Breeders’ Cup Diaries: California Love

This morning I woke up determined: today would be the day that I got photos of California Chrome galloping come hell, high water or sleep deficiency. So I set my alarm extra early and hoofed it to Santa Anita Park under the stars to make sure that I got to see the reigning Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner as he prepares for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Chrome emerged on the track at about 6:45, and unfortunately my loyal Nikon wanted absolutely nothing to do with the pre-dawn lack of light; so I was reduced to taking photos of him with my iPhone. Please bear with me; things got better as the sun got higher in the sky! 
There was a huge crowd of fans, photographers and journalists gathered near the entrance to the racetrack as horses and riders waited for the tractors to finish harrowing the dirt course. When Chrome emerged into the hazy spotlights, cameras, phones and iPads rose in unison to get a photo of him.

As he headed out to the track to gallop, he was clearly eager to stretch his legs. It looked like his regular exercise rider Willie Delgado had his hands full trying to keep Chrome restrained!

After they galloped, it was time for Chrome and Willie to get a little practice in the starting gate – something known as “gate schooling” in the horse racing world. They reunited with assistant trainer Alan Sherman, who led the pair behind the starting gate.

Once he loaded into the starting gate, California Chrome stood patiently, then emerged without a hiccup before making his way back to the barn.

A little bird (OK, my friend Julie June Stewart) told me that Chrome would have some special visitors at 9:30 a.m., so I made sure to be at his barn for the event. The first person I saw was Victor Espinoza, the jockey who guided California Chrome to victory in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.

The next people to arrive were the Anaheim Ducks cheerleaders! I knew that Alan and Art Sherman, California Chrome’s father-son training team, were huge fans, so it was great to see the NHL team supporting Chrome in his bid to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Victor Espinoza happily posed for the cameras with the Ice Girls – sometimes it’s tough to be Victor!

The cheerleaders then presented Team Chrome with their own personalized jerseys and a special blanket for the horse himself. Chrome being the silly horse that he is was mugging for the cameras the whole time.

He even made an attempt to snag the jersey from Alan Sherman – after all, it did have his name on it! 

Of course, when all of the excitement was over, all California Chrome really cared about was making sure he found and consumed each and every oat in his feed tub. 

California Chrome was one of many Breeders’ Cup contenders I saw this morning; in order of the races they’ll run in, here are the rest of the best who will compete in Friday and Saturday’s events. 
BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE TURF – FRIDAY, OCT. 31, 7TH RACE 
Hootenanny – I just love that name. More importantly (in this context, at least) I really like this horse. He looked fantastic when he galloped this morning, and I think he’ll represent himself well in this field. 

BREEDERS’ CUP DIRT MILE – FRIDAY, OCT. 31, 7TH RACE
I finally got to see Tapiture, which made me very happy indeed. I think he’s got a good shot to hit the board (meaning finish first, second or third) in the Dirt Mile, and he looked very good galloping this morning.

BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE FILLIES TURF– FRIDAY, OCT. 31, 8TH RACE 
Well, hello there Rainha Da Bateria! What a fabulous-looking filly she is. I loved the way she galloped today: focused and strong but perfectly behaved. She goes straight onto my “ones to watch” list. 

BREEDERS’ CUP DISTAFF– FRIDAY, OCT. 31, 9TH RACE
I also got to see Untapable in dawn’s early light today. Again, I apologize for the photo; cameras really, really hate this kind of light. What you can’t see is that she looks fantastic and galloped beautifully. If she runs on Friday like she has in the past I think she’s going to be a very tough filly to beat. 

L’Amour de Ma Vie is a world-traveller, having run in Italy, France, Great Britain and Dubai. The Distaff will be her first start on American soil, and I think she’s going to have to put in a pretty big effort to get to the winner’s circle on Friday night. 

BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE FILLIES– SATURDAY, NOV. 1, 4TH RACE
The only Juvenile Fillies runner I saw was Feathered; one of Todd Pletcher’s trainees, she’s a very athletic-looking individual who has the potential to take this race. 

BREEDERS’ CUP FILLY AND MARE SPRINT– SATURDAY, NOV. 1, 6TH RACE
Leigh Court is just lovely; I love her demeanor and her looks, and I think she could get a piece of the pie on Saturday. My pick for this race remains to be Artemis Agrotera, but Leigh Court is definitely a horse to consider.

Thank You Marylou has shown up to the big races this year without a ton of success, and while she’s a very pretty filly who galloped well this morning, I’m not sure if she can best this field of talented sprinters. Of course, I’ve been wrong before and it’s bound to happen again, so take my word with a grain of salt!

BREEDERS’ CUP TURF SPRINT– SATURDAY, NOV. 1, 7TH RACE
Lots of Turf Sprint contenders were out and about this morning! The first I saw was Bobby’s Kitten, who’s been running at longer distances this year. That makes him a bit of an enigma coming into this race, but he definitely looked ready to run as he made his way around the track this morning.

Silentio looked very professional as he galloped; but he, too, is shortening up in distance to compete in this race. So far to me, the Turf Sprint is a wide-open affair. 

Hello, gorgeous! Something Extra really caught my eye as he waited to go on the track today, and even more so when he galloped. He’s had lots of experience at the shorter turf distances, so he’s one to keep an eye on when the Turf Sprint comes around. 

BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE– SATURDAY, NOV. 1, 8TH RACE
With American Pharoah withdrawn from the Juvenile, the probable favorite is Carpe Diem. He looked great the morning, and his trainer Todd Pletcher has a very good history with his two-year-old Breeders’ Cup contenders.

Just because Mr. Z has only won one race in his five campaign career is no reason to discount him; trainer D. Wayne Lukas knows his way around a Thoroughbred and the horse has only finished worse than second once.

What a good-looking, mature two-year-old Upstart is. His expression as he galloped was focused but eager, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him get a piece of the action on Saturday.

BREEDERS’ CUP MILE– SATURDAY, NOV. 1, 11TH RACE 
This Mile is shaping up to be a seriously competitive race; I think any number of horses could take it, so I’ll be of little help here. I did like the way that Obviously looks and he certainly has the talent to find his way to the winner’s circle on Saturday. 

Seek Again looked like the picture of happiness as he made his way around the track this morning. He has a tough race ahead of him but I loved his expression and body language as he galloped. 

Toronado is the Mile buzz horse here. He’s racked up an impressive resume running in Europe and he’s stunning to see in person. He’s definitely one to watch come Saturday. 

Tourist and I were two ships passing in the night (well, the morning, but bear with me) but I had a total “who is *that* moment when I saw him. He’s had a very impressive year thus far and may be the proverbial dark horse in the Mile. 
 
BREEDERS’ CUP CLASSIC– SATURDAY, NOV. 1, 12TH RACE
Majestic Harbor: I have heard from people much better at betting than I will ever be that his form suggest that he might be sitting on a huge race in the Classic. He looks every bit the part, and the Classic is definitely a wide-open race this year.

Zivo’s a very interesting horse to me. While he may not be the household name that some of the other Classic contenders are, he’s quietly built up a pretty impressive race record this year. While I think it may be a stretch to say he’ll win the race, it wouldn’t shock me at all to see him land in the top four on Saturday.

ODDS AND ENDS: 
A few thoughts here: I’d like to start off by saying how truly saddened I was about the loss of Zenyatta’s 2014 daughter by War Front. My heart goes out to her caretakers, owners, and all of her fans who feel the tremendous loss of this young life. It’s always tragic to lose a horse, especially one so young and with such potential. To receive this kind of news during Breeders’ Cup week, an event that brought so much joy to so many of Zenyatta’s fans and followers, makes the new all the harder to bear. My thoughts and prayers are with her and the human connections who cared for her daughter throughout her all-too-short life. 

On a lighter note, there really is nothing so spectacular as a sunrise over Clocker’s Corner at Santa Anita. If you can get to Santa Anita, it’s something you just have to experience. 

I caught a photo of Bo Derek this morning at Clocker’s Corner. I would like to pray to the Gods Moisturizer that I may look even a fraction that awesome one day. Preferably this weekend, for example. *Lathers on even more face cream* 

Finally: I love pony horses. These unsung heroes escort the high-energy Thoroughbreds safely around the track every day – and some of them have the coolest markings!

CLOCKER’S CORNER POOCH OF THE DAY:
Meet Mac, AKA Big Mac. This handsome hound belongs to HRTV host with the most Zoe Cadman, and Mac shares his awesome personality with his owner. 

Also: check out that tail. This pup is awesome. 

That’s it for me today, and thank you so much for joining me! I’ll be back tomorrow with more action from Breeders’ Cup week at Santa Anita Park!