Dortmund Drills for Sherman at Los Al

The new inhabitant of California Chrome  's double-wide stall at Los Alamitos Race Course and trainer Art Sherman are still getting acquainted just two weeks after owner Kaleem Shah entrusted that runner—dual grade 1 winner Dortmund—and six others to Sherman's care.

And while Sherman's son and assistant Alan Sherman is down at Gulfstream Park overseeing the stable star's final preparations for his swan song in the Jan. 28 Pegasus World Cup (G1), Jan. 17 at Los Al seemed as good a morning as any to send Dortmund through what the elder Sherman hopes will be the first of many workouts at the start of a season full of potential. 

With exercise rider Anna Wells aboard, the towering chestnut stretched his  legs through three furlongs in :36 3/5. As one chapter comes to a close with California Chrome's upcoming retirement, another begins with 5-year-old Dortmund as the hopeful figurehead. 

"I thought he went really well," Sherman said. "He looked really good, well in hand. He was just breezing; I'm happy with him. We'll go over him really well tomorrow morning and see how he comes out of it. He's a runner, there's no doubt about it."

BALAN: Sherman, O'Neill Welcome Shah Horses

Fourth in the Nov. 4 Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) last out, Dortmund went to the shelf multiple times for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert but flashed brilliance throughout a 14-race career begun with a six-race win streak in 2014. Fittingly, his first grade 1 win came in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G1). He cleaned up the 2015 3-year-old series at Santa Anita Park with wins in the Robert B. Lewis (G3), San Felipe Stakes (G2), and Santa Anita Derby (G1) before a hard-fought third in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) behind future Triple Crown winner American Pharoah  .

BALAN: Dortmund Unrelenting in Santa Anita Derby

Dortmund's first stint on the sidelines came after a fourth in the Preakness Stakes (G1), and when he returned in October of 2015 he took the Big Bear Stakes and Native Diver (G3) back-to-back at Santa Anita. But it took another eight months for the son of Big Brown   to return to the starting gate, and when he did it was to challenge the very runner whose stall he now fills.

Fighting California Chrome down to the wire in the July 23 San Diego Handicap (G2), Dortmund came off the bench and within half a length of ending the 2014 Horse of the Year's 2016 win streak. He was third to California Chrome and champion Beholder in the $1 Million TVG Pacific Classic (G1) in August, and second to California Chrome by 2 3/4 lengths in the Awesome Again Stakes (G1) in October before his Dirt Mile bid.  

BALAN: 'Chrome' Edges Dortmund in Del Mar Battle

"He fills Chrome's stall up pretty good, he walks around there and enjoys having twice the room," Sherman said. "He's always had issues with his feet, so that's the main concern, just getting his feet going good and keeping him sound. He's so big and heavy on himself, I can see how he's going to be a handful to get ready.

"It might take me a couple months, but I'm just going to play it by ear. Now that I've got him the way I think he should be going, I'm under no pressure. Kaleem just said to take my time, he just wants to keep him going."

Bred in Kentucky by Emilie Gerlinde Fojan out of the Tale of the Cat mare Our Josephina, Dortmund was a $140,000 purchase by agent Donato Lani from the Breaking Point Farm consignment to the 2014 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale. Breaking Point picked him up for $90,000 from the Bona Terra Stud consignment to the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky select yearling sale after he was a Keeneland November breeding stock sale RNA. He's earned $1,982,480.