California Chrome faces five in Hollywood Derby

Del Mar, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner California Chrome heads a field of six 3-year-olds for Saturday’s $300,000 Hollywood Derby going 1 1/8 miles on the turf.

Owned by Steve Coburn and Perry Martin, California Chrome will be making his grass debut on Del Mar’s Jimmy Durante Turf Course after already winning on dirt and synthetic tracks. The 3-year-old chestnut colt will again have Victor Espinoza riding.

“I want to run him on the grass,” trainer Art Sherman said. “It will give me a lot of options when he runs next year as a 4-year-old. And he’s got a chance at Horse of the Year (for 2014).”

California Chrome finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1 just a neck behind Bayern and runner-up Toast of New York. He was sixth to Bayern in the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing on Sept. 20 in his first start after finishing fourth in the Belmont Stakes.

Early this year he posted three straight wins at Santa Anita in the California Cup Derby, San Felipe Stakes and Santa Anita Derby before taking the first two legs of the Triple Crown.

California Chrome has banked $4,042,650 from 15 career starts with eight wins.

Also entered in the race is Queen’s Plate winner Lexie Lou. The 3-year-old filly is owned by Gary Barber and trained by Mark Casse.

Lexie Lou won the 1 1/4-mile Queen’s Plate by 1 1/2 lengths as the 3-1 second pick. The filly followed by winning the Wonder Where Stakes at Woodbine five weeks later on Aug. 10. After finishing 10th in the Canadian Stakes on grass, Lexie Lou won the Autumn Miss Stakes on Oct. 25.

The 3-year-old has banked $1,059,470 this year with four wins from seven starts.

Here is the Hollywood Derby field in alphabetical order: Cabral, Kent Desormeaux; California Chrome, Victor Espinoza; Flamboyant, Mike Smith; Lexie Lou, Corey Nakatani; Sawyer’s Hill, Rafael Bejarano and Talco, Drayden Van Dyke.

Categorized in: Horses