The Chosen Vron digs in to win California Cup Sprint
Although he took intense pace pressure to the three-sixteenths pole, heavily favored The Chosen Vron managed to dig deep and find more when it counted as he held off a late-charging Big City Lights by a neck to win Saturday’s $150,000 Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint at Santa Anita. Ridden by Hector Berrios and trained by Eric Kruljac, The Chosen Vron got six furlongs in 1:08.96.
The first of five state-bred stakes on Cal Cup day at Santa Anita, the Cal Cup Sprint is part of the CTBA-sponsored Golden State series for California-bred or sired runners.
Although Berrios said following the race that his intention was not to go to the early lead, that’s where The Chosen Vron took him from his No. 4 post position and he was immediately engaged to his outside by Resilient. The pair went head-and-head through scintillating splits of 22.07, 44.36 and 56.60 seconds.
Three sixteenths out, the winner eased clear by a half length. But Richard Mandella’s Big City Lights, two off the lead at the quarter pole, was flying late under Juan Hernandez. With a sixteenth of a mile to run, the Sprint outcome was very much in doubt. However, The Chosen Vron held.
A 5-year-old gelding by Vronsky, The Chosen Vron, who had won his last three races, all state-bred stakes, was off as the 2-5 favorite in a field of six older horses and paid $2.80, $2.10 and $2.10.
Owned by Sondereker Racing, LLC, Eric Kruljac, Robert Fetkin and Richard Thornburgh, The Chosen Vron, who won a pair of graded stakes at age three, now has a total of eight stakes wins to his credit. Bred by Tiz Molly Partners, The Chosen Vron is out of the Tiz Wonderful mare Tiz Molly.
With today’s winner’s share of $90,000, The Chosen Vron increased his earnings to $612,678 from an overall mark of 13: 9-1-2.
Big City Lights, the second choice at 2-1, paid $2.20 and $2.10 while finishing 3 1/2 lengths clear of Resilient.
Breaking from the far outside under Diego Herrera, Resilient, a lightly-raced 6-year-old gelding, was the longest shot in the field at 21-1 and paid $3.40 to show.