The California Chrome Syndicate has reached an agreement with the JS Company LTD. of Japan to purchase California Chrome, subject to all the Japanese government’s quarantine and exportation requirements being met, Taylor Made Stallions announced today.

As part of the agreement, the California Chrome Syndicate has the first right of refusal if California Chrome is ever sold, and upon retirement from breeding, he can live out the remainder of his life at Taylor Made. Owners Perry and Denise Martin will continue to participate in California Chrome’s breeding career in Japan.

“We were approached by representatives of the buyer, and being that California Chrome is owned by a 50-share syndicate, the offer was presented to the shareholders for a vote,” said Taylor Made’s Duncan Taylor. “Ultimately, the results were in favor of moving forward with the sale. California Chrome is the best horse we have ever owned, and he will now have the opportunity to have offspring performing in three different countries. California Chrome is a very special horse and means a lot to not only the team members of Taylor Made but to the thousands of fans he has across the country.”

The most accomplished horse from the A.P. Indy sire line, California Chrome bred 473 mares in his first three books at Taylor Made Stallions and his first crop of yearlings sold this year for $325,000, $260,000, $235,000, $230,000, $225,000, etc. California Chrome also stood the Southern Hemisphere breeding seasons in 2017 and 2018 in Chile at Sumaya Stud.

A 2011 son of Lucky Pulpit—Love the Chase, by Not For Love, California Chrome stood for $35,000 this year.

California Chrome (foaled February 18, 2011) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was named the 2014 and 2016 American Horse of the Year. He won the 2014 Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the 2016 Dubai World Cup. In 2016, he surpassed Curlin as the all-time leading North American horse in earnings won.

Bred in California, the chestnut-colored horse was named for his flashy white markings, called “chrome” by horse aficionados. He was bred and originally owned by Perry Martin from Yuba City, California, and Steve Coburn of Topaz Lake, Nevada, who named their partnership DAP Racing, standing for “Dumb Ass Partners”—a tongue-in-cheek response to a passerby who questioned their wisdom in purchasing California Chrome’s dam, Love the Chase. In 2015, Coburn sold his minority share to Taylor Made Farm, and a new ownership group, California Chrome, LLC, was formed. The horse is trained by the father–son team of Art and Alan Sherman. Dedicated fans—called “Chromies”—actively supported California Chrome, who has been called “the people’s horse”.

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