SUPERSTAR California Chrome led all the way in cruising to a 2 1/4-length victory in the $300,000 Gr1 Awesome Again Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita, improving to 6 wins from as many starts this year as the front-runner for Horse of the Year honours in the US.

Ridden by Victor Espinoza, California Chrome ran 1700m in 1:48.07 and the 2-5 favorite in one of five Grade 1 stakes on the card with Breeders’ Cup implications in front of 18,563.

“He’s a challenging horse to run against because he’s versatile on top of his talent,” Espinoza said. “He can run on the front end and can come from behind. If someone wants to try and run with us again, maybe I’ll take back the next time. That’s the best part, he doesn’t have to be up there on the lead.”

The victory, worth $180,000, increased Chrome’s career earnings to $13,432,500 as North America’s career earnings leader.