California Chrome Pleases Sherman in Workout, Nears Return

California Chrome (above) worked Sunday with regular rider Victor Espinoza aboard as he prepares for a planned start in early January (All photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
by Jeremy Balan, @BH_JBalan
California Chrome’s workout on Sunday at Los Alamitos looked a lot like his workouts of old — with the track empty as he stepped onto the dirt surface — but it also had a touch of something new.
Escorted by a pony, the 4-year-old Lucky Pulpit colt worked in company with another horse for the first time in his career, breaking behind stablemate Unusually Big and passing him in the stretch to cover seven-eighths of a mile in 1:25 2/5 under regular jockey Victor Espinoza in preparation for the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes on  Jan. 9 at Santa Anita Park.
The 2014 Horse of the Year clicked off quarter-mile fractions of :24 4/5, :48 1/5, and 1:12 1/5 through six furlongs.
“I thought the work went really well,” trainer Art Sherman said. “I worked him in company because I’m going to try him without blinkers now. This is a new thing for him and I figure, without the blinkers on, he’ll be able to see horses coming up on him. He’s more focused as an older horse now and I really don’t think he needs the blinkers.”
RACING TERM: BLINKERS

Courtesy of Frankie Lovato's video series: 365 Days of Racing Terminology Challenge
California Chrome has worked exclusively without blinkers since his return to training in early November, and Sherman is expecting to race him that way in the San Pasqual.
“I put the blinkers on him when he was green and doing different things, but now he’s mature and he’s worked so darn good like you saw him today,” Sherman said. “I haven’t had them on all this year, so I think it’ll be a big benefit. I always thought he hung a little bit sometimes waiting on horses. This way he can see them coming to him and it could make a big difference.”
SHERMAN TALKING WITH THE MEDIA EARLIER THIS YEAR

Since California Chrome returned to his home state in October, Sherman has said Espinoza would be aboard for the colt’s most important workouts. Espinoza was on California Chrome Sunday for the first time since riding him to a second-place finish in the Dubai World Cup in March.
“He felt great,” said Espinoza, who swept the Triple Crown in 2015 with American Pharoah. “He’s coming back better. He’s stronger.”
Espinoza was happy with the workout, but he wasn’t as keen on the decision to drop blinkers for the dual classic winner.
“I feel like he works better with blinkers on,” Espinoza said. “I had to ask him a little bit.”
When asked whether he would recommend putting the blinkers back on for the San Pasqual, Espinoza responded succinctly.
“I think so,” the jockey said.
ESPINOZA ABOARD CALIFORNIA CHROME (WEARING BLINKERS)

Sherman figures the change in California Chrome’s stature — he appears bigger and stronger — as well as the equipment modification, could also result in a slight change in running style.
“I think he’ll be laying pretty close, but I think he’ll be a lot better horse if he can just rate him and sit off the pace,” the trainer said. “Especially at the classic distance — going a mile and a quarter — you’re always going to have some cheap speed. This way, he can be push-button and sit back. He has done that in races, where he just stayed off the pace and ran a big race.
“I always wanted to see what he could do against older horses, who can look him in the eye and say, ‘Let’s go.’ ”
California Chrome’s next workout will be at Santa Anita, probably between races over the Jan. 2-3 weekend.