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    California Chrome drew post position 13 and has been installed as second choice in the field at odds of 4-1. Once again, he’ll have jockey Victor Espinoza as his pilot. California Chrome turned in his final work last Saturday at Los Alamitos, taking five furlongs in a sharp :59.3. He was on track at Santa Anita with regular exercise rider Willie Delgado on Monday to stretch his legs in a one-mile jog.

    “He trained like a monster today,” said Sherman. “Not just today, but the last few weeks, he’s getting stronger and stronger. His last work was the best I’ve ever seen.”

    Jerry Hollendorfer’s undefeated 3-year-old, Shared Belief, has been installed as the 9-5 favorite going into the Classic. After winning the Cashcall Futurity (G1) at Hollywood Park last December, a foot injury caused the Candy Ride gelding to miss the Kentucky Derby prep season. He returned May 26 to an impressive win in an allowance race at Golden Gate only to follow it with another impressive win in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Derby July 5. Since then he’s won the Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar and the Awesome Again (G1) at Santa Anita. His average win margin is around four lengths. Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will be in the irons when the pair break from post six.

    California Chrome and Shared Belief both have early speed and champion hearts that make them tough competition in this talented field, but there are plenty of wagering options offering more value than Shared Belief or California Chrome.

    Bob Baffert’s Bayern comes in off a win in the Pennsylvania Derby (G2) where he smoked the field (including California Chrome) by over 5 ¾ lengths. Although his Travers (G1) loss, in which he was beaten by 20 lengths, was disconcerting, Bayern was strong in his Haskell Invitational (G1) win back in July. Bayern will want to take this field wire-to-wire, but will have plenty of competition on the front-end.

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    About Jessie Oswald

    I'm a lifetime Louisville resident with a passion for horse racing. When I'm not working as a paralegal or taking care of my family, I follow Thoroughbred racing and love to share the excitement and beauty of the sport with anyone willing to learn!

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