Sherman Diary: Holding My Breath

Photo by America's Best Racing/Penelope P. Miller
Art Sherman was 18 years old when he accompanied Swaps in a boxcar from California to Louisville to win the 1955 Kentucky Derby. He returned to Churchill Downs at age 77 and became the oldest trainer to smell the roses when California Chrome prevailed by 1 ¾ lengths on May 3.
Sherman has agreed to take followers of America’s Best Racing along for the ride as his immensely popular California-bred, winner of five consecutive stakes races by a combined 26 lengths, looks to take the next step toward a Triple Crown bid in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
Here is the second installment of his Preakness diary, written with Tom Pedulla:
BALTIMORE - I am finding that overseeing a Kentucky Derby winner is kind of a hold-your-breath experience. I held my breath before the draw Wednesday night and was greatly relieved when California Chrome drew post three. I held my breath when he went out to familiarize himself with the starting gate at Pimlico. They assured me everything went well. So far, so good.
The draw went the way I wanted it to. The horses who figure to show early speed are all outside of us. And there is a lot of speed in this race. Bayern should be on the engine from post five. I know Bob Baffert well since we both train in California; that is the way he likes his horses to run. Social Inclusion, from the eighth slot, is another who will want to get an early jump. Pablo Del Monte, just to the outside of Social Inclusion, also has plenty of speed.
If they all step on the gas the way I expect them to, that should allow Victor Espinoza to settle in behind them with Chrome, get him in a good rhythm, and keep him in the clear until it is time for the serious running to begin.
My biggest focus since the Derby has been on keeping Chrome fit, healthy and happy. I kept him at Churchill Downs as long as I did because he had grown so comfortable there, but I was glad we were able to arrange the travel so that he arrived at Pimlico on Monday. Because this horse is so curious about his surroundings – more so than most horses I have had – I knew it was very important to familiarize him with his new setting.
Wednesday was the first morning I watched him gallop here. It was typical Chrome. He looked around quite a bit in the early going, which is nothing new for him. As I said, he is a very inquisitive horse. But then he got down to business the second time around. He took hold of the bit and was pulling pretty good on Willie Delgado, his exercise rider and a very important member of our team.
As I said before, the two-week turnaround to the Preakness makes me uncomfortable. It is not something I would choose to do, but there is no choice here. It takes a special kind of horse to handle the demands of the Triple Crown. I can only hope I have that kind of horse.
My staff and I are doing everything we can to help him through it with a light training regimen. One of the keys is maintaining his weight. He put on more than 35 pounds since the Derby, which is great. We also are doing everything we can to protect him from temperature changes. California is not Kentucky. Kentucky is not Baltimore. I find myself checking his temperature two or three times a day, just to make sure he doesn’t catch a cold.
People ask if my wife and I went on a spending spree after all Chrome has already done for us, winning a $1-million race in the Santa Anita Derby and then the lion’s share of a $2 million purse in Kentucky as part of his five-race winning streak. Well, about all I can think of is that my wife treated me to a new suit before the Kentucky Derby. I will stick with that for the Preakness.
It is my lucky suit.