Sherman: ‘You can’t replicate that Derby feeling’

Sherman: ‘You can’t replicate that Derby feeling’

California Chrome is keeping his cool ahead of the Derby (Rickelle Nelson/Horsephotos.com) The West Coast whiz California Chrome went trackside Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs just before 6:40 a.m. (EDT) with exercise rider Willy Delgado at the controls. The chestnut stood inside the five-furlong gap for about three minutes, then began a backtrack along the rail by announcing his presence to one and all with a great, loud whinny. Trainer Art Sherman looked on from the second deck of the old clocker’s stand on the backstretch. His son and assistant trainer, Alan Sherman, as well as one of the colt’s owner/breeders, Steve Coburn, were stationed in the Churchill paddock, ready to oversee his eminent arrival. With pauses along the way to take things in — a standard occurrence for the horse his people say — “Chrome” eventually worked his way clockwise to the paddock where he checked it all out and apparently found it to his approval. Delgado next steered his mount back to the main track and a tour of about a 1 1/2 miles around, going slowly the first time, then picking up some steam for the second go-round. After pulling up, the colt headed back through the gap and an admiring crowd to Barn 20 where he soon was enjoying a bath as dozens of photographers and video-types clicked and cranked away.

Art Sherman was asked if he would continue to eschew the 8:30 a.m. special training time for Derby and Oaks horses
for the remainder of the week.

“Yes, I want to go early with this horse,” the veteran
trainer said. “I’ve trained him early all along and I don’t want to
break pattern now. If he was one of those nervous horses, one
that maybe needed a pony, I might take advantage of the special
training period. But he’s so laid-back and easy-going, I think I do him
better just to keep him on his schedule.”

Sherman indicated that “Chrome” would again tour the paddock Thursday morning, as well as have a stand in the
starting gate, to go with his gallop. He said he’d gallop him
Friday, also, then put him on the track for a once-around jog race morning.

“I put just about all my horses on the track race day,” Sherman explained. “It keeps them loose; allows them to do
something other than standing in the stall and starting to get
nervous. They expect to go out every day, so when you do that you don’t
give them time to start thinking about having to race. They stay more at ease.”

And as far as paddocking among the race-day crowds during the week?

“Nope,” Sherman said, “don’t do it. You can’t replicate
that Derby feeling and this horse’s demeanor isn’t an issue. I’m
thinking he’s going to be fine for the race.”

Sherman’s remarkable roll with California Chrome — in which one good thing after another keeps happening
—
continued Tuesday night when he attended the traditional KTA-KTOB
Derby Trainers Dinner. He was the last trainer to speak and drew
applause for his take on the whole Derby experience.

Then,
in a drawing of admission tickets following the event, Sherman’s
was pulled for a free airplane ship for any horse by the Tex
Sutton people — good for anywhere you wanted to go.

At the barn Wednesday morning, someone asked Sherman if he’d be using the free trip to send California Chrome
back home.

“Well,” the trainer said, “actually I was thinking I might ship him to the
Bahamas and go with him.”

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