California Chrome arrives in Baltimore

Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome boarded a van at Churchill Downs at

10:17 a.m. (EDT) Monday for the first leg of his journey to Pimlico to headline

Saturday's 139th Preakness Stakes. Accompanied by Preakness candidates Ride On Curlin and General a Rod, California Chrome rode by van from Louisville to

Lexington, Kentucky, where he boarded a flight bound for Baltimore-Washington

International Airport.

The Derby winner and his traveling companions arrived at BWI at 1:46 p.m. and received a Baltimore City Police escort to Pimlico. California Chrome,

riding in one van, reached the

historic racetrack at 3:12 p.m., and Ride On Curlin and General a Rod arrived

soon afterward on another van.

Earlier Monday morning, the trio all turned in routine gallops at Churchill

before embarking on their journey.

Owned by breeders Steve Coburn and Perry Martin, California Chrome completed

the Churchill Downs portion of his training by galloping 1 1/4 miles with Willie

Delgado aboard.

"Everything is perfect. I couldn't ask for anything more," said Alan Sherman,

assistant trainer to his father Art Sherman, of the colt's stay in Louisville

following his victory in the Run for the Roses. "He lost a little weight after

the race but put it all back on quickly."

Once stepping onto the grounds at Pimlico, California Chrome took up residence

in Stall 40 in the Preakness Stakes Barn, the traditional home of Derby winners

during their sojourn.

Sherman, whose father returned to Southern California a couple days after the

Kentucky Derby to tend to the rest of his stable based at Los Alamitos,

commented on the shipping experience and the colt's grand arrival before a

throng of photographers.

"Everything went great," the assistant trainer said. "He just stood there. He loved getting his picture

taken."

Daniel Dougherty's Ride On Curlin had galloped an easy 1 1/8 miles shortly after

the Churchill track opened Monday with Bryan Beccia aboard.

Trainer Billy Gowan was pleased with the Kentucky-based preparation for the

Preakness for Ride On Curlin, who will be ridden Saturday by Joel Rosario.

"Everything has been perfect; just like we drew it up," Gowan said. "When he

gets there, he may school in the paddock one day but won't go to the gate. He'll

gallop tomorrow and maybe work a bit Wednesday."

Later, after arriving at Pimlico, Gowan was pleased with how the travel day

went.

"He shipped good," the trainer said after 10 or 15 trips around the shedrow

of the Preakness Stakes Barn with Ride On Curlin. "He's got a good mind; nothing

much bothers him. I rode on the plane with him and in the van with him. It was

good. We got a police escort, so we didn't have to stop."

Gowan said he'll take the colt out for a gallop over the Pimlico surface

Tuesday morning at about 8:30 a.m.

Like his shipmates, General a Rod galloped Monday morning before departing

Churchill Downs, to the satisfaction of trainer Mike Maker.

"He's doing good; everything's fine," said Maker, who was slated to arrive in

Baltimore Monday evening to saddle his first Preakness starter.

Maker said that there were two primary factors that led the connections to

run back in two weeks after an 11th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.

"He came out of his race good and it's the Preakness," Maker said. "It's the

second leg of the Triple Crown. If you've got a good horse, you want to be in

it."

General a Rod started from post 8 in the Kentucky Derby but was

unable to utilize his normal tactical speed and get position. Once he

was shuffled back to 16th through the first turn, he was never able to

mount a serious threat to California Chrome.

"The distance wasn't a concern," Maker said. "He's run at a mile and an

eighth (in the Florida Derby), too."

"I got thinking about it," Ward said, "and my horse is just thriving right

now at Keeneland. With the direct flight on Wednesday I just thought, 'let me

leave him right where he's at.' I generally like to ship in right on top of the

races when I go to England and France and thought I would stick with the

original plan and train him right there at Keeneland, where he has trained his

whole life, then ship a couple of days out and run."

Jockey Jeffrey Sanchez will ride the colt in the Preakness Stakes. Sanchez

was aboard for Pablo Del Monte's six-furlong breeze in 1:12 1/5 Saturday at

Keeneland.

Rounding out Monday's scheduled arrivals is Belmont Park-based Kid Cruz. The

Private Terms and Federico Tesio winner galloped and was schooled at the gate

for the second day in a row at Belmont ahead of his van ride to Pimlico that

would arrive between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. Monday, according to trainer Linda Rice.

Owned by Vina Del Mar Thoroughbreds and Black Swan Stable, Kid Cruz will be

one of seven non-Kentucky Derby starters in Saturday's expected field of 10 for

the 139th Preakness. At least four of the competitors have shown an affinity for

early speed while Kid Cruz is a well documented closer.

"It certainly can't hurt," Rice said. "In his two previous races (Tesio and

Private Terms), there's been no pace at all and he's managed to close into it.

These are much faster horses, though. Hopefully he can catch them."

Kid Cruz was especially impressive in winning the nine-furlong Private Terms

at Laurel in his first stakes start on March 8. Sitting dead last in a field of

10 in the backstretch, the son of Lemon Drop Kid passed the entire field under

jockey Julian Pimentel and won by four lengths. The margin was 3 1/2 lengths in

the Tesio at Pimlico on April 19.