As this is a story about how former racehorses are becoming more and more sought-after for second careers on the polo field, you may wonder why it features a picture of California Chrome.
There’s no need to worry, of course – the two-time U.S. Horse of the Year has a flourishing second career in the breeding shed and won’t be going remotely near any other activity for many years to come, if ever. He has been a big help, however, in the increasing effort to tell the racing world how polo is a ‘fantastic avenue’ for Off-Track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs).
This came about when the champion American racehorse met the champion American polo player – that’s Nic Roldan, the guy in the picture with Chrome.
Roldan, who is captain of the U.S. polo team, is currently in Britain playing a series of top-flight tournaments through July, but back in January he and Chrome both happened to be in Florida – Roldan playing at the International Polo Club Palm Beach and the 2014 Kentucky Derby winner a little further down the coast at Gulfstream Park, where he was training for the Pegasus World Cup.