The Chosen Vron gets up in final stride to win Sensational Star

ARCADIA, Calif. - For an overwhelming favorite, The Chosen Vron delivered a nail-biting win in Sunday’s $100,000 Sensational Star Stakes on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita.

The Chosen Vron rallied wide through the stretch to catch 7-1 Kings River Knight by a nose, leading only in the final stride. The victory extended The Chosen Vron’s winning streak to six races.

“Twenty yards from the wire, I had my doubts,” winning trainer and co-owner Eric Kruljac said.

Ridden by Hector Berrios, The Chosen Vron ($2.60) ran about 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:12.97 on a fast turf course. The Chosen Vron earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 91. The race was run during a light rainstorm.

Kings River Knight set a moderate pace for the course of 22.22 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 44.60 for a half-mile, leading narrowly over Fast Buck. The Chosen Vron was fourth on the hillside, racing about two lengths behind Kings River Knight.

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The Chosen Vron was floated wide when Jack Sixpack drifted to the outside on the hill. The Chosen Vron recovered quickly and raced in fourth when the field crossed over the main track. The Chosen Vron closed smartly in the final sixteenth to secure the narrow win.

It took four minutes to determine the photo finish.

“I was very concerned when you’re 1-5,” Kruljac said. “We won by half an inch.”

Kings River Knight finished a head in front of an unlucky Indian Peak, an 8-1 chance who raced in traffic in the stretch and was beaten a nose and a head. Fast Buck finished fourth, followed by Jack Sixpack.

The Chosen Vron, a 5-year-old gelding by Vronsky, has won 11 of 15 starts and earned $732,678 for Kruljac, John Sondereker, Robert Fetkin and Richard Thornburgh.

The current winning streak consists of races for statebreds in sprints on turf and dirt and two one-mile races on dirt since last September. As a 3-year-old in 2021, The Chosen Vron won consecutive Grade 3 stakes on dirt.

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