Los Al Anticipates 'Chrome' at Upcoming Meet

A pair of grade I races for 2-year-olds and an anticipated start by California Chrome   highlight the 2016 Winter meet at Los Alamitos.

The eight-day season will begin Thursday, Dec. 8 and continue through Sunday, Dec. 18 with racing conducted on a Thursday-Sunday basis. Post time will be 1 p.m. weekdays and 12:30 p.m. weekends.

North America's richest Thoroughbred and 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome   is scheduled to make his first start at the track where he has been based for nearly three years in the $100,000 guaranteed Winter Challenge Saturday, Dec. 17. Trained by Art Sherman for Taylor Made Farm and co-breeder Perry Martin, California Chrome, who has been a Los Alamitos resident since January, 2014, has won 15 of 25 starts and earned $14,452,650.

The Winter Challenge, which will be run at 1 1/16 miles, will be the 5-year-old Lucky Pulpit   horse's final race in California and will serve as a prep for the $12 million Pegasus World Cup (gr. I) Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park. The World Cup is scheduled to be California Chrome's last start before he begins his stud career in Kentucky.

"It's been a tremendous honor to have a worldwide star like California Chrome make Los Alamitos Race Course his home base for the past three years," said Brad McKinzie, general manager of the Los Alamitos Racing Association. "For us to have the opportunity to see our hometown hero race at Los Alamitos is like an early Christmas present."

The $300,000 Starlet Stakes for fillies and the $300,000 Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity (both gr. I) will be run Saturday, Dec. 10. Both races are at 1 1/16 miles and are being offered at Los Alamitos for the third time after being run previously at the now-closed Hollywood Park (1981-2013).

Street Fancy won the 2015 Starlet for trainer Phil D'Amato while Hall of Fame conditioner Bob Baffert earned his record eighth Futurity victory with Mor Spirit last Dec. 19. Baffert has won the first two runnings of the Futurity at Los Alamitos as he captured the 2014 renewal with Dortmund.

There will be two other stakes during the two-week season. Both are at a mile and are  for 2-year-olds bred or sired in California. The $100,000 guaranteed Soviet Problem Stakes for fillies will be run Saturday, Dec. 17 while the $100,000 King Glorious for males, which was won by California Chrome   in 2013, will be contested Sunday, Dec. 18.

A live money handicapping contest will be offered Dec. 17 with the top three finishers earning a spot in the 2017 Daily Racing Form/National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.

Track gates—including the Clubhouse and Vessels Club—will open at 9:30 a.m. General parking is free with grandstand admission $3; $2 for seniors 62 and older. 

The wagering menu includes the $2 Pick Six, a pair of Pick 4s—races 2-5 and the final four—as well as the extremely popular Players' Pick 5—a 50-cent minimum wager with a reduced 14% takeout rate—on the first five races. The Pick Six will have the standard 70-30 split with 70% of the pool going to those tickets with six winners with the remaining 30% going to tickets with five of six winners. 

"We are going with an old school Pick Six structure and not a Pick Six jackpot,'' added McKinzie. "With an eight-day meet, we didn't feel it would be beneficial to do a jackpot and take that extra money out of the fan's pocket.''

Entries for the opening day card will be taken Monday, Dec. 5.