By Sacramento Bee
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Mar. 29, 2015) — California Chrome will take the long way home.
After a second-place finish in the $10 million Dubai World Cup, California Chrome will go directly to Newmarket, England, to prepare for a start at Royal Ascot, according to co-owner Perry Martin.
“I’ve talked to (trainer) Art (Sherman) and I’ve decided we are going to Royal Ascot directly from here,” Martin said via e-mail after Saturday’s World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. “We will train at Newmarket were (European champion) Frankel trained. Then, we’ll do our best at Royal Ascot.”
Making only his second start of his 4-year-old season, California Chrome finished second in the World Cup to Prince Bishop, who is owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum. The runner-up effort was still worth $2 million for California Chrome. He is owned by Perry and Denise Martin of Yuba City and Steve and Carolyn Coburn of Topaz Lake, Nev.
“We are so proud of Chrome,” Perry Martin added. “With everything against him, he still showed us what a champion he is. Second on this stage is nothing to sneeze at. This is a perfect transition to the international stage.”
— Debbie Arrington