California Chrome at Santa Anita
By Derek Simon
After an abbreviated 2015 campaign that featured more drama than an episode of “The Real Housewives of Valhalla” (trust me, it’s coming), California Chrome returns to the races in the San Pasqual at Santa Anita on Saturday.
If all goes well in the Golden State, the colt’s owners — now minus Steve “Foot-In-Mouth” Coburn — plan to ship the horse back to Dubai for another crack at the World Cup on March 26.
“[The San Pasqual], whether we win or lose it, isn’t the goal,” co-owner Perry Martin said. “It’s Dubai. Of course we would like to win them all.”
Despite the withdrawal of Dortmund, the Grade II San Pasqual drew a surprisingly solid field. In addition to Chrome, two other Grade I winners (Hoppertunity and Hard Aces) have been entered, along with two Grade II winners (Blingo and Imperative) and an Argentinian champion (Mystery Train).
The full field, along with my fair odds, is listed below:
