From Santa Anita Publicity
ARCADIA, Calif. (Feb. 17, 2023)—Eight-time stakes winner The Chosen Vron seeks his fifth consecutive added money victory as he heads a field of five statebreds going one mile in Monday’s $100,000 Tiznow Stakes at Santa Anita.
The Tiznow, named for brilliant California-bred winner of two consecutive Breeders’ Cup Classics, is part of the lucrative CTBA-sponsored Golden State Series for California-bred or sired horses.
Owned in-part and trained by Eric Kruljac, The Chosen Vron, a 5-year-old gelding by Vronsky, will stretch out off of a neck victory, accomplished in gate to wire fashion, in the six furlong Cal Cup Sprint here on Jan. 7.
A two-time graded stakes winner at age three, The Chosen Vron has proven himself versatile on both dirt and turf, routing and sprinting. Paired with Hector Berrios in his last five starts, The Chosen Vron will be handled by Berrios again on Monday.
Owned by Sondereker Racing, LLC, Eric Kruljac, Robert Fetkin and Richard Thornburgh, The Chosen Vron has amassed earnings of $612,678 from an overall mark of 13-9-1-2. Out of the Tiz Wonderful mare Tiz Molly, he was bred in California by Tiz Molly Partners.
Harris Farms’ homebred Coalinga Road, fresh off a neck victory here going a mile and one eighth on turf in the Cal Cup Turf Classic Jan. 7, appears equally adept on the main track and will hope to have a fast pace to exploit with John Velazquez riding back.
A 6-year-old by Quality Road out of the Johannesburg mare Coco Ecolo, Coalinga Road is trained by Carla Gaines. With an overall mark of 18-4-6-3 and earnings of $360,600, he’ll be seeking his second career stakes victory.
In what will be his initial stakes appearance, the Mark Glatt-conditioned Leyas Candy is an improving horse who comes off the best race of his career, a smashing 6 ½ length statebred allowance score going a flat mile here on Jan. 7, a race in which he earned a lofty 91 Beyer Speed Figure.
A 4-year-old colt by Danzing Candy out of the Malibu Moon mare Ilikecandy, Leyas Candy has been ridden in all seven of his starts by Juan Hernandez, winning two, while second in a pair and third once. Owned by Muir Hut Stables, LLC, Leyas Candy has earnings of $132,460.
THE TIZNOW STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 4 of 10 Approximate post time 2 p.m. PT
- Coalinga Road—John Velazquez—124
- Finneus—Ramon Vazquez—120
- Club Cal—Geovanni Franco–120
- Leyas Candy—Juan Hernandez—120
- The Chosen Vron—Hector Berrios–124
First post time for a 10-race card on Monday is at 12:30 p.m. with admission gates opening at 10:30 a.m.