“I guess there are things I should be concerned about given our situation,
but one thing I’m not is how this horse is going to handle his trip down there.
‘Chrome’ will deal with it just fine. I’m not worried about that at all.”
While California Chrome has justifiably captured the hearts and minds of the
racing world, once the gates open for the 140th Kentucky Derby at Churchill
Downs on Saturday, all the hype goes out the window and it’s every man for
himself.
Gary Stevens is one of those men. He will be riding Robert B. Lewis Stakes
winner Candy Boy, who, like most of the other three-year-olds caught in the wake
of the California Chrome frenzy, has been flying under the radar, so to speak,
especially since being beaten nearly nine lengths by California Chrome in the
Santa Anita Derby on April 5.
But that’s not the view of Gary Stevens. Not after Saturday’s five-furlong
workout at Churchill Downs in 1:00 4/5 with Stevens up.
“After yesterday’s work, he’s not flying under the radar so much,” Stevens
said Sunday morning, back at Santa Anita.
“It was an impressive work visually and it was an impressive work being on
his back. You always wonder how they’re going to get over that strip. It’s not
something you can teach them. They either handle it or they don’t.
“Sometimes you don’t find out until you come out of the starting gate in the
Kentucky Derby, if they haven’t worked on it. I don’t know if it was important
for Candy Boy to work over the track or not, but it sure eased my mind, and
John’s (trainer John Sadler) and everyone else’s. I’m real happy with where he’s
at right now.”
Stevens has won the Derby three times, but still considers it one of the two
most difficult races to win.
“Yes,” Stevens answered succinctly and swiftly. “The Derby and the Breeders’
Cup Mile. Just trip-wise, I would say they are probably the two most difficult
races to win.”
As to the hoopla surrounding California Chrome, the media-savvy Stevens (he
was racing analyst for HRTV and NBC, and earned critical acclaim for his acting
debut in the 2003 hit film, “Seabiscuit,”) recognizes its value.
“It’s great for California racing, especially,” Stevens said. “It’s a great
story, with Art (77-year-old trainer Art Sherman), his owners (and breeders,
Steve Coburn and Perry Martin) and the horse training out of Los Alamitos.
That’s a story in itself.
“To me, it’s a huge stamp of approval for Los Alamitos. California Chrome
training over there, that’s a whole different fan base, so it’s cool.”
Cool as chrome in a literal sense, but hot as ‘Chrome’ in every other.
Set to ship along with California Chrome early Monday is Dance With Fate,
winner of the Blue Grass last time out. Trainer Peter Eurton reported that Dance
With Fate came out of his :47 half-mile work Saturday at Santa Anita in good
order. Owned by Sharon Alesia, Bran Jam Stable and Ciaglia Racing, Dance With
Fate will be returning to dirt in Kentucky Derby 140 for the first time since
finishing eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last November.
Corey Nakatani, who was aboard for the first time in the Blue Grass Stakes
victory, has the mount on Saturday.
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