California Chrome

Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome picked up his first graded stakes win in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 8 at Santa Anita Park. That victory punched his ticket to the 2014 Kentucky Derby.

A three-time winner in stakes restricted to California-bred horses before the San Felipe, California Chrome cemented his status as a top West Coast contender for the Triple Crown races with his 7 1/4-length San Felipe romp.

California Chrome followed the San Felipe with an equally impressive 5 1/4-length romp in the Santa Anita Derby, defeating highly regarded Grade 2 winners Hoppertunity and Candy Boy, to cement his credentials as the favorite for the Kentucky Derby on May 3.

California Chrome took home a stylish victory in the Kentucky Derby and followed it up with a win in the Preakness Stakes. After getting injured at the start of the race, California Chrome finished in a dead heat for fourth place in the 2014 Belmont Stakes.

The colt was given a vacation for the summer of 2014 and made his first start since the Triple Crown races on Sept. 20 in the Garde 2, $1-million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing. California Chrome was trapped inside, much like in the Belmont Stakes, in the Pennsylvania Derby and faded in the stretch while winner Bayern blazed to a new track record.

California Chrome put in two more starts in 2014 before taking a winter break. In the Breeders' Cup Classic, he finished in a three-way photo finish for the win, where he came out in third place. Later that November he romped in his turf debut, winning the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby.

Following the season, California Chrome was named Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male.

California Chrome made his 2015 season debut in the San Antonio Stakes on Feb. 7 in a race that also featured champion Shared Belief. California Chrome took the lead into the stretch but could not hold off Shared Belief and setled for second in the thrilling showdown.

He then headed to Dubai where he represented America in the $10 million Dubai World Cup, where the colt finished second to Prince Bishop.

After Dubai, California Chrome shipped directly to Newmarket in the U.K., where he commenced training for a run in the Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes over the turf at the legendary Royal Ascot meet. He never made a start in Europe because of injury and spent the remainder or 2015 on the sidelines.

California Chrome returned in 2016 with a stylish victory in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes and prepared for a return trip to Dubai for trainer Art Sherman.

After winning his Dubai prep race on Feb. 25, 2016 easily, California Chrome moved on to the Dubai World Cup where he barely broke a sweat winning the race. The winner's share of the purse took his earnings to $12,532,650, making him the all-time highest earning North American-based horse ahead of 2008 Dubai World Cup winner Curlin. He returned to the United States and received an extended break until his return in July at Del Mar, where he outfinished a game Dortmund to post a hard-fought victory in the San Diego Handicap.

California Chrome stayed at Del Mar following his San Diego win and prepared for the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic and a showdown with three-time champion Beholder as well as a rematch with Dortmund. The Pacific Classic turned out to be one of the most dominant performances of his career as California Chrome put away Beholder at the top of the stretch with an explosive burst of speed and coasted to a dominant victory. He won the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes in his final prep race for the 2016 Breeders' Cup Classic.

In the Breeders' Cup Classic, California Chrome took charge early and led into the stretch, but he could not hold off the late rush of Travers Stakes winner Arrogate and had to settle for second. The Breeders' Cup Classic was 'Chrome's' only loss of the year.

California Chrome's connections set their sights on a final race in the inaugural $12-million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28, 2017, and officials at Los Alamitos Race Course created an overnight stakes, the Winter Challenge Stakes, to be run on Dec. 17, as a prep race for California Chrome and a farewell event for the horse in front of his home-track fans.

California Chrome romped in the Winter Challenge by 12 lengths, setting a track record for 1 1/16 miles, to close out his 2016 campaign. After the 2016 season, California Chrome was named champion older dirt male and Horse of the Year.

In the final start of his Hall of Fame career, California Chrome sis not fire his best and finished ninth of 12 in the $12-million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes.