California Chrome

Background

California Chrome was foaled on February 18, 2011, near Coalinga, California, at Harris Farms, the horse breeding division of the Harris Ranch. He is a chestnut with four white stockings and a blaze. At four years old, he stood 16 hands (64 inches, 163 cm) tall.

As a foal, he was nicknamed "Junior" because of his resemblance to his sire, Lucky Pulpit. Lucky Pulpit had won three races, placed in several graded stakes races, and hit the board in 13 of his 22 starts. However, a viral respiratory infection damaged his breathing and limited him to racing over short distances. California Chrome's dam is Love the Chase, and he was her first foal. She was purchased for $30,000 as a two-year-old by an agent for a horse ownership group called the Blinkers On Racing Stable. As a two- and three-year-old filly, she was anxious in the saddling paddock, and as a result, often lost races before she ever got to the starting gate. She ran six times and won on her fourth try in a February 2009 maiden claiming race at Golden Gate Fields. After her win, Steve Coburn and Perry Martin became her owners, ran her two more times, then retired her later that year. They hoped she would become a good broodmare, as she had a promising pedigree. When she retired, it was discovered that she had raced with a breathing problem—an entrapped epiglottis that restricted her air intake, but which could be corrected with surgery. As of 2015, she had given birth to four foals, two fillies and a colt, all full siblings to California Chrome. After California Chrome became a Kentucky Derby contender, Martin and Coburn turned down an offer of $2.1 million for Love the Chase, but ultimately sold her in November 2016 for $1.95 million.

Ownership

California Chrome was bred by Perry Martin of Yuba City, California, and Steve Coburn of Topaz Lake, Nevada. Their wives, Denise Martin and Carolyn Coburn, were closely involved with the partnership, though not listed as owners on official records kept by Equibase. Perry Martin held a 70% share in the horse and was the managing owner. Coburn owned a 30% interest in the horse and sold his share to Taylor Made Farm in July 2015.

Originally, the Martins and Coburns each owned a five percent share in Love the Chase through the Blinkers On Racing Stable syndicate. When Blinkers On Racing Stable dissolved the Love the Chase syndicate, both shareholders wanted to buy the filly, so they formed a partnership and paid $8,000 for her. A casual observer, knowing Love the Chase's modest race record, remarked that only a "dumb ass" would buy her, so Coburn and Martin named their racing operation DAP Racing, for "Dumb Ass Partners". They created a caricature of a buck-toothed donkey to adorn the back of their racing silks, and put the initials "DAP" on the horse's blinker hood and the left front of the jockey's silks.

The Martins and the Coburns had in common a fondness for California Chrome but very different personalities and backgrounds. Melissa Hoppert of The New York Times described the Martins as the "quiet thinkers," noting that Perry Martin planned the mating of Lucky Pulpit to Love the Chase, mapped out a "Road to the Derby" racing plan for California Chrome, and promoted use of a nasal strip for the horse's races. Originally from Chicago, they moved to California in 1987, where Perry Martin was employed as a metallurgist by the Air Force and Denise briefly job shadowed a racehorse trainer in the Sacramento area. Today they own and operate Martin Testing Laboratories (MTL), which tests high-reliability items such as automobile airbags and medical equipment.

By contrast, Hoppert characterized the more outgoing Coburns as the "public relations arm" of the partnership. Steve Coburn, characterized by the media as "loquacious", described himself and his wife Carolyn as "just everyday people". He worked as a press operator for a company that makes magnetic strips, and Carolyn Coburn retired from a career working payroll in the health care industry. Carolyn introduced Steve to horse racing, and when he was looking for a tax write-off she encouraged him to buy into a racing syndicate instead of purchasing a small airplane.

Early years

Harris Farms, where California Chrome was bred, foaled, and lived until the age of two, had previously nurtured champions such as two-time Breeders' Cup Classic winner Tiznow. In 2010 Love the Chase was bred to the Harris Farms stallion Lucky Pulpit. CNN reported that the stud fee for the breeding was $2,000. Steve Coburn said he had a dream three weeks before California Chrome's birth that the foal would be a colt with four white feet and a blaze. California Chrome was relatively large for a newborn horse, weighing 137 pounds (62 kg), and active, "running circles around Momma" within two hours of birth. Love the Chase suffered a uterine laceration while foaling, and was placed on an IV due to internal bleeding. The mare and foal were stall-bound together for over a month. She was kept on a catheter that administered anti-bleeding medication, and the farm staff checked her two to three times a day. Because people gave the colt extra attention and affection when they cared for his dam, he imprinted on humans as well as his mother. As a result, California Chrome became very people-focused, a trait that has served him well in race training.

The Martins and Coburns chose California Chrome's official name in 2013 at Brewsters Bar & Grill in Galt, California, a town halfway between their two homes. Each of the four wrote a potential name on pieces of paper and asked a waitress to draw them out of Coburn's cowboy hat. They submitted the names to The Jockey Club ranked in the order drawn. California Chrome, Coburn's choice, was first drawn, and the registry accepted the name. The word "chrome" comes from slang for a horse with flashy white markings. The colt was started under saddle by Harris Farms' trainer Per Antonsen, who described him as a "smart horse" who was "really nice to work with".

Sherman Training Stables

Perry Martin considered California Chrome a Derby contender even before the colt raced. When the colt was ready to enter race training at age two, Martin asked Steve Sherman, who had trained horses for Martin at Golden Gate Fields, to recommend a trainer based in the highly competitive southern California area. Steve suggested his father, Art, who had an "old school" reputation for patience with young Thoroughbreds and a small racing stable of about 15 horses, which allowed each animal to be given individualized attention. Art Sherman liked the enthusiasm of Martin and Coburn, but when Martin emailed a "Road to the Kentucky Derby" plan outlining which races California Chrome should run, Sherman was dubious. Later, Sherman's son Alan stated, "[Martin] mapped out a trail for this horse; it's actually worked to a 'T', so it's kinda amazing." Art Sherman downplays his role in training California Chrome, saying, "This horse is my California rock star. I'm just his manager."

Sherman's first exposure to a Kentucky Derby horse was in 1955, when at the age of 18 he worked for Rex Ellsworth and was the exercise rider of that year's Kentucky Derby winner Swaps. He was a professional jockey from 1957 until 1979, when he turned to training racehorses. California Chrome was the first Kentucky Derby prospect that Sherman had trained. Art Sherman's assistant is his son, Alan, who is also a licensed trainer. Rather than run a separate stable like his brother Steve, Alan has worked with his father since 1991. He does most of the hands-on day-to-day work with California Chrome and stayed with him throughout most of his travels when Art returned to California to oversee the rest of the stable.

Unlike many high-end California Thoroughbred trainers, who usually are headquartered at Santa Anita Park, the Shermans kept horses at Hollywood Park, but when it closed in December 2013, Los Alamitos Race Course picked up some of the Thoroughbred races and trainers who had stabled horses at Hollywood Park, including Sherman. The success of California Chrome, who was conditioned there over the track that had been recently expanded to accommodate longer races, created good publicity for Los Alamitos.

Sherman's groom for California Chrome, beginning with his arrival at the stable, was Raul Rodriguez, a veteran horse handler. Other members of Rodriguez's family were employed by Sherman's operation, and two of his sons were exercise riders for another stable. Rodriguez traveled everywhere with the horse throughout the stallion's world journeys. The groom's bonuses from the wins of California Chrome allowed Rodriguez to purchase a house and 80-acre ranch in his home of Jalisco in Mexico, where he intends to retire.

Behavior

Observers commented that California Chrome appears to be a very intelligent horse, as he expresses curiosity about everything around him. His idiosyncrasies, included a fondness for one specific brand of horse cookies. His tendency to perform a flehmen response for no obvious reason, particularly when being bathed, prompted the press to claim that he is "smiling". He will deliberately stop and put his ears forward to "pose" for cameras when he hears them clicking. As Alan Sherman explained, "He's a ham"; and exercise rider Willie Delgado gave him an additional nickname, "Vogue". As a younger horse, notably in 2014, he would not walk forward out of horse vans designed for a forward exit; he would only back out, a quirk discovered by the press when he was first unloaded off of an airplane. At the Sherman stables, he had a green tetherball in his stall to play with, but his worst bad habit is that he sometimes bites.

On the track, California Chrome has the ability to use tactical speed at nearly any point in a race. Early in his career, he tended to be slow out of the starting gate; if he had to wait too long for the start, he sometimes expressed anxiety by rocking from side to side, preventing him from being oriented straight forward when the gate opened. He overcame this problem by the end of the 2014 season and learned to break quickly. When outside and in the clear, he usually won. He originally did not run well on the inside or in close quarters; two of his worst finishes were in races where he had the number one post position, and his fourth-place performance in the Belmont Stakes was attributed to both his injury at the start and the number two draw. However, as an older horse, he won both a 2016 prep race at Meydan Racecourse and the Pacific Classic from the number one post.

Racing history

2013: Two-year-old season

California Chrome's first start was in a maiden race at Hollywood Park in April 2013, where he placed second by a length. Three weeks later, he won a maiden race by 2+3⁄4 lengths. In both races, he was ridden by Alberto Delgado. About a month later, California Chrome was entered in the Willard L. Proctor Memorial Stakes. He was one of four horses assigned to carry 120 pounds (54 kg), the highest impost given by the handicapper. Alberto Delgado was out with a broken ankle, so Corey Nakatani was his rider. The colt was second for the first three furlongs but finished fifth in a field of nine. His next two races were at Del Mar racetrack. Delgado returned as his jockey, and California Chrome scored his second career win in the Graduation Stakes, a race limited to California-bred horses, prevailing by 2+3⁄4 lengths. He carried the same weight over the same distance as his previous race, but this time he wore blinkers and ran on Lasix for the first time in his career. Next was his first graded stakes race, the seven-furlong, Grade I Del Mar Futurity. He ran strongly but finished sixth after he got caught in traffic in a field of 11 horses and was accidentally hit in the face by another jockey's whip. Two months later, California Chrome ran in the Golden State Juvenile Stakes on November 1 at Santa Anita Park, and at 1 mile (1.6 km), was the longest race he had run. He was assigned the number 1 post position and had to wait for all the other horses to load. He became anxious, reared in the gate, was last out, struggled throughout the race, and again finished sixth.

Sherman's assessment of California Chrome's poor performances was that he was still growing and learning how to be a racehorse. But several things began to change. In the fall of 2013, Alberto's younger brother, Willie Delgado, an experienced rider and trainer whose career in Maryland was in the doldrums, moved to California and within a couple of months became the horse's morning exercise rider. At roughly the same time, Alberto was taken off the horse as jockey. In December, California Chrome began wearing a new type of horseshoe. He had developed low heels, and his farrier, Judd Fisher, found a particular style of glued-on horseshoe with a durable, hard, rim pad that raised a horse's heels was suitable for fixing the problem. Instead of gluing it on, Fisher custom-drilled holes into the shoe so it could be nailed to the horse's feet in the manner of a traditional metal shoe. According to Fisher, nailing on the shoes raised the soles of the horse's feet a little bit farther off the ground. It may have been a contributing factor to California Chrome's subsequent series of wins. Aside from that issue, Sherman described the horse's hooves as generally healthy.

2014: Three-year-old season

California Chrome began 2014 with the California Cup Derby on January 25. Espinoza returned as his jockey. California Chrome was slow coming out of the gate but quickly moved up to third, took the lead coming into the homestretch, and won by 5+1⁄2 lengths. Sherman noted that it was the second consecutive race where the horse pulled clear and won by a decisive margin, stating, "It's like the light bulb has gone on."

California Chrome's first graded stakes win was the March 8 Grade II San Felipe Stakes. Espinoza tried a different riding tactic and let the horse go to the lead right out of the gate. California Chrome led most of the way, and after Espinoza gave him one tap on the shoulder with the whip, the horse pulled away from the field at the top of the homestretch and won by 7+1⁄2 lengths. Alan Sherman said, "My jaw dropped", while Art Sherman joked, "I'm glad I'm training at Los Alamitos, because he looked like a 350 [yard] horse coming out of the gate"; a reference to Quarter Horse racing sprint distances. Espinoza remarked, "I wanted to let him enjoy his race," later adding, "I wanted to see if he [could] go wire to wire ... that was the day I found out how much he loves to run." The San Felipe was California Chrome's first win in a race open to all three-year-olds, not just California-breds, and earned him 50 points in the Road to the Kentucky Derby system.

California Chrome's first Grade I win was the Santa Anita Derby on April 8. California Chrome was at the front of the field by the quarter pole and went on to win the $1 million race by 5+1⁄4 lengths. Prior to the race, his owners had turned down a $6 million offer for a 51% controlling interest in the colt that would have mandated putting the horse with a different trainer. Coburn later explained, "This isn't about the money, this is about the dream."

California Chrome's time of 1:47.52 earned him a Beyer Speed Figure of 107, the fastest for any horse in the Road to the Kentucky Derby's final prep races of 2014. It was also the second fastest time in the history of the Santa Anita Derby; the only horses to run faster were Lucky Debonair, Sham, and Indian Charlie, who hold a three-way tie for the record at 1:47:00. The decisive win made him an early favorite to win the 2014 Kentucky Derby and raised speculation that he had the talent to win the Triple Crown. California Chrome's four consecutive wins had a combined victory margin of 24+1⁄4 lengths. After the Santa Anita Derby, Sherman began to describe the colt as "my Swaps". Of his growing popularity, Denise Martin commented, "He's not just our horse anymore; he's ...the people's horse."

2015: Four-year-old season

California Chrome had a tumultuous four-year-old season. The horse began 2015 at Santa Anita in the San Antonio Stakes on February 7, a return matchup with Shared Belief, whose traffic problems in the Classic prevented a true match against California Chrome. Art Sherman and Shared Belief's trainer, Jerry Hollendorfer, were longtime friends and rivals from the Northern California racing circuit, and each anticipated the rivalry between their two horses. Sherman said, "I just want both of us to be at the head of the stretch with no excuses and then it's who gets to the wire first." Shared Belief went off as the favorite, and although California Chrome took the lead by the 3⁄4 pole, Shared Belief edged him in the final sixteenth and won, with California Chrome second by a length and a half. California Chrome next shipped to Meydan Racecourse for the Dubai World Cup on March 28, where he needed to run at night, under artificial lighting, and without Lasix. He went off as the favorite but finished second to the Irish-bred longshot Prince Bishop, owned by Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum of Godolphin Racing. Sherman noted that his horse ran wide on the turns but said, "He tried every inch of the way. There's nothing wrong with finishing second in this type of a race."

After the Dubai World Cup, California Chrome was shipped to Rae Guest's Newmarket stables in England to prepare for Royal Ascot week in June. The decision to go to England was made by Perry Martin, against the wishes of both Coburn and Sherman. Martin explained, "I was trying to think in terms of what's best for the horse. It was my decision to send him to Newmarket. It's a beautiful place, with trees and pastures for gallops...It's good for his mind. I know Art didn't take the decision well. But he'll be okay." The horse's exercise rider in England, Robbie Mills, who was acquainted with the Shermans and advised them to stable the horse with Guest, stated that California Chrome was making a good transition from the flat dirt tracks of the United States to the undulating turf gallops of England. The horse was pointed to the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot, with European jockey William Buick, who rode Prince Bishop in Dubai, tapped to ride. The day before the race, the horse was scratched because of a bruised hoof that was draining pus. Guest stated, "He's been X-rayed and there's no damage." Martin wanted to run him in Chicago's Arlington Million in August, and the requirements of quarantine upon his return to the United States combined with the setback to his training foreclosed any other UK start. Upon California Chrome's return to the US in early July, a veterinary radiograph revealed that he had bruising on his cannon bones that would require at least three months to heal, effectively ending his four-year-old season. The veterinarians at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Kentucky explained, "California Chrome's x-rays showed all of his joints to be remarkably clean. He has the early signs of bruising to the bottom of the cannon bones ...The return rate for horses with this problem is very high ...we found that recovery rate was 95% after giving time in the paddock to heal."

2016: Five-year-old season and Dubai World Cup

Martin's plans for the horse in 2016 included a return to the Dubai World Cup, and ultimately another try at the Breeders' Cup Classic. Sherman's barn had a new exercise rider for the horse, Dihigi Gladney, a former bull rider and ex-jockey who grew up in Watts, who also runs a pony ride concession at Santa Anita. The purple and green DAP silks were replaced with a new silver-gray design representing the California Chrome, LLC partnership that now owned the horse. Martin stated that his goal for California Chrome was to become the leading money-winning horse of all time.

California Chrome's 2016 season began with the San Pasqual Stakes on January 9. He faced a seven-horse field that included a former rival from the Derby trail, Hoppertunity, and older foes Imperative and Hard Aces. Stalking the front runner until the final turn, he took the lead in the homestretch and won by 1+1⁄2 lengths. Sherman said of his modest margin of victory, "He could've opened up turning for home, but Victor put the full nelson on him. It was just what we needed." Espinoza, back on California Chrome after winning the Triple Crown with American Pharoah, said, "He's one of the best horses I've ever been on. I am so proud of him. American Pharoah and California Chrome are too hard to compare, so I won't." The win boosted his lifetime earnings to $6,442,650, breaking the previous record held by Tiznow as the highest-earning California-bred racehorse in history. He shipped to Dubai shortly after the San Pasqual to acclimate to the area, the same tactic used by the trainers of Curlin. He was entered into a 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) handicap race on February 25, where he drew the number one post position and was assigned a career-high weight of 60 kilograms (130 lb), an impost 7.5 kilograms (17 lb) more than any other horse in the eight-horse field. Alan Sherman, who accompanied the horse to Dubai and conditioned him there, was unconcerned, noting that Gladney weighed 150 pounds (68 kg). He handily won by two lengths.

Entering the 2016 Dubai World Cup, California Chrome had the number 11 post position in an international field of 12. He faced both old American rivals in Hoppertunity and Candy Boy as well as three younger horses who had challenged American Pharoah the previous year: Keen Ice, Frosted, and Mubtaahij. He also was again required to run without Lasix. The horse stayed wide and had a clear trip the entire race, took the lead 300 metres (980 ft) out and won by 3+3⁄4 lengths. The race developed added drama when Espinoza's saddle began to slip backwards in the homestretch. After the race he said, "I just kept looking forward and thinking 'where's the wire? It was not coming fast enough." The purse money for the victory put him past Curlin as the all-time leading North American horse in earnings won.

2017 and retirement

The final race of California Chrome's career was the Pegasus World Cup in Florida on January 28, 2017. He drew the far outside post and ran a surprisingly poor race, was eased in the stretch, and finished ninth, well behind the winner, Arrogate. Arrogate's jockey, Mike Smith, commented, "Chrome just didn't fire his race today at all." Sherman commented "This was the first bad race he has run for me." The horse had fluid on his right knee after the race, and although the injury did not appear serious, Sherman theorized about the cause: "It looks like he scrambled away from there and couldn't get his footing." Arrogate's trainer, Bob Baffert, was also disappointed: "I kept waiting for the matchup with Chrome, but he just didn't bring his race today. It's too bad." Post-race radiographs showed no bone injury, but California Chrome was mildly lame. Frank Taylor explained, "We don't know if he just wrenched it or strained it, but it had a little filling, fluid and heat in it." An equine chiropractor got a small "pop" when he stretched out the horse's leg. Clinical signs of injury went down, he shipped to Taylor Made Farm the next day, and soon was allowed to go out and exercise in a paddock.

Retirement and breeding career

Although the Pegasus World Cup was only three weeks prior to the start of the Thoroughbred industry's breeding season, Taylor Made began standing California Chrome at stud for the 2017 season. His initial stud fee was set at $40,000, making him the co-second-highest-priced new stallion for 2017. The knee injury was not viewed as a problem, and he began breeding mares soon after arriving at the farm, starting on about February 14. Mark Taylor quipped, "He's going to have like two weeks to go from the playing field to the penthouse." His book included nine mares purchased by California Chrome LLC, as well as Champagne Royale, the dam of two Grade I winners, including California Chrome's Kentucky Derby rival, Danza.

In March 2017, Taylor Made announced that they had brokered with Sullivan Bloodstock for California Chrome to shuttle for part of the year to stand at stud in Chile at the Sumaya Stud, owned by Oussama Aboughazale, who also owns an American horse farm on the former Belvedere Farm property by Paris, Kentucky. The horse shipped each July to Chile for the southern hemisphere's breeding season, then returned to the US. Staff from Taylor Made traveled with the horse and remained with him in Chile while he was there.

California Chrome's first reported foal, a colt out of the mare Pay the Man, was foaled on January 20, 2018. By 2019, he had bred a total of 473 mares and his first crop of yearlings sold at auction, the highest-priced selling for $325,000.

In November 2019, Taylor Made announced that the 50-member California Chrome syndicate agreed to sell him to the JS Company of Japan to stand at the Arrow Stud in Hokkaido. The Syndicate retained a right of first refusal and a provision that when the horse retires from stud, he will return to the US and live out the remainder of his life at Taylor Made. The Martins also intend to remain involved. Referencing an American racehorse that had a substantial impact on the Thoroughbred industry after selling to Japan, Duncan Taylor stated, "I'm hoping he's the next Sunday Silence."

California Chrome's first winner was Kentucky-bred Sunkar Time, who was exported to Russia and on July 18, 2020, won at Krasnodar Racetrack. His first North American winner was the filly Cilla, who won at Delaware Park on August 13, 2020. That same year, she placed third in the Frizette Stakes. Cilla became California Chrome's first graded stakes winner when she won the 2021 Louisiana Legends Mademoiselle Stakes at Evangeline Downs and then won the Prioress Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. Cilla was voted the 2021 Louisiana-Bred Horse of the Year and Champion Three-Year-Old Filly in 2022.

Awards and honors

California Chrome won many honors in 2014. A concurrent resolution in the California State Assembly recognized the "outstanding performance of California Chrome" and all of his connections including not only his owners and trainers, but also Willie Delgado and groom Raul Rodriguez. The resolution passed both chambers of the legislature unanimously on August 14. It was the first time that the California Legislature had honored a racehorse. The city of Fresno proclaimed October 11, 2014, as "California Chrome Day". In March 2015, the Los Angeles Sports Council ranked California Chrome's Kentucky Derby and Preakness wins third at the LA Sports Awards' Sports Moment of 2014, behind only the Los Angeles Kings Stanley Cup win and Clayton Kershaw's Cy Young and National League MVP Awards.

WHEREAS, California Chrome, a chestnut-colored horse as golden as his home state, transcended thoroughbred horse racing to become an international phenomenon not just with his brilliant speed and winning ways, but due to his heart-warming story and the people who make up his team. —Assembly Concurrent Resolution 161, California State Legislature, August 14, 2014

California Chrome won the 2014 Secretariat Vox Populi Award given each year to recognize "the horse whose popularity and racing excellence best resounded with the American public and gained recognition for Thoroughbred racing." His Kentucky Derby win was named the NTRA "Moment of the Year". At the Eclipse Awards, he was named American Horse of the Year and American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse. He was the second California-bred to win Horse of the Year, the first since Tiznow, the first three-year-old to be Horse of the Year since Rachel Alexandra, and the first Kentucky Derby winner since Charismatic. The California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association named him the 2014 California-bred Horse of the Year, Champion Cal-bred Three-Year-Old, and Turf Champion. Lucky Pulpit was named Champion Sire, Love the Chase was Champion Broodmare, Martin and Coburn were named Champion Breeders, and Sherman was named Trainer of the Year. In 2015, California Chrome was named Champion California-bred Older Male.

2016 saw the inauguration of the California Chrome Stakes, a 1+1⁄16 mile race with an introductory purse of $150,000 for three-year-olds at Los Alamitos. The track created the race in recognition of the horse being stabled there as a home base since the beginning of 2014. At the end of the season, he became a repeat winner of the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year, becoming the first horse since John Henry to win twice in non-consecutive years. He also was named Champion Older Dirt Male. In addition, he once again won the NTRA moment of the year, this time for his 2016 Dubai World Cup win, and also won the Secretariat Vox Popili award for the second time.

Fans and publicity

"Chromies"

An enthusiastic fan base supporting California Chrome became visible at the Santa Anita Derby, when someone invited the horse's supporters to join the owners in the winner's circle and over 100 people crammed into the area, including one woman dressed entirely in metallic foil. Coburn told CNN of a supporter who had a jackass tattooed on his shoulder. An unofficial Twitter account for the horse, @CalChrome, was started by a 37-year-old fan from Florida, Shawn LaFata, had over 12,000 followers by Belmont week. The New York Times noted the enthusiasm of the fans, who used the hashtag #Chromies on Twitter. LaFata believes the word "Chromies" first appeared on @CalChrome eight nights before the Kentucky Derby. The humble origins of the horse and the people around him played a role in his popularity, as did the horse's people-focused attitude. Supporters appeared to be further motivated by the continuing doubts raised by industry experts about California Chrome's ability.

The horse had nationwide appeal, but California Chrome's core fan base was centered in the Central Valley of California; the Sacramento television market ranked sixth in the nation for television viewership on Preakness day, and third in the nation on Belmont day. Prior to the Belmont, singer–songwriter team Templeton Thompson and Sam Gay wrote and recorded a song titled "Bring it on Home, Chrome" and a rap video featuring an elementary school children was released on YouTube. Even after his Belmont loss, Harris Farms fielded many calls daily from fans wanting to visit the horse while he had a break from racing in June and July 2014. In contrast to his admirers, California Chrome's image was somewhat diminished by the criticism that followed Coburn's post-Belmont comments. Additional negative press occurred when Martin turned down an offer to bring California Chrome to parade in the paddock at Del Mar on the day of the Pacific Classic. NPR's Frank Deford had little patience with the horse's story exemplifying the American dream; DeFord felt that the horse's victories would have little impact on the popularity of horse racing, which he viewed as "a sport that is struggling against time and culture" due to the prevalence of other types of gambling and the reduced impact of horses in the daily lives of most people.

Overall, the press the horse received was viewed as giving a needed boost to the sport. Jockey and sports analyst Gary Stevens noted prior to the Belmont, "I haven't heard Thoroughbred horse racing mentioned on CNN for a long time, and it was right at the top of the hour ... He's brought us mainstream again for the first time in a lot of years." Post-Belmont press analysis contended that California Chrome was the most popular Thoroughbred in America since Zenyatta. In December, when the horse was selected as the winner of the Secretariat Vox Populi Award, Coburn said, "We have always said Chrome is the 'People's Horse' and we are thrilled that the public feels the same way we do about him." In announcing the Moment of the Year, Keith Chamblin of NTRA stated, "the fans reminded us that nothing trumps an awesome performance by a legendary horse." When the horse won the 2016 Vox Populi award, Perry Martin said, "I'm proud to witness the love and devotion of Chrome's fans. They've always seen what I've seen in him."

Marketing

Prior to the 2014 Belmont Stakes, California Chrome's owners filed a patent application to trademark his name for use on athletic apparel, and hired two talent agencies to help with marketing and sponsorships. Following the "nasalgate" story, fans began to appear wearing human nasal strips or purple band-aids across their noses. Working with the intellectual property attorney who had brokered deals for Smarty Jones, California Chrome's owners gained an endorsement deal with GlaxoSmithKline, manufacturer of the human Breathe Right nasal strips. On Belmont day, GlaxoSmithKline gave away 50,000 of the strips at Belmont Park. Santa Anita, which simulcast the race, ran its own promotion, giving fans at that track purple nasal strips with the word "Chrome" on the front. On June 2, the Skechers shoe company announced a sponsorship deal where the company's logo appeared on assorted items worn by the horse and his handlers, the company used California Chrome's image in its marketing, and ran a half page ad featuring the horse in The Wall Street Journal at the end of June 2014.

Statistics

*Odds not available

Pedigree analysis

California Chrome has been described as a throwback to horses with toughness and soundness. His sire, Lucky Pulpit, and his dam, Love the Chase, each had relatively undistinguished racing careers, but their ancestors were successful on the track, and some were well known for stamina over distance. Lucky Pulpit was sired by Pulpit, who is credited with 63 stakes winners and particularly known for his son Tapit. 1992 Belmont Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic winner A. P. Indy is the sire of Pulpit, and in 2015, California Chrome became the all-time leading earner from the A. P. Indy sire line. The sire line of these stallions traces to Bold Ruler, considered one of the greatest North American sires of the 20th century, and ultimately to the Darley Arabian through Eclipse. A. P. Indy was by 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, and is a grandson of Secretariat on his dam's side, bringing a second cross to Bold Ruler into the pedigree. Pulpit is a grandson of Mr. Prospector on his dam's side, a line believed to cross well with Seattle Slew's breeding. Pulpit's maternal granddam, Narrate, carries lines to Bold Ruler and to 1964 Kentucky Derby winner Northern Dancer. Lucky Pulpit's dam, Lucky Soph, is a half-sister to the dam of Unbridled's Song and also a granddaughter of Caro, who sired 1988 Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors. Princequillo, who was noted for his stamina, appears several times in Lucky Pulpit's pedigree.

Love the Chase comes from old and respected stock, and California Chrome was the fifth Kentucky Derby winner produced from this mare line. Her sire, Not for Love, was by Mr. Prospector and out of a daughter of Northern Dancer. Northern Dancer appears again on the distaff side of Love the Chase's pedigree. Her granddam, Chase the Dream, was sired by the 1968 Epsom Derby winner Sir Ivor. Vaguely Noble, winner of the 1968 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, is one of Chase the Dream's grandsires. She traces to Princequillo and to the UK-bred Ribot, viewed by some as the greatest racehorse of his generation. Love the Chase has two crosses to the mare Numbered Account, who produced several Grade I stakes winners and was the American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly in 1971. Numbered Account was a daughter of Buckpasser, who earned five Eclipse Awards between 1965 and 1967, and was inducted to the Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1970. The Buckpasser line has been considered another good bloodline to crossbreed with descendants of Seattle Slew. Numbered Account was also a granddaughter of Swaps, and traces to La Troienne and War Admiral on both sides of her pedigree. Love the Chase's tail-female line is one of the oldest in North America. Through a mare named Selima, foaled in 1745, who was by the Godolphin Arabian and imported to the Province of Maryland between 1750 and 1752. The line probably traces to Thoroughbred family 21, which began with the Moonah Barb Mare, who was imported from Barbary to England in utero about 1700.