Santa Anita: The Chosen Vron faces 6 rivals in San Carlos

California-bred The Chosen Vron, a 15-time winner and earner of more than $1.2 million, looks to add a fourth graded-stakes win to the resume Saturday in the Grade 3, $100,000 San Carlos Stakes going seven furlongs at Santa Anita.

Trained by Eric Kruljac, The Chosen Vron earned his 14th career stakes win most recently on Jan. 13 when breezing to a 2 1/2-length victory over statebreds in the six-furlong California Cup Sprint at Santa Anita. The 6-year-old gelding by Vronsky has tasted defeat only once in his last 11 starts dating to September 2022, which was a fifth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 4.

Jockey Hector Berrios has been aboard for the entirety of that run and again has the call on Saturday. Tuesday night, The Chosen Vron was honored as the 2023 Cal-bred horse of the year, champion sprinter and champion older horse. And Kruljac was named trainer of the year at the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association Awards Dinner and Annual Meeting.

Owned by Sondereker Racing, Kruljac, Robert S. Fetkin and Richard Thornburgh, The Chosen Vron has record of 20: 15-1-2. His three graded-stakes wins have come in the 2023 Bing Crosby (G1) at Del Mar, and both the Lazaro Barrera (G3) and Affirmed Stakes (G3) in 2021 as a 3-year-old at Santa Anita.

Elwood Blues makes his stakes debut riding a three-race win streak for Bob Baffert, all at six furlongs. The 4-year-old Justify colt graduated at Los Alamitos in December and followed with back-to-back allowance wins at Santa Anita, the most recent coming by 1 3/4 lengths Feb. 18.

Campaigned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Elwood Blues was purchased for $300,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September yearling sales. He is out of the Arch mare Blingismything, a graded-stakes winner on turf.

Elwood Blues will be ridden by Santa Anita's top jockey Juan Hernandez, who has been aboard for all three prior wins.

I'm A Gambler, a 5-year-old No Nay Never gelding bred in Ireland, will be making his dirt debut for trainer Mark Glatt. A nine-time winner in England, I'm A Gambler arrived stateside ahead of the 2023 season for owner Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal LLC. He has been running exclusively on turf, with six out of his seven stateside starts being stakes, but with only limited success. Most recently, I'm A Gambler was a disappointing seventh in the restricted Clockers' Corner on the hillside turf course Jan. 28.

I'm A Gambler will be ridden by Brandon Boulanger and has an overall record of 31: 9-4-3 with $317,196 in earnings.

Glatt also entered Ghost of Midnight, a winner of three straight and five of six lifetime. The 6-year-old Ghostzapper gelding cleared his first two allowance conditions in December and came back to cruise by 2 1/4 lengths in a starter allowance at a mile at Santa Anita on Jan. 26.

Ghost of Midnight will be ridden by Antonio Fresu, who has been aboard for two of his victories. Ghost of Midnight is a homebred for Allan K. Kirkwood and Saundra S. Kirkwood.