California Chrome Aims at International Sweep

The world's top-ranked horse, California Chrome  , will try for a landmark international sweep when he starts the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) Nov. 5 at Santa Anita Park.

California Chrome has the chance to become the first horse to win the Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) and Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) in the same season when he starts from post 4 as the even-money morning-line favorite in the 1 1/4-mile test. While four Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) winners have gone on to win the World Cup, no Dubai World Cup winner has gone on to win the Classic in the same season.

Cigar, the first Dubai World Cup winner in 1996, had won the 1995 Classic at Belmont Park. In the 1996 season, he followed his Dubai World Cup win with a third-place finish to Alphabet Soup in the Classic at Woodbine.

Since then, Pleasantly Perfect won the 2003 Classic at Santa Anita and the 2004 World Cup before finishing third to Ghostzapper   in the 2004 Classic at Lone Star Park. Invasor completed the double when he followed his 2006 Classic score at Churchill Downs with a 2007 World Cup win. Curlin   won the 2007 Classic at Monmouth Park and the 2008 Dubai World Cup before finishing fourth that year to Raven's Pass in the Classic.

Last year California Chrome finished second to Prince Bishop in the Dubai World Cup and was unable to race again. He prepped for that March 28, 2015 World Cup start with a runner-up finish in the San Antonio Invitational Stakes (gr. II) on Feb. 7 at Santa Anita.

After opening this year with a win in the San Pasqual Stakes (gr. II) Jan. 9 at Santa Anita, California Chrome, owned by a partnership that includes co-breeder Perry Martin and Taylor Made Stallions, shipped to Dubai early. He would score a two-length win in a handicap race there Feb. 25—carrying 132 pounds—before winning the World Cup by 3 3/4 lengths on March 26 despite having his saddle slip during the race.

Trainer Art Sherman said going to Dubai early made a world of difference in the win that vaulted the 2014 Horse of the Year to the top of the 2016 Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings, where he's stayed most of the season.

"I think you need to be there early to train for the Dubai World Cup. I was so happy that I got a race under his belt," Sherman said. "That made the difference; getting acclimated over there to the weather and training over there on the surface. I think that was a great move to be there early. You can see the results. He ran his eyeballs out. Even with the saddle slipping, they weren't going to beat him that day."

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin also shipped in early for this year's Dubai World Cup. He saddled Godolphin Racing's Frosted to a five-length victory in a group II race there on Feb. 4 before Frosted finished fifth in the Dubai World Cup. McLaughlin believes such an approach can be less stressful on a horse.

"The nice thing for us and California Chrome also is we went over there for two months," McLaughlin said. "Our team was there and Rob the exercise rider. So we kept the same people around our horses and fed them the same feed, kept them on the same program. We didn't have to give our horses to someone to take care of and then get them back. That's always a help."

While no horse has won the two races in the same season, and U.S.-trained Dubai World Cup winners like Captain Steve never won another race in four starts after winning the 2001 Dubai World Cup, McLaughlin doesn't believe the trip to Dubai is overly taxing on horses. McLaughlin, who used to be based in Dubai in the winter, won the 2006 Classic with Invasor (ARG), who started his season in Dubai.

Invasor finished fourth in the 2006 UAE Derby (UAE-II) March 25, then won the Pimlico Special Handicap (gr. II) less than two months later in a four-race U.S. campaign in 2006 that ended with his Classic victory. He then went on to win the 2007 World Cup.

"I don't think it ever was a problem," McLaughlin said of the travel. "I think people sometimes used it as an excuse. Maybe things happened to the horses, maybe they had issues but I don't think the trip itself was the problem. The world's gotten smaller anyway."

Sherman had the same feeling about it, although he did add that it takes the right kind of horse to travel well and race under international rules that allow no race-day medication.

"You got to have the individual horse that can handle it," Sherman said. "A lot of horses can't stand the shipping and the differences in feed. And then you have to realize there's no medication, no bute (phenylbutazone), no Lasix. So you're on a different playing field. I'm so happy that Chrome doesn't have to have Lasix or have anything else to run his race."