Del Mar 2024: The Chosen Vron, Arabian Knight lead weekend

With five wins in a row and 13 in his last 14 starts, The Chosen Vron makes a class jump Saturday when he defends his 2023 victory as the 6-5 morning-line favorite the Grade 1, $400,000 Bing Crosby Stakes, the six-furlong feature at Del Mar.

Carded as the 10th of 12 races, the main-track sprint is scheduled to start at 9:38 p.m. EDT. The first post is at its traditional time of 5 p.m. EDT.

Click here for Del Mar entries and results.

Trained and partly owned by Eric Kruljac, The Chosen Vron has been an odds-on favorite in all four of his starts this year, most recently at 1-19 in winning by 2 1/4 lengths in the $100,000 Thor’s Echo for California-bred horses.

Competing for the partnership of Sondereker Racing, Kruljac, Robert Fetkin and Richard Thornburgh, the 6-year-old Vronsky gelding is 4-for-7 in graded stakes, the most recent being his victory March 16 in the San Carlos (G3) at Santa Anita.

As was the case when The Chosen Vron won last year, the Bing Crosby is a win-and-you’re-in for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, which will be run Nov. 2 over the same course and distance as Saturday’s race. The Chosen Vron’s only loss in the last 22 months was his fifth-place finish at Santa Anita in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup.

The field of eights 3-year-olds and up has five other last-out winners including Happy Jack (3-1) in the Triple Bend (G2) at Santa Anita and Closethegame Sugar (5-1) in the Kelly’s Landing at Churchill Downs.

Roll On Big Joe was entered but already has been scratched.

With his regular jockey Héctor Berrios riding, The Chosen Vron drew post 8.

Arabian Knight comes back in S.D. ’Cap

Racing for the first time since he wound up fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, 4-year-old Arabian Knight will face four rivals as the 3-5 program favorite in the $300,000 San Diego Handicap (G2) going 1 1/16 miles on Del Mar’s main track Saturday at 8:38 p.m. EDT.

Trained by Bob Baffert for Zedan Racing Stables, the 4-year-old Uncle Mo colt returns to the scene of his biggest triumph, his neck win in his first try against older horses in the September 2023 Pacific Classic (G1).

Jockey Juan Hernández will race Arabian Knight for the first time when they break from post 4.