The California Chrome Effect ♥

[Sheffwed]

Originally Posted by mountainman

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.

this is why I always give a long look to Fair Hill based horses

[MargieRose]

Originally Posted by tholl

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

Thank YOU for bringing this legend to light.

YouTube

[Spalding No!]

Originally Posted by maddog42

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.

In your previous post you seemed to have confused that video of his maiden win at the bush track for his Grade 1 automatic qualifier (the first video in this thread) which was at Meydan.

He also won a handicap at Meydan 2 weeks earlier. So the concern with crowds & typical race day conditions is not high.

Also, he has a new trainer since transferring to the UAE. Doug Watson has been there for decades & been champion trainer multiple times.

[MargieRose]

Originally Posted by Spalding No!

California Chrome was sold to stand in Japan years ago.

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

As of March 8, 2024, California Chrome is ranked 51, according to Japan's Largest Horse Racing Information Database - JBIS Search