Del Mar: Draw for The Chosen Vron, 7 others in Pat O’Brien

In search of his seventh consecutive win, The Chosen Vron drew post 6 in a field of eight for Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Pat O’Brien Stakes, the seven-furlong feature Saturday at Del Mar.

Scheduled to start after 9 p.m. EDT, the Pat O’Brien for 3-year-olds and up is a win-and-you’re-in qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 2, also at Del Mar.

Click here for Del Mar entries and results.

Trainer Eric Kruljac actually has his sights set on a return to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, the six-furlong race in which The Chosen Vron finished fifth last year. That was his only loss in his last 15 starts dating to the summer of 2022.

Owned with Kruljac by Sondereker Racing, Robert Fetkin and Richard Thornburgh, the 6-year-old Vronsky gelding is coming off his second consecutive Bing Crosby (G1) win at Del Mar. That victory actually got The Chosen Vron invited to return to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. His regular rider Héctor Berrios has the call again Saturday.

Stable for 1: Kruljac has all he needs with The Chosen Vron.

Saudi Cup (G1) winner Señor Buscador, who has not raced since he finished third on March 30 in the Dubai World Cup (G1), cuts back to less than a mile for the first time in two years. The 6-year-old Mineshaft entire trained by Todd Fincher goes with Joe Talamo from post 7.

Coming back from his third-place finish June 1 in the Triple Bend (G2) at Santa Anita, 5-year-old Big City Lights will try for the fifth time to beat The Chosen Vron. The Mr Big horse trained by Richard Mandella is 4: 0-4-0 in races that include The Chosen Vron and 6: 5-0-1 in those that do not. Kazushi Kimura will ride from post 5.

Happy Jack, a 5-year-old Oxbow horse trained by Doug O’Neill, won the Triple Bend but then finished a distant sixth to The Chosen Vron in the Bing Crosby. Edwin Maldonado will be in the irons again, this time from post 3.

Raging Torrent, a 3-year-old who finished first in the Maxfield on June 30 at Churchill Downs, will go from post 4. Two-time stakes winner See Through It, a 7-year-old gelding, drew post 2. Arrowthegreat, a 4-year-old allowance winner, got the outside post. Moose Mitchell, a 5-year-old gelding who is 0-for-10 in stakes, starts from the rail.

A sunny sky and a high temperature near 71 degrees are forecast by the National Weather Service for Saturday at Del Mar.