The Chosen Vron © Benoit Photo
THE CHOSEN VRON RETURNS TO STAKE HIS CLAIM TO G1 BING CROSBY
For being arguably the fastest sprinter on the grounds, The Chosen Vron is quite possibly the most chill horse at Del Mar. Following a brief gallop and a bath afterwards, the defending G1 Bing Crosby champion was hanging out outside trainer J. Eric Kruljac’s barn Thursday, gnawing on a couple of carrots and quietly taking in his surroundings, his chestnut coat gleaming, not an ounce of fat on him.
The Chosen Vron has become California racing’s chosen one, compiling a most impressive record while winning Cal-bred Horse of the Year honors in 2023. He has raced 23 times, won 18 of them and finished in the money in three other races. He has earned Kruljac and his partners over $1.4 million in purse money. He has won five in a row since running fifth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup sprint and, before that setback, he had won eight in a row.
“It’s just the way he was born,” Kruljac says about The Chosen Vron’s laid back nature. “He was easy to break, he did everything right. He just has a great mind to him. He’s extremely competitive. I know he knows what he’s doing when he kicks in that extra gear. This is going to be one of his toughest races but I wouldn’t trade places with anyone.”
So what does it take to keep a 6-year old horse like The Chosen Vron in top form?
“You start with a horse who is extremely well put together,” Kruljac contends. “There’s the element of luck and the care that the grooms give him. Just keeping him happy. He’s been a pleasure to train.
“Way back in the beginning we had to stop on him,” Kruljac continues,” and now we’re being paid dividends. He’s been consistent as can be. We’ve backed off on him a couple of times each year and he seems to come back off the freshening and gives us honest and thrilling performances. Hopefully he’s got one more in him.”
One of his wins came in the 2023 Bing Crosby and Saturday he returns to defend his title. While most of his races and victories have come in Cal-bred races, he has ventured outside into open company with some success, the Crosby being one of them. It’s a ‘Win and You’re In’ Breeder’s Cup challenge race for the Sprint, which will be run at Del Mar this November.
“I think he’s coming into the race in good shape,” Kruljac says. “When he works he hardly touches the ground. He just floats.”
Like his horse, Kruljac is also laid back, enjoying his days at age 71. He says The Chosen Vron’s rise to stardom hasn’t changed his life too much.
“I have the privilege of being interviewed a whole bunch,” Kruljac says. “I’m in the twilight of my career. What a way to go out with a horse like this. “
The 79th running of the G1 Bing Crosby will go off as race #10 on Saturday’s 11-race card. Probable post time is 6:30 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Anarchist (Kazushi Kimura, 10-1); See Through It (Tiago Pereira, 30-1); Straight No Chaser (Antonio Fresu, 6-1); Giant Game (Joe Talamo, 20-1); Roll On Big Joe (scratched); Closethegame Sugar (Umberto Rispoli, 5-1); Happy Jack (Edwin Maldonado, 3-1); The Chosen Vron (Hector Berrios, 6/5) and Jackstown (Juan Hernandez, 15-1).
ARABIAN KNIGHT RETURNS TO THE RACES IN G2 SAN DIEGO
An eclectic mix of horses will line up in Saturday’s 83rd running of the G2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar. You have the top horse from last year’s Del Mar summer meet going against a horse that arguably was the top handicap horse in the country back in the spring of 2022 going against a sprinter who is considered one of the fastest horses on the grounds.
It all starts with the return of last year’s FanDuel Racing G1 Pacific Classic winner Arabian Knight. The son of Uncle Mo has not raced since a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic last November up at Santa Anita. Trainer Bob Baffert says the long layoff was by design.
“We just freshened him up,” Baffert says. “I was trying to get a race into him at the end but there wasn’t a race for him at Santa Anita. This will be a good start for the Pacific Classic.”
Baffert says there’s not much of a change in Arabian Knight from the horse we saw last summer at Del Mar.
“He’s still a big, beautiful horse,” Baffert notes. “He’s been working well and we’re looking forward to it.”
Then there’s Express Train, a 7-year old son of Union Rags who in 2022 won, in succession, the G2 San Antonio, the G2 San Pasqual and the G1 Santa Anita Handicap. The win streak was broken when he ran second to Stilleto Boy in the G2 Californian and no one thought less of him when he got beat 26¾ lengths by Flightline in the Pacific Classic. But when he ran fourth again in the G1 Awesome Again, trainer John Shirreffs felt it was time for some R&R.
“He never had a break,” Shirreffs says, “so we thought it was time.”
Express Train’s last extended break was in 2020 so he had been two years in training. He returned from his 19-month break in April in the $100,000 Kona Gold at Santa Anita and ran third.
“I thought it was a good comeback race for the first time,” Sheriffs notes. “He’s training as well as he ever has.”
Same could be said for Dr. Venkman, who stormed onto the Southern California racing scene last summer at Del Mar with an impressive first-out maiden score, followed by a five and a quarter lengths victory in an entry level allowance race going seven furlongs.
Trainer Mark Glatt took Dr. Venkman back to Keeneland in the fall and missed by a head to Raise Cain in the $235,000 Perryville. Glatt turned out the 4-year old son of Ghostzapper for the winter, bringing him back in the G2 Triple Bend at Santa Anita in June where he was runner up to Happy Jack. Now Glatt feels it’s time to see if the gelding can get a route of ground.
“I think his style suggests that two turns is well within his wheelhouse,” Glatt says.
The G2 San Diego is Race #8 on the 11-race Saturday card. Probable post time is 5:30 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds: Express Train (Mike Smith, 3-1); Katonah (Tiago Pereira, 15-1); Dr. Venkman (Antonio Fresu, 9/2); Arabian Knight (Juan Hernandez, 3/5); Newgrange (Kazushi Kimura, 6-1) and Subsanador (scratched).
DAISYCUTTER PART OF SATURDAY STAKES TRIPLEHEADER AT DEL MAR
The $100,000 Daisycutter kicks off the trio of stakes races on tap for Saturday afternoon at Del Mar. The 5 ½-furlong turf sprint features a nine horse field, three of them from the Philip D’Amato barn.
Elm Drive is the lukewarm morning line favorite. The daughter of Mohaymen is back from Kentucky where she ran third in the G3 Causeway at Keeneland and fifth in the G3 Unbridled Sydney at Churchill Downs.
“She likes it fast and firm and she didn’t get that at Churchill,” D’Amato says. “She ran a monster race at Keeneland. For me, that was probably the best filly and mare grass race in the country this year so a third there I think puts her with a good chance in the Daisycutter.”
D’Amato also brings over Runninwiththeboyz. She’s coming off a win in a second level allowance race down the hillside turf course at Santa Anita.
Then there’s Connie Swingle, who has been away from the races since October of 2022.
“A really nice Cal-bred,” D’Amato states. “I think she’s training like the Connie Swingle of old. Kyle Frey has been breezing her and has ridden her previously and I think she’ll be a formidable foe.”
D’Amato says the daughter of Grazen had been dealing with “some little things” during the course of her nearly 21-month layoff. The Connie Swingle of old has 10 lifetime starts and finished in the money in all 10 races with six trips to the winners circle, including the Generous Portion at Del Mar in 2021.
The main threat to the D’Amato trio may come from Stay and Scam, who hails from the Doug O’Neill barn. The daughter of Square Eddie won last time out, capturing the $100,000 Fran’s Valentine at Santa Anita.
“We have a very nice owner in Paul Reddam,” assistant trainer Leandro Mora says. “We had her in Kentucky and she had bad shins. He let Doug take all the time in the world and she got better and that’s the one we have right now.”
Stay and Scam has raced 13 times and finished in the money in 11 of those races, winning an entry level allowance at Del Mar last fall.
The Daisycutter is the seventh race on Saturday’s 11-race card. Probable post is 5 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds: Antifona (Umberto Rispoli, 12-1); Connie Swingle, 3-1); Itzel (Juan Hernandez, 6-1); Doris Mae (scratched); Elm Drive (Antonio Fresu, 5/2); Antique Silver (Geovanni Franco, 20-1); Ever Smart (Hector Berrios, 15-1); Runninwiththeboyz (Edwin Maldonado, 9/2) and Stay and Scam (Mario Gutierrez, 7/2).
HANDICAPPING SEMINARS THIS WEEKEND AT DEL MAR
Del Mar offers a series of handicapping seminars this weekend. Every Saturday and Sunday during the summer meet, top handicappers will offer their expertise prior to the races. The sessions are free at the Plaza de Mexico behind the grandstand, west of the paddock. On Saturday, host Frank Scatoni will have horseplayer Jason Avila as his handicapping guest. On Sunday, Dan Smith and Equibase chart caller Ellis Davis will lend their insights into the races. The seminars start at 1 p.m. and last 30-to-35 minutes.
COOLING OUT: Midnight Mammoth came out of his wire-to-wire victory in the G3 Cougar in good order. Trainer Craig Dollase says they’re considering running him next in the FanDuel Racing G1 Pacific Classic on August 31. “I like the timing if we’re going to take a swing in the big race,” Dollase says. “I think we’ll just let the horse tell us. We’ll just see how he comes back as far as training goes. We’re not going to rush things. If he’s doing well and thriving at that time we’ll consider it.”…Kazushi Kimura, one of the newest members of the Del Mar jockey colony, registered his first win of the summer meet Thursday when he booted Baby Kristen to a wire-to-wire victory in race five…Abel Cedillo won his first race at Del Mar since suffering a neck injury in a spill on the third day of last summer’s meet. He guided Splashed Gold to a narrow victory in race six Thursday…”Daybreak at Del Mar” is on tap this Saturday and Sunday. Michelle Yu is the host from 7:30 to 9 a.m. It’s held in the Clubhouse Terrace area…Notable Works Friday: Dirt – Kale’s Angel (4f, :47.00); Smokem Ez (5f, :59.00); Wynstock (5f, 1:00.40 and Ruby Nell (7f, 1:25.60).