Topaz man scores at Kentucky Derby

Winning horse California Chrome’s owner hails from the Eastern Sierra; Dumb Ass Partnership pays off.

California Chrome became the first California-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby in 52 years on Saturday, May 3. Owned by partners Steve Coburn of Lake Topaz, NV and Perry Martin of Yuba City, CA, Chrome covered the 1¼-mile track at Churchill Downs in 2:03:66.

Coburn, and Martin, who tends to shy away from the media, letting Coburn do all the talking, are relatively new to the horseracing world. The partners invested $8,000 of their retirement savings into California Chrome’s mother, Love The Chase mare, in 2008. Coburn wanted to buy an airplane at first, but his wife Carolyn convinced him to get into horses. Coburn and Martin named their business “Dumb Ass Partnership” (DAP Racing) after overhearing a barn hand say whoever bought Love the Chase must be a dumbass.

The partners invested another $2,500 to breed Love the Chase with the stallion named Lucky Pulpit. Before the Kentucky Derby last week, Coburn and Martin turned down a $6 million offer for Chrome, who was born in California in February of 2011.

DAP’s racing colors are green and purple, Martin and Coburn’s wives’ favorite colors.

Chrome is the first horse to race in DAP silks.

Chrome is only the fourth California-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby, the first since Decidedly in 1962.

“He don’t know he’s a California bred, and I don’t care if he knows it or not,” Coburn said at the Winner’s Circle press conference at Churchill Downs following the race. “But he is who he is and he’s a great horse.”

Chrome won his first race at the Hollywood Racetrack last May, and has a lifetime earnings of $2,577,650 after the Derby win on May 3.

California Chrome stables at Los Alamitos Race Track in Cypress, California, training there with Art Sherman, 77. Saturday’s win was a first for Sherman, who became the oldest winning trainer at the Kentucky Derby. Los Alamitos Racetrack PR Manager Orlando Gutierrez said, “What [Chrome] did at Churchill was amazing. We couldn’t be more thrilled for Sherman, the owners, and the jockey.”

This is the second Kentucky Derby win for jockey Victor Espinoza, who fell just short of the Triple Crown title in 2002 riding War Emblem. Coburn has told press he knew Chrome would win the Kentucky Derby and now he is predicting Chrome will win the Triple Crown.

Tearing up at the press conference, Coburn said, “This colt was born on my sister Brenda’s birthday. She died of cancer at age 36. It will be 36 years this year since there’s been a Triple Crown winner. I told people this colt will go down in history. When he wins the Triple Crown, he will be the first California bred to ever win a Triple Crown. That’s where we’re going.”

According to Joanne Lawrence Senior Manager of Communications for NTRA (National Thoroughbred Racing Association), Coburn is not available for comment until the Preakness Stakes race on May 17. He flew home to Nevada on Tuesday in order to return to work on Wednesday in Gardnerville.

A native of Arizona, Coburn served two terms in the Army before moving to the Eastern Sierra. Coburn manages a magnetic strip press at JCP Enterprises, Inc, a magnetic strip manufacturing company that was based in Mammoth Lakes from 1989-91, before moving operations to Gardnerville.

The day of the Kentucky Derby was Coburn’s 61st birthday.