California Chrome in beast mode ahead of Dubai World Cup prep

We might have lost Marshawn Lynch to retirement, but we’ve got another star athlete who’s laying claim to “beast mode” -- former Horse of the Year California Chrome, who continues to train strongly in the build-up to his prep race for the $10 million Dubai World Cup (G1).

“Chrome worked like a beast this morning,” assistant trainer Alan Sherman said Thursday, employing the phrase he’s used before to describe the power of the flashy California-bred.

Striding out in the early Dubai sunshine at Meydan, the 2014 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1)-winning champion blitzed seven furlongs in 1:24 2/5 and galloped out a mile in 1:36 2/5.

This was likely his stiffest work in advance of a February 25 handicap at about 1 1/4 miles, the distance of the World Cup scheduled for a month later on March 26. According to co-owner Taylor Made Stallions, California Chrome will get his final tune-up next week, but you’d expect that to be more of a maintenance move.

With World Cup rival Frosted having aired in the February 4 Maktoum Challenge Round 2 (G2) in track-record time, Chrome seeks to respond to that challenge. Favoritism for the world’s richest race is on the line.

Photo courtesy of Dubai Racing Club via Twitter.