Delgado Confident After Chrome Gallop
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California Chrome poses for the cameras before his Tuesday morning gallop. (Photo by NYRA/Susie Raisher)
California Chrome showed all the signs on Tuesday morning of being ready to race, giving both his assistant trainer and exercise rider a hard time during his morning routine.
"He was feeling really good today," assistant trainer Alan Sherman said. "He was dragging me around the [shedrow] before we went to the track. He's on it."
During his gallop, he tugged Willie Delgado around the Belmont Park oval and Delgado allowed the colt to go a bit faster than normal for part of the gallop but then pulled him back down to their normal speed. Delgado is confident that California Chrome will be the horse to break the 36-year Triple Crown dry spell when he runs in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes on June 7.
"I can tell you he loves this track, and I don't see him any problem getting a mile and a half," said Delgado. "This is the strongest I've felt about him winning a race. I said it before, if he wins the Derby, we'll probably go all the way. He's starting to show he can go over this track very easy."
California Chrome is scheduled to breeze on Saturday at 8:45 a.m., following the renovation break.