Column: Chromies rejoice, California Chrome back racing Saturday at Del Mar

You know you’re big when someone names a food item after you. So, how big must you be if they name an entire food competition after you?

Such is life for California Chrome, considered the most popular horse currently racing in the world. He’s certainly the richest, having won about $12.5 million.

Saturday at Del Mar, the winner of the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness will head a field of five in the $200,000 San Diego Handicap. It will be the 5-year-old’s first race since becoming the all-time leading money earner for a North American horse after winning the $10-million Dubai World Cup in March.

Before the race Saturday, there will be a food truck competition of Chrome-themed foods. Kelly Martin, daughter of principal owner Perry Martin, will be the judge. She’ll weigh the merits of the Chrome Strawberry Love waffle against the Chromecado Taco (fried avocado taco), plus the CaliChrome Pig (hot dog) and the Cal Chrome Gyro Slider.

Decisions, decisions.

California Chrome’s fairy tale story is well told. The son of an $8,000 mare bred for $2,500 to a California sire, he shocked everyone by even making it to the 2014 Derby and then won it. He followed by winning the Preakness before losing in the Belmont Stakes. Since then his career has taken him to Dubai, England and points across the U.S.

His followers, dubbed Chromies, are almost 18,000 strong on Twitter, and there are countless others who watch him on television or at the track.

“The day he was born I knew he would be great,” Martin said. “That day I started to put together the Kentucky Derby plan. I hadn’t said that about any horses previous or any horses since then.”

Chrome’s racing career is definitely entering the final furlongs. After the San Diego Handicap, he’s looking to run in the Pacific Classic on Aug. 20 at Del Mar, the Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 1 and the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 5. If any horse sweeps those last three races there is a $1-million bonus.

Most thought that Chrome would have one more race after that, the newly formed $12-million Pegasus Cup on Jan. 28 at Gulfstream in Florida. The race would be early enough in the year so that Chrome could then start his career as a stallion at Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky.

But owner Martin is in talks with Del Mar to have him run against the Breeders’ Cup turf winner in the Hollywood Turf Cup if they would move it to closing day of the winter meeting.

“It’s totally unofficial, but it would be a championship between the turf winner and the dirt winner,” Martin said. “It would also give us a race in between. I think three months without a race is too long, so I have talked to Del Mar about it. Of course, it would fizzle out if he doesn’t win the Breeders’ Cup.”

Chrome has also added another item to his celebrity resume: philanthropy.

“I brought up the possibility of putting a portion of our earnings to charity,” Martin said. “Taylor Made jumped right on it. They researched the various charities and we all liked the Jimmy V because 100% goes to research.”

The V Foundation for Cancer Research was named after former North Carolina State basketball coach Jim Valvano.

After Saturday’s race, they will have an auction in the paddock of Chrome-related items, including the silks and blinkers from the San Diego Handicap. In the future there will also be a cookbook, spawned by the food truck competition, where all proceeds after production costs go to the charity.

Martin and trainer Art Sherman have been along from the start that began with Chrome’s first race as a 2-year-old at Hollywood Park in May 2013. He won three of his first six starts that year.

He started his 3-year-old season with a win in the California Cup Derby, a race restricted to Cal breds. From there, wins in the San Felipe and Santa Anita Derby put him the Kentucky Derby. His notoriety was growing as the ultimate underdog.

Chrome was on the cusp of being a Triple Crown winner when he finished fourth in the Belmont, leading to nationally televised tirade by former co-owner Steve Coburn about how unfair it is was to let rested horses run against horses that had run the first two races.

His 4-year-old season was beset by injuries. He ran only two races early in the year and then didn’t race until this past January.

“[The time with Chrome] has just flown by for me,” Sherman said. “When you have a horse like Chrome everything is different. You get up in the morning and know he’s there and it gives you a different step in your giddy-up. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime horse for me.”

Martin had the same feeling.

“[The Triple Crown races] seem like a lifetime ago,” Martin said. “Ever since then our days have been so full. We’re just compressing time as if we are packing a decade into a year.”

Despite being the 4-5 favorite, Chrome, carrying high weight of 126 in Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile race, has one very tough opponent in Dortmund. The Bob Baffert-trained 4-year-old colt has won eight of 10 races, but has been off since November. He’ll be carrying 121 pounds as the second favorite at 2-1.

“He [Chrome] looks very good,” Sherman said. “He’ll just gallop up to the race. We’re looking for a big effort.”

And Del Mar is looking for the Chromies to come out in force.

john.cherwa@latimes.com