The Chosen Vron looks to continue his dominance in San Carlos

ARCADIA, Calif. – Key factors that would allow The Chosen Vron to continue his excellence on Saturday at Santa Anita are weather, track condition, and a clean break from the inside post.

The Chosen Vron, who returns in the Grade 3 San Carlos Stakes, may dodge a bullet regarding weather. A dicey forecast was revised, and though a chance of rain remains Friday afternoon, Saturday could be dry and fast. As for overcoming the rail post, that is up to The Chosen Vron.

The seven-furlong San Carlos drew seven entrants including allowance winner Elwood Blues, turf-to-dirt upset candidate I’m A Gambler, and 5-for-6 Ghost of Midnight. The horse to beat is Grade 1 winner The Chosen Vron, a 15-for-20 gelding making his first start in two months.

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“Just super,” is how trainer Eric Kruljac described his last two works. “He’s training like him – under a big hold, and right before the wire let him go, and he just zings.”

The Chosen Vron needs to zing from the rail when he goes seven furlongs in the San Carlos, race 8 and the second stakes on the Saturday card. Race 3 is the $100,000 Pasadena Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on turf. Two-time stakes winners Stay Hot and Lord Bullingdon are the class of the five-runner field, but maiden sprint winner Island Cruiser is dangerous as lone speed.

The star on Saturday is The Chosen Vron, who won six of seven starts last season including the Grade 1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar. But until he was honored this week as 2023 California-bred Horse of the Year, it had been a frustrating winter for the both The Chosen Vron and Kruljac, who was named Trainer of the Year by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association.

“It’s been the rainiest winter in a long time, one storm after the other, and it’s [frustrating] to keep making plans,” Kruljac said. “The weather’s going to dictate plans more than anything.”

Kruljac will not start The Chosen Vron on a wet track, but he would have started him Feb. 19 in the $100,000 Tiznow Stakes. The one-mile race for California-breds was initially postponed by rain, then ultimately canceled due to insufficient entries. The San Carlos will be the first start for The Chosen Vron since Jan. 13, when he dominated the California Cup Sprint at 1-20 odds.

Hector Berrios rides The Chosen Vron, a 6-year-old gelding by Vronsky whose 15 career wins include 14 stakes and earnings of $1,239,678. From a more desirable post, The Chosen Vron might be a cinch in the San Carlos. Even though he has speed to be forwardly placed, the rail increases the possibility of a less-than-ideal trip. Furthermore, a fast horse is on his outside.

Elwood Blues won his last three starts, including a second-level allowance last out, and might be quick enough to set the pace from post 2. Juan Hernandez rides Elwood Blues for Bob Baffert, while trainer Mark Glatt entered two, including a potential upsetter who would be making his first start on dirt.

I’m A Gambler was purchased at auction after winning 9 of 24 starts in Europe, but his career stalled in the United States. His best finish from seven U.S. starts was a third in a restricted stakes race. Glatt suspects a surface change may turn things around for I’m A Gambler.

“He’s trained awfully well on dirt,” Glatt said. “On turf here, he’s just been kind of steady. He just can’t quicken with stakes horses here on turf in the U.S. We’d be banking that he’s going to do different things on the dirt than he does on the grass.”

In addition to I’m A Gambler, Glatt also entered Ghost of Midnight. As of Thursday morning, neither was a confirmed starter in the San Carlos. Others entered include See Through It, McLaren Vale, and Super Chief.

Race 3 Saturday is the Pasadena Stakes, in which Island Cruiser is the controlling speed. John Sadler trains the maiden turf-sprint winner who is following a race pattern Sadler employed in the 2021 Pasadena. Rock Your World won a maiden turf sprint, then wired the Pasadena next out. In his next start, Rock Your World won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby.

Island Cruiser’s rider is Berrios, who is expected to allow the colt to use his speed in a small field otherwise short on pace. Island Cruiser could be long gone, although Stay Hot has enough natural speed to stay within striking range.

Stay Hot, trained by Peter Eurton, won the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille in December at Del Mar, then took a short winter break. He returned Feb. 17 in the Baffle Stakes, a hillside turf sprint designed as a prep for the Pasadena. Stay Hot won the Baffle, and stretches out Saturday to the distance of his previous stakes win. Antonio Fresu rides Stay Hot.

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