Del Mar 2024: The Chosen Vron glides into Bing Crosby

For being arguably the fastest sprinter on the grounds, The Chosen Vron is quite possibly the most chill horse at Del Mar.

Following a brief gallop and a bath afterward, the defending Bing Crosby Stakes winner who will try to win the Grade 1, $400,000 race again Saturday at 9:38 p.m. EDT was hanging out outside trainer Eric Kruljac’s barn Thursday, gnawing on a couple carrots and quietly taking in his surroundings, his chestnut coat gleaming, not an ounce of fat on him.

The Chosen Vron has become California racing’s chosen one, compiling a most impressive record while winning state-bred horse-of-the-year honors in 2023. He has raced 23 times, won 18 of them and finished in the money in three other races. He has earned Kruljac and his partners $1,419,678 in purse money. He has won five in a row since running fifth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint, and before that setback, he had won eight in a row.

But about The Chosen Vron’s laid-back nature.

“It’s just the way he was born,” Kruljac said. “He was easy to break. He did everything right. He just has a great mind to him. He’s extremely competitive. I know he knows what he’s doing when he kicks in that extra gear. This is going to be one of his toughest races, but I wouldn’t trade places with anyone.”

So what does it take to keep a 6-year old horse like The Chosen Vron in top form?

“You start with a horse who is extremely well put together,” Kruljac said. “There’s the element of luck and the care that the grooms give him. Just keeping him happy. He’s been a pleasure to train.

“Way back in the beginning we had to stop on him, and now we’re being paid dividends. He’s been consistent as can be. We’ve backed off on him a couple of times each year, and he seems to come back off the freshening and gives us honest and thrilling performances. Hopefully he’s got one more in him.”

Most of The Chosen Vron’s races and victories have come in Cal-bred races, but he has ventured into open company with some success, the 2023 Crosby being one of them. Again it is a win-and-you-re-in qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, which will be run at Del Mar on Nov. 2.

“I think he’s coming into the race in good shape,” Kruljac said. “When he works he hardly touches the ground. He just floats.”

Like his horse Kruljac is also laid back, enjoying his days at age 71. He said The Chosen Vron’s rise to stardom has not changed his life too much.

“I have the privilege of being interviewed a whole bunch,” Kruljac said. “I’m in the twilight of my career. What a way to go out with a horse like this.”