Bolding is mine. On what planet do you live where that statement is in any way acceptable?
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I was about to give my opinion of why that and similar comments and feelings have become more acceptable of late… but thought better of it. You can also check out what the overwrought Chromies say about Japanese culture if you want a sad reminder of how some people see the world.
The extreme Chromies were never actually racing fans… if Chrome had been a solid bay and Steve Coburn a touch more abrasive during the TC run, they would not have given “America’s Horse” a second glance. Now they rage about Chrome being betrayed - they can see it in his eyes. They look at a short video of CC running the fence in his paddock and can tell by his eyes that he is “stressed” and wants to come home. The ANGER some had about a video of Chrome covering a mare was beyond ridiculous. Their conspiracy theories about how the Thoroughbred industry is trying to “erase” CC are laughable and bizarre. The vast knowledge they now have of all the evils of racing and the discussions of how it should be brought down are pathetic.
If those Chromies were “true” fans they would have pooled their fortunes and bought Chrome away from Traitor Made (as they call it) and the other partners and taken turns having him in their back yards… a few of them actually seemed to think this was possible.
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Oh, but wait… the Japanese bought Forty Niner in 1995, pensioned in 2007 and passed away earlier today (in Japan) at the age of 35.
What was that again about the “Japanese culture”??
If CC had been attractive to breeders, there isn’t an amount that could be paid by any country that would have made a difference and he’s still be here (I mean, Tapit’s still here). Breeding TBs is a business. Maybe he will become the next Sunday Silence in Japan… doesn’t mean that either Sunday Silence or CC would produce the same level of competitive racehorse in the US.
Man o’War… horse racing and breeding in 1921 and 2020 cannot be compared… just can’t.
@smoofox this not directed at you 
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Um this one where they have the most money and pay the highest prices except for Coolmore. Not everything is racist, it is just a fact, they can outbid everyone else.
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Um, you are wrong. There are people who do not belong to either of the ethnic groups you’ve singled out, who are winning bidders at the sales. The buyer is the person who wants the horse the most.
I hope you understand that the reason California Chrome went to Japan was because they wanted him the most, not because other interests couldn’t afford to buy him.
You also have no idea how much people pay for horses that are sold and/or syndicated privately, and you don’t know who they are either.
Your rather crude generalization only highlights how much you don’t understand about TB breeding and sales.
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@summerhorse Did you read LaurieB’s post? Did you learn anything from it?
Most North American TB breeders were not interested in California Chrome’s bloodline and/or his physical, and what he was getting wasn’t appealing to breeders or buyers.
Japan is thrilled to have him. Be happy!
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No where did I say they were the ONLY people who were winning bidders, obviously they are not. They simply have deep pockets and along with Coolmore can outbid most people IF they want the horse the most and why is someone else’s reference to the lure of IRISH money OK? but Japanese and Arab states money not? There is no slight in observing that some nations’ breeders are more blessed economically than others. I think we’d all like to trade bank accounts with them.
I simply expressed how I felt that Chrome didn’t get a chance here, obviously yes they sold him because the interest was not here. And I know you cannot make real comparisons from different eras, it is still IMO a shame that the Thoroughbred world is now run by corporations like wall street businesses. Good for the bottom line but not so good for horses or little people. But it is what it is.
You seem to read way more into people’s posts than are actually meant, I don’t know why you have to be so derogatory to other posters when you disagree.
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I’m sure if they could have afforded to do that they would have. I think “they” would be the owners who sold him? IDK just a guess. I don’t think anyone would expect you to spend big bucks breeding to a horse you don’t like, whoever he was! That would make no sense.
This is what you said. It’s pretty straightforward. I didn’t “read more into it”.
Bolding is mine.
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Bolding is mine. My last post was my response to your post, quoted here.
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What kind of “chance” would be acceptable to keep CC around when the US interest was lacking and there was interest in other countries? Even you appear to be making contradictory statements.
He didn’t get a chance + interest not being here. When do you stop paying for a horse that isn’t “wanted” for the purpose for which that horse was acquired? Rather than selling to some foreign country, keep feeding him with perhaps a smaller and smaller book each year and make money by offering Chromie tours? Or maybe sell him to some farm in Indiana so he can cover mares for $2500?
A big farm has a big budget and, short of retiring a successful stallion after their breeding career is over, they are not an equine charity. The business, to make the IRS and owners happy, needs to make money. It is what it is.
What chance should CC been given to justify him staying in the US?
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So I will weigh in from harness racing land. I know it’s vastly different .
I am not going so far as to say it’s a shame CalChrome is overseas because maybe, and hopefully, he will do wonderfully there. I also 100% believe given his accomplishments and notoriety he will be just fine so all the Chromies need to calm TF down.
But I will tell you…my general observation is, the US gives up extremely quickly on bloodlines that aren’t popular. In the standardbred world, the overseas contingent (Europe, AUS and NZ) have cashed in nicely on US’s outcasts.
My current lament, and example, is a painfully off-bred trotter (pacing-bred sire, trotting-bred dam) who beat everything there was to beat here in the states at 3, but got no respect at all here as a sire. He got exported prior to his oldest reaching 3…to a full book of mares in Sweden. Meanwhile here in the states, what little support he got has yielded great results. And Europe latched onto him early, so they already have some stars via frozen semen over there.
This is the way it is here now. You better be fashionably bred, or hit the bricks. The horse I reference above is a great example of just straight talent accounting for something. If you want to get into bloodlines, this horse I am talking about, his eighth - EIGHTH - dam is one of the finest standardbred trotters in history. Rosalind. You might’ve read a book about her.
No one is looking that far back, but I will tell you, this horse, not unlike his eighth dam, was freak fast.
I don’t know one iota about TB bloodlines, but I get the sense CalChrome is a similar freak; no close-up bloodlines to speak of and performed well above his trajectory.
Not to predict, but freak speed doesn’t really go away. I hope, and suspect, he does fantastically in Japan.
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@Big_Tag and @summerhorse I totally get what you’re saying. I hope California Chrome is a success in Japan too. The Japanese have been very supportive of the U.S Thoroughbred industry. I hope they got a good one. But it wouldn’t change my feelings about wanting to breed to the horse myself.
Here’s an analogy. Suppose your mother picks out a man she thinks would be perfect for you to marry. Maybe he’s a nice guy, very smart and wholly unobjectionable. Your mother loves him. But for whatever reason, you aren’t attracted to him. He just isn’t the man for you. That doesn’t mean you’re stupid or short-sighted. It doesn’t mean that the guy is a total loser. It just means you have options that you find more appealing.
That’s how I (and other American TB breeders) feel about CC.
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The one person that continued to support Chrome throughout his career, his stud career and even now in Japan is one of his original owners, Martin. Yet he is the person who has been constantly vilified by the Chromies, even though he has gone to far greater lengths than most to promote Chrome’s success. Chrome did show some talent for the grass, and I believe that the Japanese breeders are far more interested in turf horses than the Americans. Perhaps by having Chrome’s best interests at heart, Martin is trying to do the best thing for him in the long run. I also believe that he has continued to retain some financial interest in the horse.
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I keep coming back to thinking of Sunday Silence. Performed well on the track (KD, Preakness, BC Classic, HOY in 1989) but certainly wasn’t well respected in the US breeding shed. Full ownership to Japan where he started his breeding career in 1991 and was an incredible sire.
Would Sunday Silence have produced in the US what he produced in Japan? No way to know. What is known is that Sunday Silence did make a name and reputation for himself in the shed in Japan. He made that legacy in just 11 years (before passing away at 16).
Perhaps the same will happen to CC. Not the respect that some feel he deserved in the US sheds. Maybe he’ll be another Sunday Silence with a huge legacy in Japan.
IMO, isn’t “better” if a stallion goes to where they are wanted and with a potential opportunity to create their own legacy rather than staying in the country where they were bred and raced but close to ignored?
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I think Chrome is better suited to Japan, in the US he would probably have ended up as a regional stallion. In Japan he will most likely get better mares and a better chance.
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There are plenty of breeders who could have purchased and stood him in the US but they were not interested enough to part with the cash. The money availability isn’t the limiting factor.
I don’t think the people who are upset that he’s in Japan care much about his legacy.
They’re disappointed that they can’t visit him which is understandable.
The hostility, resentment and downright nuttiness expressed by some of the CC “fans” toward his connections is not understandable, it’s weird.
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You just inspired me to pull out my childhood copy of Born to Trot, published two years before I was born. Such a beautifully written story about some amazing characters, especially Rosalind.
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There’s a great SI Vault story, complete with pics and some rare film footage shot by Gibson White, about Rosalind, Greyhound, and their world record tandem trot.
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