Snow Chief, winner of the 1986 Preakness Stakes is the last California-bred horse to win an American Classic and you have to go back another 24 years to Decidedly to find the last Cal-bred Kentucky Derby champ. Will that streak end in 2014? Maybe so ifSan Felipe S. (G2) winner California Chrome has anything to say about it.
The son of the California-based sire Lucky Pulpit ran like a silver bullet in the March 8 San Felipe, speeding to a nearly 7-length victory and earning a 107 Beyer Speed Figure, highest among the 2014 sophomore set so far. The San Felipe is California Chrome’s third straight romp after running away with the California Cup Derby & King Glorious Stakes. While those two events are resticted to fellow Cal-breds, he did defeat the classy Tamarando in the former. Tamarando won a Grade 1 as a juvenile last year, won the El Camino Real Derby (G3) in his last start and is among the favorites for the March 22 Spiral Stakes (G3) at Turfway Park.
While California Chrome has answered the ‘class question’, his distance capabilities may still be open to debate. He was quick enough to win first out last May going 4 1/2 furlongs at Hollywood Park and earned his first Stakes win going 6 furlongs at Del Mar. The San Felipe was just his second start around two turns in his nine-race career, but his speed has been a decided asset in these longer contests.
He sat a wide third for the first 3/4 of the Cal Cup Derby before striking the front and accelerating nicely, leaving the late-running Tamarando with far too much to do. In the San Felipe, he broke like a rocket, went to the lead, shrugged off a backstretch challenge from graded winner Midnight Hawk and again quickened well down the lane to discourage his rivals.
California Chrome’s sire Lucky Pulpit finished 2nd in the 2004 Santa Catalina S. (since renamed the Robert Lewis S.) but his Derby aspirations were crushed with a 7th-place run in the Santa Anita Derby. His lone stakes win came in a listed turf sprint at Arlington Park in 2005. He has along way to go achieve the level of another son of Pupit, Tapit, but he’s done well with the limited opportunity he’s been given at stud. From around 100 foals of racing age he’s sired eight other stakes runners, including Rousing Sermon who made it to the Kentucky Derby field in 2012, finishing 8th.
California Chrome is the only blacktype runner under his first two dams. He is out of the mare Love the Chase, by the former Maryland stalwart stallion Not For Love, a son of Mr. Prospector. Love the Chase is out of a mare by Polish Numbers, a son of the Buckpasser mare Numbered Account, who is also Not For Love’s second dam. There are two other stakes winners out of mares inbred to Numbered Account, both stakes-winning sprinters with 2013 Princess Rooney S. (G1) Starship Truffles among them.
Watching California Chrome run, one is reminded a little of Bodemeister, the flashy, speedy and gallant runner-up in that 2012 Derby (and Preakness) to I’ll Have Another. Older racing fans may also see a little of the speedy, over-acheving Snow Chief in the colt as well. If he can go on to match the accomplishments of either, owners Martin Perry and Steve Coburn, along with trainer Art Sherman, are in for a very exciting spring.
Matt O'Neil Consulting 