Kentucky Derby 2014: What Replay Shows for California Chrome's Triple Crown Odds
Coming off a somewhat expected—yet impressive—2014 Kentucky Derby victory, California Chrome figures to be a massive favorite entering the Preakness Stakes on May 17.
California Chrome received huge 5-2 odds on race day that rose as high as 2-1.
He did not disappoint.
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In the lauded No. 5 post, the Art Sherman-trained thoroughbred pulled away from the pack heading into the final turn and ran away with the 140th Derby—becoming the first California-bred horse since 1962 to win the first leg of the Triple Crown.
Huge underdog Commanding Curve and trendy favorite Danza were stuck competing for second and third place, only to close the gap a bit in the final seconds.
As you can see in the video below, their late burst didn't matter as California Chrome had done plenty to cement his Run for the Roses win:
Here's a quick look at the final order of finishers:
| 1 | 5 | California Chrome | Victor Espinoza | Art Sherman | 2:03.66 |
| 2 | 17 | Commanding Curve | Shaun Bridgmohan | Dallas Stewart | 1 3/4 |
| 3 | 4 | Danza | Joe Bravo | Todd Pletcher | 3 |
| 4 | 20 | Wicked Strong | Rajiv Maragh | Jimmy Jerkens | 5 3/4 |
| 5 | 6 | Samraat | Jose Ortiz | Rick Violette Jr. | 5 3/4 |
| 6 | 12 | Dance With Fate | Corey Nakatani | Peter Eurton | 6 1/4 |
| 7 | 19 | Ride On Curlin | Calvin Borel | Billy Gowan | 6 3/4 |
| 8 | 14 | Medal Count | Robby Albarado | Dale Romans | 7 1/2 |
| 9 | 13 | Chitu | Martin Garcia | Bob Baffert | 8 |
| 10 | 7 | We Miss Artie | Javier Castellano | Todd Pletcher | 8 1/4 |
| 11 | 8 | General A Rod | Joel Rosario | Mike Maker | 8 1/4 |
| 12 | 16 | Intense Holiday | John Velazquez | Todd Pletcher | 9 |
| 13 | 18 | Candy Boy | Gary Stevens | John Sadler | 11 3/4 |
| 14 | 3 | Uncle Sigh | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Gary Contessa | 15 |
| 15 | 15 | Tapiture | Ricardo Santana Jr. | Steve Asmussen | 16 1/4 |
| 16 | 2 | Harry's Holiday | Corey Lanerie | Mike Maker | 22 1/2 |
| 17 | 9 | Vinceremos | Joe Rococo Jr. | Todd Pletcher | 28 |
| 18 | 10 | Wildcat Red | Luis Saez | Jose Garoffalo | 28 1/4 |
| 19 | 1 | Vicar's In Trouble | Rosie Napravnik | Mike Maker | 38 1/4 |
| 11 | SCR | Hoppertunity | Mike Smith | Bob Baffert | SCR |
A quick glance at the payout reveals a well-earned pay day for each of the top finishers:
| 1 | California Chrome | Steve and Carolyn Coburn & Perry and Denise Martin | $1,417,800 |
| 2 | Commanding Curve | West Point Thoroughbreds | $400,000 |
| 3 | Danza | Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners | $200,000 |
| 4 | Wicked Strong | Centennial Farms | $100,000 |
| 5 | Samraat | My Meadowview Farm | $60,000 |
The hype of a Triple Crown bid—or at least making it two straight at the Preakness—always comes within minutes of crowning the Kentucky Derby's champion.
When an underdog wins the Derby, betting can be all over the place for the Triple Crown's second leg (located at Pimlico Race Course).
However, this year's result of an overwhelming favorite winning has only heightened the odd's gap between California Chrome and the field.
According to BetVega's Trev Rogers, the Derby champ has nearly even odds:
Even more notable are California Chrome's Triple Crown odds, which ESPN's RJ Bell shares:
This certainly isn't the first time in recent history that a horse has won the Kentucky Derby and inherited noticeably large chances of winning the Triple Crown.
But if California Chrome were to pull it off, it would break the near 40-year spell of no Triple Crown winners.
Winning the Derby bodes well for California Chrome's next challenge, as 12 horses since Affirmed's 1978 Triple Crown have won at both Churchill Downs and Pimlico.
However, none of them went on to win the Belmont Stakes.
Before California Chrome can focus on that, though, he will have to gear up for the Preakness. He will stay in Kentucky for the week before traveling to Maryland for the May 17 race, per Daily Racing Form.
The field isn't set just yet, but Danza, Samraat, Hoppertunity (a Derby scratch) and possibly more contenders could welcome him there.
Danza and Samraat both finished in the top five and showed potential to upset California Chrome if he hadn't run a great race.
Pimlico is a slightly shorter track than at Churchill Downs, meaning if California Chrome were to run out of gas like he seemed to Saturday towards the finish it wouldn't matter as much.
Additionally, a smaller field of horses leaves the favorite less likely to get jammed in the middle of the pack and could result in the freedom to again pull away.
Only time will tell if California Chrome is worth the hype, but he certainly looked the part Saturday at Churchill Downs.
But that's just round one of the marathon that is the Triple Crown—pulling off all three has proven to be too much for any horse for 36 years.
California Chrome has the track record of success and the runaway speed to be a big-time candidate to break the spell.
It's just a matter of putting it all together for two more races.
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