By Jim Charvat

The Chosen Vron © Benoit Photo

NO RETIREMENT FOR THE CHOSEN VRON; WILL RETURN TO RACE IN 2024

It has become a sore spot with many racing fans. The trend of the sports superstars, the horses that capture the public’s imagination, the winners of the big stakes races like the Kentucky Derby or the Breeders’ Cup, to ship-off to the breeding shed soon after their big win. Some by their fourth birthday.

But there’s a horse capturing the hearts of Southern California racing fans that has built his reputation on winning Cal-bred races and his trainer has no intention of retiring his budding star.

While The Chosen Vron has won a Grade I, the Bing Crosby this past summer at Del Mar, he has done his best work in Cal-bred company, winning eight Cal-bred races in-a-row including this past Saturday’s popular victory in the $100,000 Cary Grant Stakes. The story will continue in 2024 as trainer Eric Kruljac has announced he is bringing the 5-year old gelding back for another year.

The Chosen Vron’s climb to fame started in 2020 when he broke his maiden in his debut at Santa Anita. He would win four of his six races in 2021, including two Grade III’s. He started an eight-race win streak at Los Alamitos in September of 2022. It ended with his fifth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

“I’ve put the Breeders’ Cup behind me,” Kruljac says. “He was kind of covered up. He might have had a little trouble getting out. I think he was behind a couple of horses and when they took off he didn’t have his customary kick. I think he was a few lengths better, a few numbers faster than some of his races but that comes with the competition. I think possibly he felt like he was surrounded.”

Kruljac compared it to a scene from the movie ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’.

“When the railroad guy hired all the best guys in the world,” Kruljac jokes. “Paul Newman says, ‘Who are those guys?’ That’s what The Chosen Vron was saying about those east coast horses.”

He’s referring to the winner, Elite Power and the runner-up, Gunite. Kruljac also believes maybe it was too much time between races for The Chosen Vron. He trained into the race off of the victory in the Bing Crosby at the end of July. That’s three months.

“We took him back that day (in the Breeders’ Cup),” Kruljac continues. “I think if I would have let him roll in there I think he would have ended up a little better.”

Kruljac began entertaining thoughts of running The Chosen Vron back on just two weeks rest after looking at the upcoming stakes schedule.

“I looked forward two or three months and it’s going to be a long time before the next Cal-bred race,” he says. “Another two months without running and we just did that. So I did something I’ve never done and let him run. We pulled blood and Dr. Araujo urged me to go ahead.”

The Chosen Vron returned to keep his win streak in Cal-bred races alive. He’s now won 15 races in his career and Kruljac said after the Cary Grant win that it ranked right up there with the Bing Crosby.

“He’s been unreal,” Kruljac noted after the race. “Coming back in two weeks. I was a little nervous but the horse was so lively. Maybe we’ll just let him roll early from now on.”

It’s that energy and that effort that has Kruljac looking forward to 2024.

“Early in his career he had problems, he was slow in developing,” Kruljac recalls. “We had to give him some time, let him grow up. But since, he’s been stone cold sound. Three or four days after the Breeders’ Cup he was jumping around playing and his coat was gleaming. He’s always been happy training. Always been into the bit and still is. What a blessing this horse is.” 

CHAD BROWN CONTENDER SHIPS-IN FOR G1 HOLLYWOOD TURF CUP 

The second of the featured races in the Del Mar Turf Festival takes place the day after Thanksgiving. It’s the 42nd running of the Hollywood Turf Cup, a mile and a half on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course. Eight horses are entered for the grass marathon, one of them shipping in for the race.

That would be Francesco Clemente from the Chad Brown barn. The 4-year-old son of Dubawi began his career in England, winning his first three races before losing by a neck at Goodwood in May, his 2023 debut. He finished a distant 12th in the Wolferton Stakes at Ascot in June before shipping across the pond to New York. 

In his two races for Brown, Francesco Clemente ran fourth in a second-level allowance race followed by a win in an entry-level allowance race, both at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet. That’s when Brown ran out of races for him.

“It’s a long way to go but there were no other races for the horse on the east coast right now,” Brown says. “He ran very professional. His first start in the country I made an error and ran him a little short distance wise. But in his second start he really ran to his training. I’m very pleased with how he’s going and this distance should suit him.”

Speaking Scout is another horse who has been running on the east coast this year until last month when he ran in the G2 John Henry Turf Classic at Santa Anita and finished a closing third after a troubled trip. He’s no stranger to Del Mar. The son of Mr. Speaker closed his 2022 campaign with a win in the G1 Hollywood Derby.

“I do think the California style with the firmer turf course is probably something that suits him,” says trainer Graham Motion. “Whether or not it’s at Del Mar. He’s one we’ve been able to travel with pretty well.”

Speaking Scout has raced seven times at seven different tracks this year. From Gulfstream Park to Keeneland to Pimlico to Monmouth Park to Saratoga to Kentucky Downs to Santa Anita. However he has yet to visit the winner’s circle in 2023 though he’s been close on several occasions, including last out in the John Henry when he missed by 1 ¾’s lengths to Balladeer.

“I think he was a little unlucky,” Motion says. “He certainly has his running style and he needs things to fall into place. We’re asking him to stretch out a little farther which is not something we’re sure he wants to do, but I would have thought off of his last race he should be able to handle the stretch out to a mile and a half.”

The winner that day, Balladeer, is back for the Hollywood Turf Cup off of a ninth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Turf in which he set the pace to the top of the lane. He was 63-1 in the race and losing to the likes of August Rodin and Up to the Mark is nothing to hang your head about.

“It was a tough race,” says trainer George Papaprodromou. “We were running against the best horses in the world. He ran okay and he came out of the race all good.”

The 4-year old son of Distorted Humor looks to be the lone front runner in the race which could work into his favor.

“He’s won his other two races on the lead so yes, he’s most comfortable on the lead,” Papaprodromou says. “Hopefully they’ll leave him all alone out there.”

Another horse who has run and won at Del Mar in the past is Astronaut, the 2021 G2 Del Mar Handicap winner. The 6-year-old son of Quality Road has only won once since that summer at Del Mar, taking the G2 Red Smith at Aqueduct last year. 

The Hollywood Turf Cup is Astronaut’s first race back at the John Shirreffs barn since the summer of 2022.

“He’s been very good,” Shirreffs says. “We thought this race here, the mile and a half, would be good because he ran a mile and a half at Belmont but it was his first race back and he wasn’t quite ready for it. That race is going to help him for this race.”

That race was the G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and Astronaut finished last of eight. 

“Longer distance is good for him,” Shirreffs says. “Because he’s got tactical speed. Mile races on the turf can be run real fast. You need more than tactical speed there. And he’s not a horse with a big, huge closing kick.”

One other horse worth noting is Lukka. Neil Drysdale is training the Chilean-bred who won two Grade I’s before leaving Chile for the U.S in May. The Hollywood Turf Cup will be his first race in the states.

The Hollywood Turf Cup is the seventh of nine races on Friday. Past winners include John Henry, Bien Bien, Finnegans Wake and The Pizza Man. Approximate post time for the stakes is 3:30 p.m.

Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds: Francesco Clemente (Umberto Rispoli, 3-1); Yes This Time (Giovanni Franco, 15-1); Lukka (Ramon Vasquez, 6-1); Planetario (Hector Berrios, 5-1); Astronaut (Mike Smith, 5-1); Balladeer (Victor Espinoza, 4-1); Eastern Ocean (Antonio Fresu, 15-1), and Speaking Scout (Juan Hernandez, 5/2).

COOLING OUT:  2018 Pacific Classic winner Accelerate is moving to a new home. Lanes End announced the five-time Grade I winner will live out his days at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, joining the park’s impressive lineup at the Hall of Champions. Accelerate was trained by John Sadler for Hronis Racing and would have been named Horse of the Year in 2018, due in large part by his Breeders’ Cup Classic victory, had not a horse named Justify swept the Triple Crown…Thanks to the combined generosity of everyone involved, more than 1,100 toys and $22,000 were donated to the Marine Corps’ “Toys for Tots” programs at Del Mar last Sunday, making Christmas better for the kids of San Diego…Notable works this week: Dirt – Monday – C Z Rocket (4f, :49.40); Justique (5f, :59.80); Skinner (5f, 1:00.20), and Visitant (6f, 1:14.20). Tuesday – Astronaut (3f, :37.00); Easter (3f, :37.80); Desert Dawn (4f, :49.20), and Newgrange (5f, 1:00.40). Wednesday – Lane Way (5f, 1:00.60).

Del Mar Statistics

 Jockey Standings
(Current through November 19, 2023 Inclusive) 

Trainer Standings
(Current through November 19, 2023 Inclusive) 

Winning Favorites Report
(Current through November 19, 2023 Inclusive) 

  Winning favorites -- 24 out of 52 -- 46.15%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 12 out of 25 -- 48.00%
Winning favorites on turf -- 12 out of 27 -- 44.44%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 11 out of 15 -- 73.33%
In-the-Money favorites -- 38 out of 52 -- 73.08% 
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 13 out of 15 -- 86.67%