The Chosen Vron may target Santa Anita Sprint

DEL MAR, Calif. - For the eighth time since September, Eric Kruljac followed a familiar pattern after watching his prized gelding The Chosen Vron run in a stakes.

At Del Mar on Saturday evening, Kruljac greeted jockey Hector Berrios aboard the 5-year-old, talked briefly about the race, and then proceeded to the winner’s circle.

For the first time through The Chosen Vron’s eight-race winning streak, the victory was not in a race for California-breds, but the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes, the state’s richest annual sprint.

“It makes you numb,” Kruljac recalled feeling on Sunday. “It’s admiration for the horse. It was kind of unbelievable.”

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The Chosen Vron overcame traffic issues on the turn of the six-furlong race and fought off stern challenges from Anachrist and Dr. Schivel in deep stretch to win the $403,500 race by a head.

With the win, The Chosen Vron earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 4, provided the partnership that owns The Chosen Vron pays a $100,000 supplemental fee to nominate The Chosen Vron to the Breeders’ Cup program.

As of Sunday, the ownership group, which includes John Sondereker, Robert Fetkin, Richard Thornburgh and Kruljac, planned to pay the fee, Kruljac said. The supplemental nomination is due in October.

The steep nomination fee was financed by The Chosen Vron’s $240,000 winner’s share of the Bing Crosby purse. In his career, The Chosen Vron has won 13 of 17 starts and earned $1,032,678.

The Chosen Vron will be considered for the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint, a $200,000 race at six furlongs on Sept. 30.

“We might like that,” Kruljac said.

In the Bing Crosby, The Chosen Vron closed from sixth to win narrowly despite being checked on the turn. Anarchist finished a head in front of Dr. Schivel, who won the 2021 Bing Crosby.

“He had to steady and that cost us,” Kruljac said of The Chosen Vron. “The other two went wide. I think he was the strongest at the wire.”

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