The Chosen Vron keeps winning, leads all the way in San Carlos
The Chosen Vron continued his winning ways Saturday with a gate-to-wire victory in the Grade 3, $100,000 San Carlos Stakes going seven furlongs at Santa Anita.
With regular rider Héctor Berrios in the irons, The Chosen Vron (2-5) shook off pace rival Elwood Blues (4-1) on the turn and successfully held off a late charge from 7-2 second-choice Ghost of Midnight to score by one length. It was The Chosen Vron’s 15th stakes win in 21 starts and his fourth graded tally for trainer Eric Kruljac.
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The Chosen Vron broke cleanly from the rail and proceeded to carve fractions of 22.27 and 44.42 seconds for the opening quarter- and half-mile with Elwood Blues lapped to his outside. Runner-up Ghost of Midnight took up a stalking position under Antonio Fresu, some three lengths in back of The Chosen Vron.
The Chosen Vron proceeded to reach the eighth pole in a quick 1:08.37. Ghost of Midnight had gotten to within 1 1/2 lengths at that point, but he could never get to the winner.
“Today I was on the rail, and I just went to the lead, just stayed in the lane and I had Juan Hernández (aboard Elwood Blues) on my outside,” Berrios said. “I was not very worried. I felt Antonio Fresu come up around the turn, so I asked my horse to pick it up, and he responded really well.”
The Chosen Vron motored across the wire in a swift 1:20.96, the fastest time for the San Carlos since Sahara Sky repeated in 2014 in 1:20.84. He paid $2.80, $2.20 and $2.10. Ghost of Midnight returned $3.40 and $2.10. Elwood Blues, who finished 6 3/4 lengths back in third, paid $2.10.
“He’s keeping me in the game,” Kruljack said. “I’m in my 70’s now, and you start wondering when it would be a good time to throw it in, but as long as he’s around, I’m in. He just leaves us all in awe. In the barn and in the mornings, he is just all class. I never would have dreamed I would have a horse of his caliber that just keeps going. I’ve had some good, almost brilliant horses that lasted for a while, but not like this.”
A 6-year-old gelding by Vronsky, The Chosen Vron improved his record to 21: 16-1-2 with $1,299,678 in earnings. He is owned by Sondereker Racing, Kruljac, Robert Fetkin and Richard Thornburgh.
In The Chosen Vron’s only previous start this year, he won the California Cup Sprint Stakes against state-breds. He has won 11 of his last 12 starts dating to September 2022 with his only defeat coming in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita.
The Chosen Vron’s previous graded-stakes wins came in last year’s Bing Crosby (G1) at Del Mar and as a 3-year-old in 2021 when taking both the Lazaro Barrera (G3) and the Affirmed (G3).