Rested and healthy, California Chrome ready to continue year of success at Del Mar

It is a mark of the confidence in California Chrome that connections of the Dubai World Cup winner are ready to go hoof-to-hoof with Dortmund at Del Mar on Saturday without Lasix and with a horse not at full throttle.

California Chrome makes his first start since his triumph at Meydan in March in the US$200,000 (Dh734,630) San Diego Handicap as the only runner of the seven not be administered with the anti-bleeding drug.

The five-year-old chestnut, who will be once again ridden by Victor Espinoza, has now not received a dose ahead of competition since he opened his 2016 account in the San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita in January.

• Video: Watch California Chrome win in Dubai

California Chrome enjoyed significant rest and recreation at Taylor Made Farms after his exploits in Dubai. He then took time to come to hand training in view of Bob Baffert’s Dortmund at Los Alamitos.

He then showed he was ready when he drilled an impressive and effortless 59.2 seconds over 1,000 metres at Del Mar last Saturday. It was the fastest workout of the 85 on the day.

Veteran handler Art Sherman is bristling with confidence ahead of the 1,700-metre assignment.

“He’s right on and he’s going to run big,” Sherman said. “All of a sudden he has got his game face on and he is all business. He’s jumping and playing and I can tell when he is getting close to run huge.”

California Chrome has a busy schedule ahead. Whatever the outcome at the delightful seaside oval, he is on course to clash with top mare Beholder in the Pacific Classic on August 20 at the same course, where Dortmund could also head.

From there, California Chrome is being aimed at the Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita on the first Saturday in October, before he returns to the Californian track four weeks later to try to win his first Breeders’ Cup Classic.

California Chrome’s connections have already stumped up the $1 million to enter the proposed $12m Pegasus World Cup in January, which leaves a third run in the World Cup in March almost certainly off limits.

While Sherman believes that his pride and joy is ready run, he has left a little bit to work on with bigger targets looming.

“I would say he was 85 per cent, he is as tight as I would want him,” Sherman said. “He has been training forwardly, and he is really ready now and is feeling full of himself. He’s a lot of horse right now and looks beautiful.

“I don’t know about Dubai. The game plan is to finish off in the Pegasus World Cup. We’ve paid the money up front. Everything that I know of suggests we won’t be running in Dubai, even though I’d love to go back there. But I think that is asking a lot.”

California Chrome will shoulder 126 pounds and will have to be near his best if he is to beat Dortmund, another hulking chestnut colt who is set to carry five fewer pounds.

Dortmund has not run since he won a Grade 3 at the seaside racecourse in November on the back of a minor event at Santa Anita due to a quarter crack. That return itself was due to the fatigue of competing against American Pharoah in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, as well as bruised ribs.

Dortmund will break from Gate 2 under Gary Stevens, with his chief rival emerging from Gate 6. Grade 1 winner Hard Aces is in Gate 1 while outsiders Soi Phet, Crittenden and Follow Me Crev make up the middle draws. Win The Space has the wide outside.

Dortmund’s last workout was at Del Mar on Sunday, when he travelled through 1,200 metres in 1 minute, 12 seconds.

“Dortmund is a nice horse and I have been watching him train at Los Alamitos,” Sherman added. “I just don’t know how ready he is first up.

“He’ll be on the front end. We’ll be stalking so we just see how it plays out. I’m very confident coming in to this race on his performance, but this is horse racing and things happen.”

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