Is The Chosen Vron beatable?
Undefeated in 2024 (4-for-4) with a five-race win streak, and a winner in 13 of his last 14 starts, all stakes races, The Chosen Vron is ready to rumble on Saturday in the $400,000 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) at Del Mar.
The 6-year-old Cal-bred gelding is the solid 6-5 favorite in a field of eight 3-year-olds and up going 6 furlongs, with the winner earning an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at Del Mar in November.
Last time out, The Chosen Vron won the Thor’s Echo Stakes by a comfortable 2 ¼ lengths at Santa Anita on May 25. Many of his races have been closer, among them last year’s win in the Bing Crosby, by a head over Anarchist, with Dr. Schivel another head back in third.
The Chosen Vron’s Quest for Victory in the Bing Crosby Stakes
The Chosen Vron, trained by Eric Kruljac, will be tested again by Anarchist (10-1) as well 3-1 second choice Happy Jack, both trained by Doug O’Neill. Happy Jack finished second, three-quarters of a length behind The Chosen Vron in the Kona Gold Stakes at Santa Anita on April 27.
Closethegame Sugar, a 4-year-old gelding trained by Adam Rice, comes into the race off a pair of wins, most recently the Kelly’s Landing Stakes at Churchill Downs on June 29.
Anarchist, winner of the Pat O’Brien Stakes (G2) last summer at Del Mar following the Bing Crosby, finished sixth in the Kelly’s Landing in his only start in 2024.
“So far everything’s perfect, he’s on tilt,” Kruljac told drf.com last week after his horse worked a strong 4 furlongs. “It’s going to be tougher than last year.”
The Chosen Vron’s only loss in his last 14 races came in the BC Sprint, when he finished fifth in a race Kruljac has said “I over-freshened him up.”
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, a four-time Bing Crosby winner, sends out Jackstown (15-1), a 4-year-old with a 2-for-2 record – a maiden win in 2022 (did not race in 2023) and an allowance optional claiming victory at Santa Anita on June 14.
For those who bet horse racing …
The picks: 1 Happy Jack 2 The Chosen Vron 3 Jackstown
The field for the $400,000 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1), from the rail out, with jockey, trainer, odds:
1 Anarchist (Kazushi Kimura, Doug O’Neill), 10-1
2 See Through It (Tiago Pereira, Genaro Vallejo), 30-1
3 Straight No Chaser (Antonio Fresu, Dan Blacker), 6-1
4 Giant Game (Joe Talamo, Peter Eurton), 20-1
5 Roll On Big Joe (Reylu Gutierrez, Bob Hess, Jr.)
6 Closethegame Sugar (Umberto Rispoli, Adam Rice), 5-1
7 Happy Jack (Edwin Maldonado, Doug O’Neill), 3-1
8 The Chosen Vron (Hector Berrios, Eric Kruljac), 6-5
9 Jackstown (Juan Hernandez, Bob Baffert), 15-1
$300,000 San Diego Handicap
Arabian Knight, a highly-touted $2.3 million colt owned by Amr Zedan, is set for his 4-year-old debut in this 1 1/16-mile steppingstone to the Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar on Aug. 31 – a race the son of Uncle Mo won last year.
Even though the son of Uncle Mo hasn’t raced in nearly nine months (fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic), he’s the 6-5 favorite in a field of five.
Express Train, a 7-year-old trained by John Shirreffs, is the 3-1 second choice coming off a third in the Kona Gold Stakes – his first start since running fourth in the 2022 Awesome Again Stakes (G1).
Dr. Venkman is the 9-2 third choice, with Newgrange, the San Pasqual Stakes (G2) winner coming off a sixth-place finish in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) on March 3, is 6-1.
Subsanador was entered, but scratched by the time the odds were released on Thursday (July 25).
The picks: 1 Newgrange 2 Arabian Knight 3 Express Train
The field for the $300,000 San Diego Handicap (G2), from the rail out, with jockey, trainer, odds:
1 Express Train (Mike Smith, John Shirreffs), 3-1
2 Katonah (Tiago Pereira, Doug O’Neill), 15-1
3 Dr. Venkman (Antonio Fresu, Mark Glatt), 9-2
4 Arabian Knight (Juan Hernandez, Bob Baffert), 3-5
5 Newgrange (Kazushi Kimura, Phil D’Amato), 6-1
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
