The Chosen Vron goes for sixth straight in Sensational Star

Not even a wet winter in Southern California has derailed the red-hot campaign of The Chosen Vron, who will start as a heavy favorite in Sunday’s $100,000 Sensational Star Stakes for statebreds on the hillside turf course.

Despite recent rain, The Chosen Vron has remained sharp in recent training from trainer and co-owner Eric Kruljac’s perspective.

“He’s not missing a beat,” Kruljac said. “He’s been training up a storm. I think he’s retained all the fitness in the world that you can expect.”

Kruljac has guided The Chosen Vron to a five-race winning streak in stakes for California-breds since early September. The wins include sprints on dirt and turf and the Tiznow Stakes at a mile on dirt on Feb. 20 at Santa Anita. The Chosen Vron led throughout that race at 3-10 to win by 6 1/2 lengths, by far the most impressive of his 10 wins in 14 career starts.

In the Sensational Star Stakes, The Chosen Vron returns to a turf sprint for the first time since a come-from-behind win in the California Flag Stakes on the hillside turf course last October. The Chosen Vron broke slowly and closed from eighth to win by 1 1/4 lengths. In his other four wins, The Chosen Vron has raced near the front throughout.

A win on Sunday by The Chosen Vron could lead to a start against open company this spring, Kruljac said. The Chosen Vron, a two-time Grade 3 winner against 3-year-olds in 2021, has not raced in open company since a fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes at Del Mar last August, his most recent loss.

At the time, The Chosen Vron was not as sharp as he has been in recent starts, Kruljac said. The current winning streak began with The Chosen Vron’s third start of 2022. He is unbeaten in two appearances this year, including the California Cup Sprint in January.

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“It took a little while for him to get to the level that he could pop off those five Cal-bred races in a row,” Kruljac said.

The Sensational Star Stakes drew a field of five and is the third race on an 11-race program that begins at 12:30 p.m. Pacific.

Indian Peak is the only other stakes winner in the field. Fast Buck, who may set the pace, will have his stakes debut. Kings River Knight and Jack Sixpack are the other runners.

Indian Peak, unraced since a last-place finish of 11 in the restricted Wickerr Stakes at a mile on turf at Del Mar last summer, has excellent course experience. Trained by Peter Miller, Indian Peak won the California Flag Stakes in 2021, but is winless in eight subsequent starts.

Last year, Indian Peak ran three times on the hillside turf course, finishing second in the Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes and Sensational Star in consecutive starts.

“The Chosen Vron is a very good horse,” Miller said. “If he runs his race, we’re all running for second.

“If The Chosen Vron doesn’t run his race, I think we have a good chance.”

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