Move over, April the Giraffe. There’s a new pregnant beast that’s captivating the Internet.
Colerful Bride is an expectant mare living out her gestation in a posh stable near Lexington, Kentucky — and, as of last week, under the watchful eye of a livestream camera.
But she’s not carrying any ordinary foal. Colerful Bride is due to give birth to the offspring of 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner California Chrome.
Since the cameras were installed, curious gawkers, casual pony people and rabid fans of California Chrome (known as “Chromies”) are tuning in to see Colerful Bride munch on hay and putz around her stable as they look for signs of the celebrated thoroughbred’s foal, which was due on April 13.
In the video’s comments section, the anxious audience exchange horse labor expertise and observations on the mare’s gait and even the relaxation of her ears. Many express anxiety that they’ll miss the birth while they’re cooking dinner or walking their dog.
Colerful Bride’s high-profile pregnancy is the brainchild of Geoffrey Gray. He helms True magazine, which, in another lifetime (1937 to 1974 to be exact) was a dudely adventure glossy that billed itself as “The Man’s Magazine.” Two years ago, Gray rebooted the mag online and called it True.ink. Its aim is to create content where readers can experience stories on a deeper and more interactive level.
That’s where California Chrome’s roll in the hay comes into the picture.
While passing through Saratoga Springs, NY, two years ago, Gray met a horse trainer with a sick horse and they struck up a friendship. Gray became intrigued with the all of the layers of thoroughbred racing, from breeding to the track. So, he decided to breed a horse for True.
“We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to have a racehorse and share the horse with the subscribers of the magazine?’ We could make it into a community experience,” he tells The Post.
At the time, California Chrome — whose Cinderella story made him one of the most popular horses in the history of racing — was retiring and embarking on his new life as a stud.
“I thought, ‘Why don’t we breed the people’s horse by California Chrome?’ We’re all gonna be parents,” says Gray who opened up the membership log in the spring of 2016.
About 700 people from the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Australia and Saskatchewan, Canada, bought in at three different levels, starting at $99.
“It’s a funky bunch. Some people are devotees of California Chrome. Others are curious about an old tradition they never thought they could be a part of, and some have never even been to a race. They just share this one thing in common,” Gray says.
After an educational session with breeding experts, members voted on Colerful Bride to be the chosen mare. She’s been chilling at Taylor Made Farm in Nicholasville, Kentucky since she was impregnated 11 months ago.
Gray’s aim is to present the truest picture of everything that happens in a thoroughbred’s lifetime, from pedigree planning to, God willing, glory at the track.
“We’re hoping for a runner,” Gray says of the unborn equine. “It doesn’t always happen. It’s hard to go from foal to finish line, but that’s our goal.”
Once the horse is born, members will vote on a name.
“Everyone is already soliciting their names. The most unoriginal one was Horsey McHorseface. Colerful Chrome is a popular one,” says Gray. “But a lot of people want to simply call it ‘The People’s Horse.’ ”