By DRF.com
ARCADIA, Calif. (Apr. 24, 2024) – The plan for The Chosen Vron to take it easy in April went out the window when the popular chestnut gelding worked four furlongs in a blazing 46.60 seconds last weekend under a hold by jockey Hector Berrios.
“I wanted to freshen [The Chosen Vron] off his previous race, but thought better of it because he’s just feeling so good,” trainer Eric Kruljac said.
Instead of two months between starts, waiting for a California-bred stakes in May, The Chosen Vron was supplemented to the $100,000 Kona Gold Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita. “He’s just training so sharp, he hasn’t been any better,” Kruljac said.
Few sprinters in California are better. The Chosen Vron, a 16-for-21 millionaire 6-year-old with 15 stakes wins, seeks another on Saturday against Grade 2 winner Forbidden Kingdom and classy comebacker Express Train.
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Seven entered the Kona Gold, a 6 1/2-furlong race that lost Grade 3 status this year after averaging 4.6 starters the past five editions. Others in the Kona Gold include Prince Abu Dhabi, See Through It, Happy Jack, and Zeus’ War.
The Kona Gold is race 4 on Saturday; race 8 is Grade 3 Royal Heroine, a turf mile for fillies and mares including front-runner Stay and Scam and graded stakes winner Bellabel. The star Saturday is The Chosen Vron, who won the Grade 3 San Carlos on March 16 and was expected to wait for the Thor’s Echo on May 25. The Chosen Vron was not even nominated to the Kona Gold.
“We were on the fence, at the last minute we had to supplement [for $2,000],” Kruljac said. “He’s training just as sharp as he’s ever been, and it would be another two or three workouts to get him ready for the Thor’s Echo.”
The Chosen Vron has won $1,299,678 and is on a three-race win streak following a fifth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
The Chosen Vron is by Vronsky, out of the Cee’s Tizzy mare Tiz Molly, was bred by Tiz Molly Partners, is owned by Sondereker Racing, Fetkin or Thornburgh, et al and is trained by J. Eric Kruljac.
Cal-bred stakes winner See Through It is by Curlin to Mischief, out of the Chester House mare Crystal House, was bred by Ed Allred is owned by Belico Racing and Lizbeth Medina and is trained by Genaro Vallejo. He has eight wins in 31 starts, earnings of $363,712 and is coming off a third in the Feb. 10 Palos Verdes.