This horse right here, IS an incredible and special horse. I hope he performs at the Derby. I really want a triple crown winner and he has the appeal of one
He looks impressive but I've been fooled before. He had a lot of finish considering he was being held pretty tightly on the back stretch. I've noticed that he wants to go hard and fast in prior races too. No telling what he is capable of. He really seems to have matured and figured things out over the winter.
I personally love all on here who talk about how he will not, or cannot win on derby day. Please please please convince your friends and families of that also, especially it they bet, therefore I will get a better payoff when this horse does what I know he will do, and that is win the Kentucky Derby like a champion.
This horse is peaking at the right time and if he has the luck of his trainer who was there in the Swaps barn years ago we are going to see another great horse go down in history . Also those horses from that era in the 70s 40s and 30s were great horses but now a days we need a healthy horse , a good trip down the track and a horse something in the level of Alydar , Easygoer , Riva Ridge , and Sham to get the job done and they all were capable of winning it all , Everyone is looking for super horses we just need a good one ! Bill Nack said Very few come in a life time it took almost 50 years from Man O war to get Secretariat . Go California Chrome and bring home the crown !! !!
If Chrome wins the Derby, then we will have our first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed. A lot of things can go wrong in that 20 horse Kentucky Derby, but if he gets past that race, then the Triple is a done deal.
Totally agree with what you say. He can run any distance,he is known to be a front runner so he will go to the lead or stalk in the Derby to keep away from the traffic.He gets the Derby win then the next 2 races will be a walk in the park.
keithlamontbraggs But of course that is always a possibility. Also there are currently 25 horses entered and if he gets squeezed when the gate opens then it will be trouble.
If Chrome gets a reasonably clean trip, then he will run away with the Kentucky Derby. If on the other hand, he gets trapped badly, then expect a repeat of the Rebel Stakes with Hoppertunity and Tapiture fighting it out down the stretch. Those two horses are proven fighters that can handle traffic. Tapiture already has a big win at Churchill Downs. Those are the three horses to look at......Chrome, Hoppertunity, and Tapiture.
Chrome really glided almost effortlessly over the surface at Santa Anita in this race. This result should've been a big time hint to most handicappers this horse had the potential to produce what he has so far in the Kentucky Derby & Preakness. If Chrome wins the Triple Crown, I don't know if his connections intend to retire him immediately or not? But if he stays in training until the end of his 3yo season, he could be an awfully tough beat, even for older horses like Mucho Macho Man, Game On Dude, & Will Take Charge come November in the G1 Breeders Cup Classic, IMO.
Espinoza didn't even need to touch him. Reminds me a lot of Ronnie Turcotte and Big Red :) the owners even said he just likes running. Good luck, from one Cc to the next :3
the reason hopportunity went by on the runout was because victor eased the horse to a walk before the wire just to relax the horse he never asked the horse to run a step if he rode the horse he would've been 30 lengths in front on the runout the derby will be a true test for Chrome but obviously other factors will be there for all the california horses like shipping the horses there who knows how all these horses will take it,,, but Chrome has a big chance i dont see him loosing.
There's not a single contender that comes close to his time for 1 1/8 that he got in this race (he's 2+ seconds faster) and he almost broke the record even waltzing across the line. Considering his 8-race experience as a 2 y/o and unbeaten as a 3 y/o, CC has an awesome chance to win the KD. On top of that, Victor Espinoza has a better success ratio in the KD than all the others, including the 'legends.' Note that I said 'ratio' which is the number of starts relative to the wins, places, or shows.
This isn't meant to be on knock on Chrome b/c I think he's some kind of talent. But just be careful comparing actual times from one track to the next. Last year Goldencents had much the best 9f time going into the Derby as he was 1.5 seconds faster than everybody else and over 2 seconds faster than Orb at the distance. Similar thing with other early SA speed types in recent years like Sidney's Candy and Brother Derek, who's running times at 9f were much faster than other Derby participants. Santa Anita is noted for being a notoriously fast track and it has been especially so this spring. e.g. The same day this race was ran we saw a 3 yr-old maiden 7f race run in 1:21.64, which is a time that wins the G1 King's Bishop the vast majority of time. We saw a horse win a 6f optional claimer in 1:08.27, which is a time that would have won the Breeder's Cup Sprint race by open lengths the last 5 times it's been ran on a track other than that. There's other examples like that too. Just be careful with judging the times, that's all.
I said the same thing and added the fact that the final time (one Mississippi takes exactly one second to say) is nowhere near as important as the fact that CC increased his speed and opened his step at the top of the stretch, then did it again when he caught sight of the wire. I've been in this game all my life, and CC just proved that he is all that some of us said he was...
The way they were bunched going through turn 2 it reminded me of the '73 Preakness...they were just plodding along...the only difference was they didn't have a Superhorse like secretariat to call their bluff and go last to first in one turn.
That was an easy run though. Straight to the front trouble free run. The other lead up races i've seen those horses ran in tough races and kept fighting. Is California Chrome a fighter?
He reminds me ton's of shared belief, just a smooth stride than the afterburners just turn on. No guarantee he wins the derby or even hits the board, but he def deserves the hype, because what other horse has really put a show on like he has? I don't get why everyone is all on the cods of hopportunity riding out past him. Was I watching a different race cuz pretty sure I saw CC walk to a 5 length victory.
Yep. And Hopportunity scratched from the KY Derby and CC (brilliant ride by Victor, not taking one ounce more than he needed to out of the colt to get the win) proved to be what some of us said he was. What a grand day for racing!
No way Hoppertunity was every going to catch that horse even if they went around again. CC was hand ridden the entire race and under wraps late. Only east coast ponies have a shot at beating him.
california chrome cannot match up against the Florida Derby horses. He will get beaten down in churchill. He will be way OVERBET on derby day. Chalk players will make this horse less than even money on derby day. I will be laughing, as I won't have him anywhere on my superfecta tickets!
