Arabian Knight © Benoit Photo
Two stars from the 2023 season at Del Mar make notable returns to the seaside oval this Saturday in a pair of sparkling stakes races that top the 11-race card on the second weekend of sport “where the turf meets the surf.”
The California-bred gelding The Chosen Vron, who won a thrilling edition of the Grade I, $400,000 Bing Crosby Stakes last July, is back for another go-round in the six-panel headliner and he’ll team once again with his regular guy in rider Hector Berrios in Race 10 on the program.
Earlier, in Race 8, it’ll be the hero of last year’s FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic – the bay colt Arabian Knight – returning to action after going on the shelf for eight months as he heads the field in the Grade II, $300,000 San Diego Handicap at a mile and one-sixteenth. Del Mar’s top rider of late, Juan Hernandez, will climb aboard “Knight” for the first time.
Last year, The Chosen Vron, who is owned by Sondereker Racing, Felkin and partners and is trained and partially owned by veteran conditioner J. Eric Kruljac, was only listed at 4-1 in the morning line in a salty field of a dozen runners that he outran in finishing best by a head in a quick 1:09.20. This time around there will be nine runners in the test and there is no mistaking the favorite: it is The Chosen Vron and the win machine (he’s captured an amazing 18 of 23 starts and earned $1,419,678) is a solid 6/5 favorite.
In the San Diego, the race seen as the key prep for the Grade I, $1,000,000 FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic scheduled for Saturday, August 31, Arabian Knight, a now 4-year-old by Uncle Mo owned by Zedan Racing Stables and trained by the white-haired wonder Bob Baffert, is a stout 3/5 favorite as he faces only four other rivals. “Arabian” has competed only five times – winning three of them – and in the process he’s put $1,544,275 in the bank.
In addition to the two headliners, the track also will present the $100,000 overnight handicap titled the Daisycutter which has drawn nine fillies and mares and will go as Race 7 at five furlongs on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.
First post for all the festivities will be the usual 2 p.m. The San Diego is expected to go off at approximately 5:30 p.m. with the Bing Crosby slotted for a 6:30 p.m. start.