Since the shuttering of Hollywood Park, California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) has called Los Alamitos–the Quarter Horse track turned Thoroughbred facility–home, thrilling his legion of fans by his mere presence, not to mention his several outstanding breezes over the surface. Saturday afternoon, the 2014 Horse of the Year makes his final raceday appearance in the Golden State against nine severely overmatched rivals in the $180,000 Winter Challenge S., a race in which a challenge may be difficult to find.
Here's the tale of the tape. California Chrome enters the Winter Challenge with $14.45 million in earnings in 25 career starts, having posted triple-digit Beyers on eight separate occasions, not including his G1 Dubai World Cup romp and handicap prep earlier this year. His rivals, including the pair on the list of also-eligibles, have bankrolled just over $2.2 million in a combined 236 career starts, with a grand total of three Beyer Speed Figures north of 100, all of which belong to Point Piper (Giant's Causeway).
With a giant payday and a grudge match with Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) looming in the GI Pegasus World Cup Jan. 28, the tank won't be emptied Saturday, but California Chrome should gallop them into the ground in Orange County.
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