Del Mar, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner
California Chrome heads a field of six 3-year-olds for Saturday’s $300,000
Hollywood Derby going 1 1/8 miles on the turf.
Owned by Steve Coburn and Perry Martin, California Chrome will be making his
grass debut on Del Mar’s Jimmy Durante Turf Course after already winning on
dirt and synthetic tracks. The 3-year-old chestnut colt will again have
Victor Espinoza riding.
“I want to run him on the grass,” trainer Art Sherman said. “It will give me a
lot of options when he runs next year as a 4-year-old. And he’s got a chance
at Horse of the Year (for 2014).”
California Chrome finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1 just
a neck behind Bayern and runner-up Toast of New York. He was sixth to Bayern
in the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing on Sept. 20 in his first
start after finishing fourth in the Belmont Stakes.
Early this year he posted three straight wins at Santa Anita in the California
Cup Derby, San Felipe Stakes and Santa Anita Derby before taking the first two
legs of the Triple Crown.
California Chrome has banked $4,042,650 from 15 career starts with eight wins.
Also entered in the race is Queen’s Plate winner Lexie Lou. The 3-year-old
filly is owned by Gary Barber and trained by Mark Casse.
Lexie Lou won the 1 1/4-mile Queen’s Plate by 1 1/2 lengths as the 3-1
second pick. The filly followed by winning the Wonder Where Stakes at
Woodbine five weeks later on Aug. 10. After finishing 10th in the Canadian
Stakes on grass, Lexie Lou won the Autumn Miss Stakes on Oct. 25.
The 3-year-old has banked $1,059,470 this year with four wins from seven
starts.
Here is the Hollywood Derby field in alphabetical order: Cabral, Kent
Desormeaux; California Chrome, Victor Espinoza; Flamboyant, Mike Smith; Lexie
Lou, Corey Nakatani; Sawyer’s Hill, Rafael Bejarano and Talco, Drayden Van
Dyke.
