California Chrome (horse)

Won Graduation Stakes (USA-R, 5.5FA, Del Mar)
Won King Glorious Stakes (USA-R, 7FA, Betfair Hollywood Park)

2014:

Won Santa Anita Derby (USA-G1, 9FD, Santa Anita)
Won Kentucky Derby—Presented by Yum! Brands (USA-G1, 10FD, Churchill Downs)
Won Preakness Stakes (USA-G1, 9.5FD, Pimlico)
Won Hollywood Derby (USA-G1, 9FT, Del Mar)
Won San Felipe Stakes (USA-G2, 8.5FD, Santa Anita)
Won California Cup Derby (USA-R, 8.5FD, Santa Anita)
3rd Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-G1, 10FD, Santa Anita)

2015:

2nd San Antonio Stakes (USA-G1, 9FD, Santa Anita)
2nd Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1, 2000mD, Meydan)

2016:

Won Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (UAE-G1, 2000mD, Meydan; new track record 2:01.83)
Won TVG Pacific Classic (USA-G1, 10FD, Del Mar)
Won Awesome Again Stakes (USA-G1, 9FD, Santa Anita)
Won San Pasqual Stakes (USA-G2, 8.5FD, Santa Anita)
Won San Diego Handicap (USA-G2, 8.5FD, Del Mar)
Won Winter Challenge Stakes (USA, 8.5FD, Los Alamitos; new track record 1:40.03)
2nd Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-G1, 10FD, Santa Anita)

Honors

National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (elected in 2023)
Eclipse Award, American Horse of the Year (2014, 2016)
Eclipse Award, American champion 3-year-old male (2014)
Eclipse Award, American champion older male (2016)
California-bred Horse of the Year (2014, 2016)
California-bred champion 3-year-old male (2014)
California-bred champion older male (2016)
Secretariat Vox Populi Award (2014, 2016)

Assessments

California Chrome's final rating on the 2014 Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings was 124 pounds in both the Mile and Intermediate categories, 6 pounds below top-rated Just a Way (the Japanese champion older male) and sixth among 3-year-olds worldwide. Among North American-based runners, he was rated 1 pound below fellow sophomore Bayern, who defeated him in the Pennsylvania Derby (USA-G2) and Breeders' Cup Classic and topped all dirt runners worldwide.

The Racing Post's Sam Walker awarded California Chrome a year-end rating of 125 pounds for 2015, 13 pounds below overall highweight American Pharoah but tied for eighth place overall and fourth highest on dirt.

California Chrome earned an assessment of 133 pounds on the 2016 Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings, 1 pound below top-rated Arrogate (a 3-year-old) but tops among older runners worldwide. In a remarkable display of consistency at the highest level, California Chrome earned the same rating in three different races: his victories in the Dubai World Cup and the TVG Pacific Classic and his runner-up finish behind Arrogate in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

As an individual

A good-sized (16.3 hands), athletic, handsome chestnut with four white feet and a blaze, California Chrome is slightly offset in front and turns out slightly on his right forefoot. He is a good mover with fine tactical speed. In his races, he typically cruised just off the lead until the turn for home, although he was capable of going straight to the lead if necessary. He did not like having dirt kicked in his face and did not perform well when trapped inside behind other horses. As he aged, he became an increasing handful to work, often leaping and rearing before settling to business. Off the track, he was noted for his intelligence, curiosity, and sociability, though he has become more inclined to bite as a stallion.

As a stallion

As of January 9, 2025, The Jockey Club credits California Chrome with 15 stakes winners.

Sire rankings

Per the Stud Book de Chile (www.studbookdechile.cl):

4th on the Chilean general sire list in 2022; 9th in 2023.

Notable progeny

Chromium (CHI), Kabirkhan (USA)

Connections

Foaled in California at Harris Farms, California Chrome was bred by owners Perry Martin and Steve Coburn, who raced him in the silks of their DAP (Dumb-Ass Partners). Racing at ages 2 to 4. He was trained by Art Sherman up through the 2015 Dubai Wold Cup (UAE-G1). Following that race, California Chrome was sent to the yard of Newmarket trainer Rae Guest to be prepared to race at the Royal Ascot meeting. He was unable to make a scheduled start in the 2015 Prince of Wales's Stakes (ENG-G1) after developing a foot abscess and was sent back to the United States in hopes of making the Arlington Million (USA-G1). That start was also scrubbed after the colt was diagnosed with cannon bone bruising which was projected to keep him on the sidelines for the remainder of the year.

On July 18, 2015, Taylor Made Farms announced the acquisition of Steve and Carolyn Coburn's 30 percent interest in California Chrome; Perry Martin remained the horse's majority owner. On February 1, 2016, Martin and Taylor Made announced that they had reduced their own ownership shares by 10 percent each to allow ten unnamed breeders to enter the horse's ownership with each owning a two percent share.

California Chrome returned to training with Art Sherman later in 2015 and raced in 2016 and 2017 in the colors of California Chrome LLC, though he made only one unplaced start (in the inaugural Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes, USA-G1) in his final season. He stood his first season in 2017 at Taylor Made Farms in Kentucky and also shuttled to Sumaya Stud in Chile. On November 20, 2019, Taylor Made announced California Chrome's sale to Japan's JS Company. The stallion stood his first Japanese season at Arrow Stud in 2020.

Pedigree notes

California Chrome is inbred 4x3 to Mr. Prospector. His dam Love the Chase is out of the winner Chase It Down (by Polish Numbers), whose half sister Amourette (by El Gran Senor) is a multiple listed stakes winner and the second dam of multiple Grade 3 winner Sir Anthony. Chase It Down's dam Chase the Dream (by Sir Ivor) won two stakes races restricted to New York-breds and was Grade 3-placed. The female line traces back to Betty Derr, also the ancestress of 1956 American Horse of the Year Swaps, 1957 Kentucky Derby winner Iron Liege., and 1977 American champion older female Cascapedia as well as Kentucky Broodmares of the Year Iron Reward (1955), Track Medal (1962), and Courtly Dee (1983).

Books and media

Footage of California Chrome's win in the 2014 Kentucky Derby can be accessed on his page at Horse Racing Nation (https://www.horseracingnation.com/horse/California_Chrome#).
California Chrome: Our Story was written by co-owner Perry Martin and was published by McCarran Media on January 3, 2022.

Fun facts

California Chrome's name refers to his native state and to his flashy markings (“chrome” in horse-related slang). It was selected as one of four names dropped into a hat by his owners and their wives. The names that were not drawn were “Lucky in Love,” “Seabizquik” and “Big Chapter.”
California Chrome is actually the second American racehorse to bear that name. The first was a 1992 colt by Honest Pleasure that never raced.
California Chrome's stable name is “Junior.”
In the months preceding the Kentucky Derby, California Chrome's owners rejected seven-figure offers for both the colt and his dam. The highest reported offer was US$6.1 million for a 51 percent interest in California Chrome.
Following his arrival at Churchill Downs, Art Sherman was given a saddlecloth for California Chrome to wear during his workouts so that the colt could easily be identified by reporters and clockers watching the Derby candidates work. The only hitch was that Chrome's name had been misspelled as “Califorina Chrome.” (The cloth was promptly replaced by Churchill Downs staff.)
California Chrome was the second Derby winner for jockey Victor Espinoza. Like Espinoza's previous winner, War Emblem (2002), California Chrome started from post 5.
California Chrome's Derby victory made Art Sherman the oldest trainer (at age 77) to win the great race, passing Charlie Whittingham who was 76 when he won with Sunday Silence in 1989.
Art Sherman had a previous Kentucky Derby connection as he had been an exercise rider for Swaps when that great horse won the 1955 Kentucky Derby. Prior to California Chrome's Derby, Sherman visited Swaps' final resting place at the Kentucky Derby Museum and asked that some of Swaps' talent be bestowed on Chrome.
After California Chrome's win in the Preakness Stakes, his owners signed an endorsement deal with California-based shoe company Sketchers. The deal required the colt and his connections to wear gear with the Skechers logo in public appearances leading up to the Belmont Stakes and gave the company a one-month option for using California Chrome's name and image for advertising following the Belmont.
California Chrome's fourth-place finish in the Belmont Stakes made Victor Espinoza the third jockey to ride two Derby—Preakness winners who failed to get the job done in the Belmont Stakes; he had also ridden War Emblem, whose Triple Crown bid went awry when he stumbled badly at the start of the 2002 Belmont. (The other jockeys to ride two horses in failed bids for the Triple Crown were Hall of Fame members William Hartack, who was third in the 1964 Belmont with Northern Dancer and second in the 1970 Belmont with Majestic Prince, and Kent Desormeaux, who was second on Real Quiet in 1998 and officially did not finish on Big Brown in 2008.) Espinoza went on to win the Triple Crown with American Pharoah in 2015.
Following the Triple Crown series, both chambers of the California State Legislature unanimously passed a resolution recognizing California Chrome's accomplishments.
California Chrome's Kentucky Derby win was named the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's “Moment of the Year” for 2014.
California Chrome's fans are popularly known as “Chromies.”
With his victory in the 2016 San Pasqual Handicap, California Chrome passed Tiznow as the leading money-winner of all time among California-breds. He retired following the 2017 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes as the richest North American runner of all time, though his mark was quickly eclipsed by Pegasus winner Arrogate in that horse's next outing, the 2017 Dubai World Cup .
California Chrome is the third Kentucky Derby winner to win the Dubai World Cup, following Silver Charm (1998) and Animal Kingdom (2013). He is also the third Preakness Stakes winner to win the Dubai World Cup, following Silver Charm (1998) and Curlin (2008).
California Chrome's win in the 2016 Dubai World Cup made him the all-time leading North American money earner.
The California Chrome Stakes is an 8.5 furlong race on dirt for 3-year-olds at Los Alamitos, a track that served as California Chrome's home base during his time in Art Sherman's barn. The inaugural running took place on April 30, 2016.
In December 2016, California Chrome was announced as the winner of the 2016 Secretariat Vox Populi Award, making him the first horse to win the vote of racing fans as the horse creating the most positive recognition for Thoroughbred racing in two separate years. He had previously won in 2014.
California Chrome earned the highest Equibase speed figure of 2016 based on his track-record win in the Winter Challenge Stakes at Los Alamitos. He was given a figure of 132 for the performance, four points higher than second-place Tourist earned in winning the Breeders' Cup Mile (USA-G1).
California Chrome's win in the 2016 Dubai World Cup was chosen as the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's "Moment of the Year" for 2016. In that race, California Chrome won by nearly 4 lengths and set a new track record in spite of the fact that jockey Victor Espinoza's saddle was slipping throughout the stretch run.
California Chrome's American Horse of the Year honors in 2014 and 2016 made him the first horse to take American racing's top award in non-consecutive years since John Henry did so in 1981 and 1984.
California Chrome's wins in the Kentucky Derby, Santa Anita Derby, California Cup Derby and Hollywood Derby made him the second Kentucky Derby winner to collect four "Derby" wins during his 3-year-old season, following in the hoof prints of Black Gold. Ornament, Claude, Candy Spots, Smarten, Snow Chief, Lost Code, and Olympio also won four "Derby" races during their 3-year-old seasons, but their wins did not include the Kentucky Derby.

Photo credit

Taken by Mike Sekulic at Santa Anita in 2014. Used by permission.

Last updated: January 9, 2025