Chrome Hits the Track at Belmont

Steven Coburn and Perry Martin homebred California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) made his first appearance on the main track at Belmont yesterday, jogging once around the 1 1/2-mile course. (Click here for video) 
    “He actually surprised me, how good he was feeling this morning,” said Alan Sherman, assistant trainer to his father Art Sherman. “It’s amazing how quick this horse is bouncing back off these big races he’s running. He was dragging me around the shed row, he dragged Willie around the track today. He was really feeling good.” 
    Exercise rider Willy Delgado agreed with Sherman’s assessment of the flashy chestnut. 
    “He’s usually [strong on the bit] the first day back [on the track] after a race, but today he was much [stronger] than normal,” said Delgado. “It will take him a couple of days. New surroundings, he gets hyped up and tensed up, but it was just like that at Churchill [Downs] the first two days and at Pimlico the first two days. At Los [Alamitos], for that matter, it was the same the first two days. Once he gets used to his surroundings, he’ll be back to walking back with a loose rein, looking for the [camera] kind of horse.” 
    The GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. hero will begin galloping today and Sherman said that will provide a better indication of how his charge likes the track. 
    “He seemed to get over [the track] fine,” said Sherman. “He only jogged, so we’ll know more in the next few days galloping over it, but he seemed to be fine today.”