California Chrome was much the best in Saturday’s G1 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita. The 2-1/4 length winning margin was no measure of his dominance as jockey Victor Espinoza shut him down mid-stretch.
The winner’s share of the $300,000 purse in this “win and you’re in” event won’t even be noticed in Chrome’s lifetime earnings. The same can be said for the pari-mutuel payouts to horseplayers. Chrome was sent off at 2-5 while second place Dortmund was 5-2. The $2 exacta returned $3.40, the $2 trifecta paid $7.10, and the $1 superfecta may have set a new record low of $11.30.
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The race never presented much of a challenge for California Chrome. East coast horses were unwilling to make the trip to battle Chrome for the $300,000 purse, then a couple of pre-race scratches made the Art Sherman trainee’s job even easier. Bob Baffert’s late-running Hoppertunity opted out, along with outsider El Huerfano.
The race set up just as everyone, including myself, expected. California Chrome was taken from his #1 post right to the lead. Dortmund, who added blinkers for the race, set up on his flank and tried to stay there. The three longshots, Hard Aces, Soi Phet, and Win the Space ran 10 lengths farther back in a little race of their own.
That’s about as exciting as things got. Chrome was never seriously challenged for the win and Dortmund was never challenged for second. The fractions of 22.76 and 46.08 were fairly brisk, but obviously not too much for Chrome. Espinoza practically eased Chrome to a cantor in mid-stretch. Win the Space, with Gary Stevens aboard, finished best of the rest for third but was outrun and outclassed by the top two all the way around.
California Chrome won with such ease that he should be really fresh in 5 weeks when he returns to Santa Anita for the $6 million Breeder’s Cup Classic. A win in the BC Classic would get Chrome’s connections an extra $1 million bonus for sweeping the Pacific Classic, Awesome Again, and BC Classic. Then Chrome would have a shot to get crazy in the inaugural $12 million Pegasus Cup at Gulfstream in January 2017. A sweep of these next 2 races and his bankroll would balloon to over $24 million!
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Sorry I can’t have the same optimism for 2nd place Dortmund. Bob Baffert has been sending Dortmund after California Chrome all year to no avail. It reminds me of the way Sham chased Secretariat through the triple crown back in 1973. Even though Dortmund has only run three races this year, losing to Chrome in all three, he looks like a horse that is tiring. I’m going to have a hard time backing him wherever he runs next.
We’ll be back to beat the favorite again next week.
