California Chrome Will Skip Lockinge Stakes
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U.S. Horse of the Year California Chrome will bypass the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes (Eng-I) May 16 at Newbury to continue preparations for the Royal Ascot meeting in June, Racing Post reported April 28.
Rae Guest said the 4-year-old son of Lucky Pulpit , who is training at his Newmarket yard, will get more time to recover from his trip from Dubai, where he was second to Prince Bishop in the Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) March 28. The Lockinge was to be a prelude to California Chrome's main target, the Prince of Wales's Stakes (Eng-I) June 17 at Royal Ascot.
"He's not going to run (in the Lockinge)," Guest told Racing Post on Tuesday. "He took a long time to get over the trip, which is understandable. It was a long way from California to Dubai, then racing and coming here, it's a lot for a horse to take in in one go.
"We're happy with him now but it would have been a rush to get him ready for the Lockinge."
MUSCAT: California Chrome Adjusting to Newmarket
Alan Sherman, assistant and son of California Chrome's California-based trainer Art Sherman, is expected in Newmarket May 4 to evaluate the colt's progress.