CALIFORNIA CHROME TOPS 33 NOMINEES TO `CHALLENGE

By Robert Mieszerski —-

CYPRESS, Calif. –California Chrome, the world’s richest active thoroughbred, is the headliner among 33 nominees to the $100,000-guaranteed Winter Challenge.

Scheduled for 1 1/16 miles, the Challenge will be run Saturday, Dec. 17 and is scheduled to be the final start in California for California Chrome, who has been stabled at Los Alamitos since January, 2014.

The Challenge is one of three stakes that will be run the final weekend of the Winter Thoroughbred season at Los Alamitos.

The Dec. 17 program will also include the $100,000-guaranteed Soviet Problem for 2-year-old fillies bred or sired in California while the main event Sunday, Dec. 18 is the $100,000-guaranteed King Glorious for 2-year-olds bred or sired in California. The Soviet Problem and King Glorious will be run at one mile.

Owned by Taylor Made Farms and co-breeder Perry Martin and trained by Art Sherman, California Chrome has won 15 of 25 and earned $14,452,650. He worked five furlongs in 1:00 3/5 Dec. 10 readying for the Winter Challenge, which will serve as his prep for his final career start in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park.

Among the nominees who could compete in the Challenge include Avanti Bello, Blue Tone, Air Pocket, Conquest Cobra, Howdy, Mishegas, who is also trained by Sherman, Papacoolpapacool, Point Piper, winner of the Longacres Mile earlier this year at Emerald Downs, Poshsky, Prospect Park, who was second in the Grade II Los Alamitos Derby in 2015, and Ultimate Luck.

The remaining nominees, in alphabetical order: Ain’t Misbehavin, Chief of Staff, Curlin Road, Dream Team, El Huerfano, Grazen Sky, Ground Rules, Junior Gilliam, Lucky J Lane, Madiba, Madikwe, Presidentsky, Pretentious, Rosary Man, Semper Fortis, Solid Wager, Spud Spivens, The Gomper, Uninvited, Unusual Meeting and Wrightwood.

Among the nine nominated to the Soviet Problem are impressive first out winner Sircat Sally and How About Zero, the 10-1 upsetter in the Golden State Juvenile Fillies Nov. 4.

Owned by breeder Joe Turner and trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, Sircat Sally, a daughter of Surf Cat and the In Excess mare Sister Sally, won by five lengths in her Nov. 20 debut at Del Mar.
A homebred for Reddam Racing LLC, How About Zero, a Square Eddie filly, is 1-for-4 with earnings of $149,245. Her victory came by one length over Ms Wakaya, who is also nominated to the Soviet Problem.
The other nominees: Bella Luma, Cash Prize, Chileanna, It’s Not So Easy, Ocean Dream and Start to Finish.

California Diamond, a four-time stakes winner, heads the nine nominees to the King Glorious, which was won by California Chrome in 2013, the final stakes race run at Hollywood Park.

Trained by Peter Miller for Gary Hartunian’s Rockingham Ranch, California Diamond is 1-for-1 at Los Alamitos, having taken the Barretts Juvenile Sept. 18. He’s also won the Santa Anita Juvenile, Speakeasy and Golden State Juvenile and was second behind recent Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity winner Mastery in the Grade III Bob Hope last month at Del Mar.

The other King Glorious nominees are Ann Arbor Eddie, Calli Way, Coils Gold, an impressive debut winner Nov. 18 for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, Hot Smoke, I’d Be Sad an Blue, Milton Freewater, Mystical Image and Royal Seeker.

Entries for the Winter Challenge and Soviet Problem will be taken Wednesday, Dec. 14 while King Glorious entries will be taken Thursday, Dec. 15.