LOUISVILLE, Ky. — California Chrome, the speedy colt who established himself as the 5-2 morning-line favorite after winning four straight races by a combined 24 1/4 lengths, blew away the field in the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday under blue skies and 70-degree weather at Churchill Downs.
Ridden by Victor Espinoza, California Chrome drew off at the top of the stretch and then held off Commanding Curve by one and three-quarter lengths to prove that he was indeed the horse to beat here. He completed the mile-and-a-quarter distance in 2:03.66 over a fast track and returned $7 on a $2 bet to win. Danza finished third.
He joins four other California-bred horses who have won the sport's most prestigious race. Previously, the last California-bred horse to win the Derby was Decidedly in 1962, and only three have accomplished the feat.
"I think we get along together very well," Espinoza, who won his first Derby in 2002 with War Emblem, told NBC after the race. "He's just an impressive horse, an amazing horse."
His 77-year-old trainer, Art Sherman, surpassed Charlie Whittingham as the oldest trainer to win the Derby. Whittingham was 76 when Sunday Silence won in 1989.
Earlier this week, Sherman visited the grave of Swaps, the 1955 Derby winner who he accompanied to Churchill Downs as an exercise rider. He said he said a prayer, asking that California Chrome run as well as Swaps did.
Swaps was a California-bred, just like California Chrome, who was the first foal for the owners Steve Coburn and Perry Martin. He came from the mare Love the Chase, who they claimed for $8,000, and the middling sire Lucky Pulpit.
But Coburn and Martin believed in the horse so much that when they sent him to Sherman's barn they included an email that with the subject: the Road to the Derby. After the race, tears flowed down the face of Coburn, who turned 61 on Saturday.
He had a message for the non-believers: If you don't believe in this horse now, "then you've got to have your head examined."
Signing off from the press room at Churchill Downs. We'll see you at the Preakness, where California Chrome will attempt to add the second leg of the Triple Crown. Joe Drape's race article can be found here. Also, check out this video on the fashion at the Derby.
7:23 P.M. Order of Finish
1. California Chrome
2. Commanding Curve
3. Danza
4. Wicked Strong
5. Samraat
6. Dance With Fate
7. Ride On Curlin
8. Medal Count
9. Chitu
10. We Miss Artie
11. General a Rod
12. Intense Holiday
13. Candy Boy
14. Uncle Sigh
15. Tapiture
16. Harry's Holiday
17. Vinceremos
18. Wildcat Red
19. Vicar's in Trouble
6:38 P.M. And They're Off!
The horses break from the gate. California Chrome and Chitu set the pace. It's been a slow pace so far. California Chrome in third. He makes his move. California Chrome pulls away. Runs away with it!
6:35 P.M. Heading to the Gate
The horses have reached the starting gate. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's post time for the Kentucky Derby," the track announcer says.
6:24 P.M. A Scandal Hangs Over the Proceedings
Steve Asmussen is the trainer with the second-most career victories in thoroughbred racing. He also is under state and federal investigation over accusations of various forms of cruelty, including administering drugs to horses for nontherapeutic purposes and having a jockey use an electrical device to shock horses into running faster.
The official scrutiny of Asmussen was prompted by a four-month undercover investigation by PETA.
On Friday, Asmussen saddled the winner of the Kentucky Oaks, Untapable. He will saddle the 15-1 choice in the morning line, Tapiture, in the Kentucky Derby. He spoke to NBC at length for Saturday's broadcast.
— Joe Drape
6:21 P.M. Second-Largest Attendance
The attendance was just announced in the press box at 164,906, the second largest in history. The largest was in 2012, when 165,307 were in attendance.
"My Old Kentucky Home" is being sung. Hardly a dry eye in the place. Gets them every time.
The horses are now on the racetrack.
Statement necklaces are all the rage as ladies parade their Derby finest at Churchill Downs. Men are sporting jaunty fedoras and light-colored suits. Everyone busted a move when Pharrells "Happy" played over the speakers. The new giant HD television screen being called the Big Board appears to be a huge hit, enhancing the track side experience.
— Julie June Stewart
6:15 P.M. Turcotte Offended
Ron Turcotte, the Hall of Fame jockey who was paralyzed in a riding accident in 1978, said he decided against attending the Derby after he was denied a handicapped parking space last year.
"I wasn't allowed on the lot last year. I had to go park across the street," Turcotte said during a phone interview Saturday. "I didn't want to go through the hassle again."
Turcotte rode Secretariat to the Triple Crown in 1973. He accused Churchill Downs management of treating various members of the racing industry in a manner he finds "insulting." John Asher, a spokesman for Churchill Downs, said the track will make every effort to accommodate Turcotte in the future.
— Tom Pedulla
5:55 P.M. The Fans Known as Chromies
California Chrome's trainer, Art Sherman, calls him the rock star. "I'm just his manager," he says. That's certainly true at his home at Los Alamitos, where he would have the track to himself for a half-hour every morning.
Today, the track was transformed into the headquarters of California Chrome's fan club. But not to be outdone, Santa Anita sold tickets to the California Chrome Zone, which come with a T-shirt that says, "Bring It Home Chrome."
A lawn jockey at the famed Derby restaurant near Santa Anita Park was painted to feature the silks of California Chrome's owners. And signs of California Chrome's thrilling victory in the Santa Anita Derby can be found all over the racetrack.
Plenty of "Chromies," as his connections call his fans, showed up in Louisville as well. California Chrome gear was a popular choice, including for the star of the show "Horseplayers" on Esquire television, Christian Hellmers, who showed up at the Fillies and Stallions bash at Mellwood Arts Center in a silver-sequin suit that said Cali Chrome on the back.
5:48 P.M. The Walk Begins
An emotional Steve Coburn is among the owners who are making the walk with their horses from the barns on the backside to the paddock behind the track's iconic twin spires. Today is his 61st birthday.
His horse, California Chrome, is the first foal for he and his partner, Perry Martin, and he came from the mare Love the Chase, who they claimed for $8,000, and the middling sire Lucky Pulpit.
I asked him last week what a Kentucky Derby victory would mean to him on this birthday, and the confident rookie did not flinch.
"It will be probably the greatest gift I've ever had for my birthday when he wins the Kentucky Derby," he said. "This big, old man will probably shedding a few tears, that's for sure."
He added, "It's been an amazing, amazing ride, and we're going ride it clear to the finish line."
5:35 P.M. Caution: Horse Bites
Ride On Curlin, a 15-1shot in the morning line who will be ridden by Calvin Borel, has a sort of tenacity on the racetrack that carries to the barn, too. Outside his stall, there is a hand-drawn sign made by the owner Daniel Dougherty's 13-year-old daughter, Cookie, that reads: Caution Horse Bites.
Cookie, who rides hunter/jumper horses, found that out the hard way. Before Ride On Curlin raced in the Arkansas Derby, she was in his barn when he bit her on the arm when she had her back turned to him. She had a black-and-blue mark about the size of a baseball on her arm. She was mad that day, her father said, but she has since forgiven him. He's just got a lot of personality, he said. Besides, he's brought her to the Derby didn't he?
5:34 P.M. Sherman Flying High
There's no question that Art Sherman, the 77-year-old trainer of California Chrome, has stolen the show at Churchill Downs. But he also was the center of attention before he even got here. At Los Alamitos, where he trains California Chrome, the track restaurant features an Art Sherman special — petit filet, lobster and shrimp — one of the priciest items on the menu. And on his plane ride to Kentucky, his group overtook the plane.
He told the Churchill Downs media department:
So my wife Faye and I were flying on Southwest out of L.A. yesterday and wouldn't you know we wound up in a delay in Phoenix," he told the news media at Churchill Downs. "They had an issue with a plane and had to go and get us a new crew. But that all turned out great. We meet up with ( the trainer) Tom Proctor, (jockeys) Mike Smith and Gary Stevens and (the former jockey agent) Ronnie Ebanks. They were all headed to Louisville, too.
So we get on the plane, and we're all sitting together, and we're telling stories. And I mean to tell you this crew of guys can spin stories with the best of them. I can't tell you half the tales that were told, but there were some beauties. We are laughing and laughing and laughing. It was a riot. The people on the plane around us couldn't believe how much fun we were having.
And then, to cap it all off, as we're starting to come into Louisville, Ronnie jumps up and gives a call of the Kentucky Derby. It was terrific; the man should be a race caller. And he knew his audience. He had the race between California Chrome, Hoppertunity (Smith's mount before he was scratched) and Candy Boy (Stevens's mount). And he takes us right up to the finish as the plane's coming in and he says: 'And it's too close to call at the wire!' Oh, I'm telling you the whole plane loved it. Everyone was cheering. And it was the best plane ride I'd ever had.
5:19 P.M. Wise Dan Wins Again
Wise Dan, the two-time defending Horse of the Year, won for the 12th time in his last 13 starts when he edged Seek Again by a head in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic on the Derby's undercard. The 7-year-old gelding was ridden by John Velazquez. He took his second race in as many starts this year, paying $3 for a $2 win wager.
— Tom Pedulla
California Chrome apparently brought some sunshine with him for his big day at Churchill Downs. It's 70 degrees and sunny with a light wind, a steady improvement from Oaks Day, which was overcast and a bit chilly. Still, both days clearly were marked improvements from last year, when rain pounded the grounds here, leaving revelers soaked. Orb still found a way to win, despite the sloppy track, delighting those who braved the conditions.
Today, the track is fast, which works in California Chrome's favor, because he has never raced on a wet track.
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