The California Chrome Effect ♥
 

He’s from Kazakhstan and his name is Kabirkhan

– and he’s a leading contender for the Dubai World Cup.

"So why the sudden interest? A son of hugely popular US superstar California Chrome – winner of the Kentucky Derby in 2014 and the Dubai World Cup two years later – Kabirkhan shot into the limelight on January 12 when winning a ten-furlong handicap on a Dubai Carnival card at Meydan. "

"...the colt repeated his easy win, but this time in a $1m race, the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge – a ‘win and you’re in’ qualifier for the Dubai World Cup."

The video of his maiden win is something else.

Is he still on track for the World Cup? I know he missed an expected start in the prep on March 2nd but feel like it's hard to get a read on whether that was missed due to a problem or just skipping on purpose for the big race. Would be an amazing story given those beginnings & the Chrome connection is a cool one.

Trainer Doug Watson:

"It's not easy to come back in two weeks and run quite like he did there—real nice time and to do it so nicely and easily in the end.

We'll see what they want to do. There's a third leg obviously on Super Saturday. But if they want to go straight to World Cup, I'm happy with that." (BH)

"Connections opting to skip the Al Maktoum Classic; still training up to the DWC. (HRN-Drew)

Fun fact:

He has an apt name.

Kabir in Arabic means great.

Khan in Islam means ruler.

Kabirkhan equals Great Ruler. (HRN-Pebbles)

While I am certainly a fan of this horse and his sire, I'm a little concerned with his lack of experience. I was also a little concerned with the track he ran on with standing water and a seeming lack of crowd and atmosphere that he is likely to encounter. I have also never seen an automatic qualifier for one of the richest races in the world ran over such a "bush" track. I wish the horse luck and will be rooting for him.

I'm not betting on this horse for the reasons stated above, but I certainly am rooting for California Chrome as a sire. The breeding industry really dumped on him when he was running. I'd love it if he threw some top stakes winners.

I would say that Kabirkhan has quite a bit of experience:

"...only [one] defeat in 11 career starts, which include three in Almaty and six in Russia, where he raced at three different tracks. So far, he’s won from 1,200 metres to 2,400 metres, on dirt and Polytrack."

The G1 Al Maktoum Challenge is what secured his entry into the DWC, not the "bush" track:

"...the colt repeated his easy win [ten-furlong handicap on a Dubai Carnival card], but this time in a $1m race, the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge – a ‘win and you’re in’ qualifier for the Dubai World Cup.


Kazakhstan’s Kabirkhan Horse Secures Dubai World Cup Spot with Back-to-Back Wins

Why, for the "reasons stated above"? Maddog42's reasons are not accurate.

Place horse ran through more big puddles.

Lots of American horses are trained on farms, too. A discerning handicapper can often pick it up on the PPs.

I found this quite interesting:




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Very cool video, thank you for sharing. That then led me to the excellent documentary on Vincent O'Brien. Well worth watching.

He beat US based Clapton by 5 lengths. Clapton is around a Grade 3 or weak Grade 2 caliber horse in the US running Beyers in the high 90s and occasionally cracking 100. Clapton came back to run 3rd in another softish spot. I'm not sure what that will get him in a legitimate Grade 1, but he's not a bum. He might run quite well.

California Chrome was sold to stand in Japan years ago.

Last year, he ranked 123rd in the Japanese stallion rankings.

Prevalent thought has long held it's the stress-free nature of farm-life, rather than any fitness regimen, that gives thoroughbreds not quartered on the backside a more eager mindset that can be a competitive advantage.

That being said, I've heard of some rather "unorthodox" (and less than relaxing) training methods employed on some lower class farms. The wildest has got to be how one "horseman" (reportedly) tied steeds to the back of his pickup truck and then gradually picked up the speed. Oh yeah, btw, that dude DID sideline a few with road rash, and reportedly drove back from the pasture one day muttering to himself "I should have KNOWN that cheap *&%#@ couldn't do 30(mph)."

The guy's name escapes me. We are talking 40 years ago...

On a more serious note..back when I bet Mountaineer (then Waterford Park) every day, I tried to discern as best I could which horses shipped in to run, as opposed to which (potentially more stale and less happy) runners lived and toiled in backstretch drudgery. Nowadays, for several reasons, those distinctions would be blurred.

You might be right. I know so little about racing overseas. But Russia???
I"M sure that the grade one win is great experience and means he has quality and merit.