California Chrome owners in flap with Del Mar

Connections to Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome aren't quite sure where they'll send the colt to race next. Owner Perry Martin just knows it won't be at Del Mar.

A controversy of sorts played out over the weekend when the track requested California Chrome make an appearance at the Aug. 24 TVG Pacific Classic, a race trainer Art Sherman speculated his horse may enter — at least before he injured his hoof in the Belmont Stakes, requiring some time off from training this summer.

But California Chrome's "Dumbass Partners" owners requested a $50,000 fee to show up on Pacific Classic Day: $10,000 to ship and insure their horse; $20,000 for DAP; and $20,000 for "Team Sherman."

"Hey, I thought it was a good deal," Perry Martin, who owns the horse with Steve Coburn, said in a statement. "(Trainer Bob) Baffert got $50K for 45 minutes of autographs in New Jersey. I'm only worth $10K and I know it.

"…Within an hour of sending the e-mail (to Del Mar) I started getting calls from the local pocket media. 'Chrome would not be appearing because of the greedy owners – DAP.' I wonder how they knew. Was Del Mar playing chess with the Dumb-Ass Partners? Will we be shamed into having our horse appear?

"Well, I've checked Chrome's schedule and he will not have time to appear at Pacific Classic Day and there is no race of interest to us at Del Mar until 2017," when the Breeders' Cup visits.

California Chrome is scheduled to arrive back at his home track, Los Alamitos, this week from a break at Harris Farms, where he was bred and has rested since his Triple Crown quest.

Los Alamitos is also forming a mile race for Sept. 20 with a $200,000 purse to accommodate the Derby winner. But Santa Anita runs its $250,000 Awesome Again Stakes a week later, and that race includes Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" status to the Classic.

A Los Alamitos spokesperson told BloodHorse.com last week that, "We're running the race, and we hope California Chrome will be in it."

Martin doesn't see the benefit.

"Los Al seems to have a PR person from the same school as Del Mar," Martin wrote in an email. "They feel they can use the press to manipulate us by controlling the stories put out there. I may be a dumbass but I know that $200K is less than $250K, and that the 'Win and You're In' bonus is valuable to the winner.

"…I understand the value of having Chrome at their (Los Al) venue. I don't understand why they don't simply make it a $251K race…This should be interesting to see if we run out of tracks to run at before he retires to stud."

Jonathan Lintner can be reached at (502) 582-4199. Follow him on Twitter @JonathanLintner.