California Chrome Cal-breds

BY LISA GROOTHEDDE

Ten years after his four feet white hooves frst touched the ground at the Harris Farms nursery in California’s Central Valley, four years after he retired from racing competition as the highest-earning Toroughbred runner in North American history with a career bankroll of $14,752,650, and nearly two years after it was announced he had been sold for stallion duties in Japan, world traveler and equine icon California Chrome will be represented for the frst time by his own California-bred ofspring at auction venues. He will have yearlings at sales in his home state and in Washington over the next two months.

A two-time Eclipse Award winner as Horse of the Year in 2014 and 2016, the Lucky Pulpit stallion has been well-supported by breeders in Kentucky, Chile, and Japan. He has covered full books of mares during each Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere season he has been in service since 2017.

Whether communicated in English, Spanish, or Japanese, it is clear that the 2014 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner is making his mark as a young sire. His initial runners, now 3 years old, have won races in the United States, Canada, France, Russia, and Puerto Rico, while his frst South American foal crop has yielded a dozen 2-year-old winners to date.

His lifetime average price for yearlings is $52,981, with 85 sold. Te most expensive lit up the 2019 Keeneland September toteboard at $325,000.

Trough July 18, 2021, California Chrome has sired 49 international winners and fve North American black-type horses, led by his grade 1-placed daughter Cilla, a $188,500-earner and multiple stakes winner out of Sittin At the Bar, a three-time Louisiana-bred state champion racemare.

It is perhaps with his regionally bred foals such as Cilla that “Chrome” — a working-class hero type who had to compete for the most upper-crust mares in the U.S. against the likes of blue-blooded Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify — might ultimately shine the brightest.

With his matinee idol looks, California Chrome shows he’s ready for his “close-up”

JENNY PHOTO

PARTNERING UP

Tanks to the innovative California Chrome Foal Share Program, an invitation-only initiative created in late 2018 by California Toroughbred Breeders Association member Perry Martin and his late wife, Denise, Toroughbred owners on the West Coast will soon have the opportunity to purchase registered Cal-bred colts and fllies by the most successful California-bred racehorse in history. As early as next year, these Kentucky-sired youngsters will be eligible to compete in restricted state-bred races, a factor that should entice regional buyers to take a closer look at them during the upcoming sales.

“Our goal for the foal-share program was to attract exceptional mares to Chrome for his third year standing in Kentucky, when his ‘new sire novelty’ would naturally wear of,” said Martin, the majority shareholder in California Chrome’s former U.S. stallion syndicate.

Highly credentialed mares from California, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, and Nevada were recruited for the onceof program, and only the most select mares were approved for breeding to California Chrome in 2019.

“We were amazed by the quality of mares we were able to attract for this program, and really pleased to see the quality of the foals who were produced,” Martin reported.

Of the 12 outstanding mares whose 2021 yearlings will now be ofered at three upcoming West Coast auctions, nearly all are stakes performers or stakes producers. Tis impressive sorority comprises the earners of a combined $1,714,275 whose progeny to race have banked more than $4.2 million collectively to date.

WEST COAST APPROACH

First among this group to enter the auction ring are two California Chrome colts cataloged to the 2021 Northern California yearling and horses of racing age sale, which will be hosted by CTBA at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton Aug. 10.

Easterbrook Livestock Management will consign Candy’s Chrome, the fnal foal out of Dahlberg Farms’ two-time Del Mar turf stakes winner Candy Factory, a $257,377-earner by Seattle Bound whose fve foals to race have earned a cumulative $1.2 million. Te colt is a half brother to grade 2-placed winner Tiz a Kiss and to multiple stakes winner Patriots Rule, a 61⁄2-furlong track record-setter at Los Alamitos.

Also supporting the Northern California sale with a California Chrome yearling is Barton Toroughbreds, whose colt was produced by Cactus Ridge’s precocious daughter Well Deserved. A $100,000 Barretts juvenile, Well Deserved won Hollywood Park’s Cinderella Stakes and placed in four additional Southern California stakes races at 2, including Del Mar’s Sorrento Stakes (G3), and banked $266,623 overall.

Barton is ofering a flly out of J’s Two Step Halo, by Two Step Salsa, through the Few Acre Farm consignment at the Washington Toroughbred Breeders & Owners Association’s 2021 summer yearling & mixed sale Aug. 24. Her multiple-winning dam, a half sister to a dual Caribbean turf champion and a Tampa Bay Downs course record-setter, achieved a grade-3 placing in 2015.

Also at the Emerald Downs auction, El Dorado Farms will consign a colt out of Orientate’s $254,652-earner Oh Baby Oh Baby for co-breeder Scott Gruender’s Washington-based Horseplayers Racing

Club. His dam’s nine career victories include a pair of non-black-type stakes races in her native Louisiana.

Te remaining eight yearlings to sell through the California Chrome Foal Share Program are heading to the Fasig-Tipton California fall yearling sale at Fairplex in Pomona Sept.28.

Barton Toroughbreds will be represented at this vendue by a flly out of the farm’s Mr. Big mare Big Break, a fve-time winner and $236,699 earner whose half sister She’s a Dime earned Santa Anita black type this year.

Another state-bred California Chrome flly among this Southern California sale’s listings is a daughter of Steve Pavich’s proven Rock Hard Ten mare Fantasy Rocks, whose four multiple winners have banked $516,206. Stakes winner Bold Fantasy and stakes-placed Fantasy of Luck head Fantasy Rocks’ runners.

Leading Oregon breeders Pam and Neal Christopherson’s Bar C Racing Stable will ofer a flly out of grade 2 producer Love and Lies, by Broken Vow. Te yearling flly’s 2019 Kentucky-bred full brother, Chasing Alchemy, is training for his career debut with California Chrome’s former conditioner, Art Sherman.

Shipping in from Arizona for Easter-

brook’s Fasig-Tipton consignment is a flly out of Tribal Rule’s daughter Miles Rules, a Hollywood Park stakes winner owned by Robin Wright.

Also listed under the Easterbrook banner is a colt out of Dahlberg Farms’ brilliant producer Sensitive Soul, a Bernstein broodmare whose foals regularly command above-average prices at California auctions and whose seven starters have accrued more than $1.4 million in race earnings. Sensitive Soul’s three stakes horses include the grade 3-placed stakes winner Raised a Secret.

One of Washington’s most accomplished Toroughbred families will be represented in the Havens Bloodstock Agency consignment. Te second foal out of stakes winner Seattles Best Copy, a Demon Warlock half sister to 2019

JENNY PHOTO

California Chrome exhibits the power and grace that attracted legions of fans worldwide

Washington Horse of the Year Baja Sur out of 2018 Washington Broodmare of the Year Premo Copy, is a flly bred in California. Tim Floyd’s Washington-based Warlock Stables bred the youngster in partnership with Martin Racing.

Checkmate Toroughbreds ofers two California Chrome yearlings in its 2021 Fasig-Tipton draft: a colt out of Special Smoke and a flly out of Summers Peace.

Special Smoke, a Nevada transplant by Free House owned by Daniel Preiss, Dave Foran, and Chris Province, has produced the earners of a collective $762,243, led by 2015 Cal-bred champion 2-year-old male Smokey Image, a grade 3-placed, fve-time stakes winner.

Summers Peace, an Emerald Downs stakes winner by Orientate, shipped from owner Lisa Wall’s Arizona farm to participate in the foal share program. Her resulting California Chrome flly has been named Lightning Hope.

With three California Chrome yearlings being prepped for auction under his watch, Barton Toroughbreds farm manager Kevin Dickson encapsulated the spirit of this team approach to breeding and selling Toroughbreds in the Golden State.

“California Chrome was so much fun to watch in his heyday,” Dickson said. “He really kept Cal-breds at the forefront during his amazing campaign, and we are honored to be co-breeders with Martin Racing of some of his frst Calbred ofspring to be ofered for sale. We intentionally spread our Chrome yearlings out to separate venues in order to ofer them to various racing markets.

California Chrome—Candy Factory colt

COURTESY OF EASTERBROOK LIVESTOCK MANAGEMENT

California Chrome—Well Deserved colt

COURTESY OF BARTON THOROUGHBREDS

AUBURN, WASHINGTON n AUGUST 24

COURTESY OF BARTON THOROUGHBREDS California Chrome—J’s Two Step Halo flly California Chrome—Oh Baby Oh Baby colt

COURTESY OF EL DORADO FARMS

POMONA, CALIFORNIA n SEPTEMBER 28

California Chrome—Big Break flly

COURTESY OF BARTON THOROUGHBREDS COURTESY OF STEVE PAVICH

California Chrome—Fantasy Rocks flly

COURTESY OF DAEHLING RANCH