Chrome Diaries: Great Couple of Days for Colt, Connections

Monday morning, the first day of Breeder’s Cup week at Santa Anita Park, began like many others for Team Sherman and California Chrome. They were out on the track for a jog before the sun came up, and by the time I reached them, Chrome was finishing his cool down after his morning bath. 

I said good morning to my friends, and jockey Victor Espinoza said “Good afternoon!” giving me a big smile. It was only 6:30 a.m., but the rest of the team had already been at work for a couple hours.
Once he was back in his stall, I said good morning to Chrome, who was cheerfully pulling mouthfuls of hay from the feedbag hanging next to him. He’s being hosted in the barn of trainer Danny Velasquez, and is residing in the same stall as his previous, successful visits to Santa Anita. 

Danny is a gentle, amiable man who always has a big smile on his face and is eager to pose for photos.  He is a lifelong friend of trainer, Art Sherman, who first introduced me to Danny during the summer meet at Del Mar. They’ve known each other for 60 years, and there are always plenty of stories and laughs to be shared. Today was no exception.
Security is pretty tight on the backside at Santa Anita, and even more so around this horse, but we had a couple visiting from out of state who recently had the winning bid at an auction to benefit The City of Hope. Vince and his wife, Ashley, were escorted by members of the marketing and media team at the track, Alexis Garske and Zoe Metz, who ensured that their “California Chrome Encounter” was both memorable and documented with plenty of photos. (Zoe is a fellow photographer. You can check out her great work on her Facebook page, Zoe Metz Photography.)
My favorite moment of the morning was when Zoe and Alexis, who have taken hundreds of photos of Chrome over the past year, were showing Victor how to operate Zoe’s camera so that they could finally have a photo for themselves. With Alexis’s camera hanging from one shoulder, and Zoe’s in his hand, I came up behind him to capture the moment for myself and kidded him that if this jockey thing doesn’t work out, he might have a future as a photographer.

After getting a couple decent shots, he remarked that we all make it look so easy, when it’s not. Right back at you, my friend.

I spent he rest of the morning and early afternoon walking the grounds and showing my newly minted fiancé, Scott, around the backside. (He asked me on Sunday, knowing what my answer was going to be.) 
Just before the post position draw reception was to begin, we stopped in to see if groom Raul Rodriquez needed anything and caught Chrome during his mid-afternoon nap, resting his rear end on the back wall of his stall.  

We made our way back and met up with the rest of the team outside the Chandelier Room. Alan Sherman, Art’s son and assistant trainer, and Art were anxious for the draw process to get underway, and to learn which position Chrome would break from on Saturday. They were kept company by surrogate family member and team cheerleader, Mark North, and our racing friends from Virginia, Matt and Courtney Smoot, who had just flown in that morning.
Santa Anita has undergone a substantial renovation, and it was evident once the doors to the reception were opened. If you are given the opportunity to visit the Turf Club, don’t miss it. It’s lavish and elegant without being overdone. The staff is warm and responsive, and the views from the terrace are remarkable. We enjoyed tasty bites from the kitchen and cold beverages, while Art and Alan mingled and chatted with members of the media.
When we could see that the post-position draw for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff and the Classic were about to begin, the team found seats near the podium, where we all squeezed together with heart-pounding anticipation. 
We were joined by Victor, who gave everyone a fist bump before we all raised our glasses in the only toast that is ever uttered among us - “Go Chrome!” (Scott and I joked that we would need to incorporate this team battle cry into our wedding vows.)
If you’ve never been to a live draw, it’s pretty exciting. Attendees are given sheets listing all the horses and their jockeys, with spaces to allow you to fill in the post position and the odds, once they are announced. Two people preside over this process, with one pulling the gate assignment and the other pulling the name of the horse that will occupy that position, one completing the other’s sentence - “in post position three … will be Iotapa.” 
The full list of entries takes only a couple of minutes to cover, and then there is a brief wait for recalculations, and the odds are read.
Distaff entrants were announced, and then it was time for the Classic. With Art looking on as I marked my card, the post positions were read in rapid succession. Art and Alan were hoping for an outside gate, and the entire team was thrilled when we learned that California Chrome would break from post position 13 in this 14-horse field. 
In this moment, I was part of the team and not their photographer, but I truly hope that someone captured the celebration as we all lifted our glasses to salute the gorgeous colt who is the reason we are all here.
Alan always says, “It’s Chrome’s show, we’re just along for the ride.”

A press conference followed, and while members of the media asked how trainers and jockey felt about the draw, you could see from the looks on all of their faces that they were pleased. 
With a week of early days ahead of us, we bid good evening to our friends and headed back to our hotel for some much needed sleep. Monday was indeed a long day, but it ended very well.
And then, we’re back at the barn Tuesday, laughing at one of Danny’s stories before our brisk walk to the gap in the track, where I could hear someone ahead of us shout “California Chrome!” to the waiting crowd. (The day prior I had heard a number of people ask about what time Chrome was training, as they had missed him that morning.) 
Chrome stood calmly, waiting for the tractors to finish grooming the track. 

As soon as the steward moved the cones that help to form a barrier to entry, about 200 horses who were waiting to train began making their way onto the dirt surface. Alan released the shank from Chrome’s bridle so that exercise rider Willie Delgado could start backtracking before his gallop.

It was still dark as we took up position just to the right of the winner’s circle and watched Willie and Chrome gallop past us twice before walking the path to the paddock. Alan led horse and rider around the oval once, then walked down the slight grade to stand in the stall marked with the number 13. 

A rush of photographers angled for a photo, since the light in the paddock finally offered a decent shot, but everything was quiet and calm, with a couple of other horses also schooling. 

Willie was calmly astride Chrome, having let go of the reigns, when out of nowhere, the colt reared up on his hind legs and walked around like a human for more than a few, uncomfortable seconds. Alan had firm hold on the lead line, but it was clear that California Chrome was feeling good and full of energy. 
While it was a scary moment - anything can happen to horse or rider in a few seconds - it was a clear sign that he’s ready to race. If another horse and rider are better prepared and have a better trip on Saturday, they will deserve the honor that they earn on the racetrack.