Racing fans will flock to Santa Anita Park this Saturday to see many stars make their final starts before a run at the Breeders' Cup in November. One of the biggest attractions is none other than 2014 Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome, who is slated to contest the 1-1/8-mile Awesome Again Stakes, a race that awards the winner a place in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic starting gate.
California Chrome has legions of fans, and for good reason -- he's a heck of a racehorse. Find out 11 fun facts about him below.
1. California Chrome is the highest-earning racehorse in North American history -- he's amassed more than $13.25 million.
2. The cost to breed California Chrome was $10,000. His dam (mother), Love the Chase, was an $8,000 purchase, and his sire's (father's) stud fee was $2,000. That's a 132,426.5 percent ROI to date based only on his racing earnings.
3. He was originally campaigned by his co-breeders Perry Martin and Steve Coburn but is now owned by California Chrome LLC, a group that includes majority owner Perry Martin and Taylor Made Farm in Nicholasville, Ky., where he'll eventually retire to for stud duty.
4. California Chrome has won five races with a purse of $1 million or more, including the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and the $10 million Dubai World Cup.
5. This year is Chrome's fourth year of racing. The 5-year-old began his racing career at age 2 in 2013.
6. He's currently riding a five-race win streak and hasn't finished worse than second since November 2014.
7. California Chrome owns stakes wins on all three of the main racing surfaces: dirt, turf and synthetic, including the 2014 Grade 1 Hollywood Derby on turf.
8. His synthetic stakes win was the final stakes race ever run at the now-defunct Betfair Hollywood Park outside Los Angeles.
9. California Chrome is undefeated in 2016, with five wins including the Dubai World Cup and the Pacific Classic. His average margin of victory this year is 2-1/2 lengths.
10. He has two Eclipse Awards to date, champion 3-year-old male and Horse of the Year, both in 2014, and he's a leading contender to add to that tally this year.
11. California Chrome has six Grade 1 (highest level) wins as well as three Grade 2 scores. In all, 12 of his 14 wins have come in stakes.
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