The Chosen Vron all class in Bing Crosby repeat

DEL MAR, Calif. – There is no change atop the California sprint division. The Chosen Vron reigns.

For the second consecutive year, The Chosen Vron won California’s leading annual sprint, Saturday’s Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at six furlongs at Del Mar.

Last year, The Chosen Vron closed from sixth in a field of 12 to win by a head. On Saturday, The Chosen Vron was always near the front and won by a convincing 2 1/4 lengths over the Kentucky shipper Closethegame Sugar.

“He can do anything,” said trainer and co-owner Eric Kruljac.

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Ridden by regular rider Hector Berrios, The Chosen Vron led briefly in the opening quarter-mile, raced within a length of the lead at the end of the backstretch, and made steady progress to be closer to the front early on the turn.

Racing three-wide, The Chosen Vron reached the front with more than a quarter-mile remaining and led by 1 1/2 lengths with a furlong remaining.

“Hector had a ton of confidence,” Kruljac said. “Hector is a big part of this horse. He’s an all-around horseman and not just a jockey.”

Sent off favored, The Chosen Vron paid $5 and was timed in 1:08.99 and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 105. The victory was his sixth consecutive stakes win since a fifth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita last November.

With the win on Saturday, The Chosen Vron earned a fees-paid berth to the BC Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 2.

Closethegame Sugar (3-1) finished a half-length in front of 5-2 Jackstown, who was followed in the order of finish by See Through It, Anarchist, Happy Jack, and Giant Game.

The $401,000 Bing Crosby was the Grade 1 debut for Closethegame Sugar, who won the $275,000 Aristedes Stakes at six furlongs on June 1, and the $250,000 Kelly’s Landing Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs on June 29.

Trainer Adam Rice said he was “ecstatic” about Closethegame Sugar’s second-place finish and would assess the 4-year-old’s condition before deciding on a late summer and autumn campaign.

“We’ll see how he does when we go back East,” Rice said.

The Chosen Vron won for the 19th time in his 24th start on Saturday. He has earned $1,659,678 for the partnership of Kruljac, John Sondereker, Robert Fetkin, and Richard Thornburgh.

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