July, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Bing Crosby: The Chosen Vron ‘Showing Flashes Of Brilliance,’ 9-Year-Old C Z Rocket ‘Just Keeps On Ticking’

The G1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar will boast a full field this year. Twelve horses will lock horns in the 6-furlong sprint, a “Win and You're In” challenge race for the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Santa Anita November 4. Three of the entries are horses you can't help but root for: Dr. Schivel, C Z Rocket and The Chosen Vron.

Dr. Schivel is a 5-year old son of Violence who won the 2020 G1 Del Mar Futurity. Instead of going on to the Breeders' Cup, the connections shut him down until June of the next year and he rewarded them with three straight victories, including a win in the 2021 Bing Crosby.

This time they did go to the Breeders' Cup. Dr. Schivel carried a five-race win streak into the Sprint at Del Mar where he suffered a heartbreaking defeat, losing by a nose to a surging Aloha West.

He returned in the G1 Malibu the day after Christmas and ran into Flightline. He lost by 19 lengths. Undeterred, his connections shipped Dr. Schivel to Dubai where he made a good account of himself in the Dubai Golden Shaheen. But when he got back to the states, trainer Mark Glatt didn't like what he saw in his horse and shut him down for what turned out to be more than a year.

Dr. Schivel returned this year to win an allowance race and then lost to Cody's Wish in the G1 Met Mile at Belmont Park.

“He didn't have a good trip,” Glatt says. “I think he would have ran much better. Probably wouldn't have outrun Cody's Wish but he got in a bad position and never had a fair shot in the race.”

The Chosen Vron is another 5-year-old who has become popular with followers of the Southern California racing circuit. He's stepping up into much tougher company in the Bing Crosby. The last time the son of Vronsky ventured outside of Cal-bred company he finished fifth in the G2 Pat O'Brien last summer at Del Mar. He hasn't lost since, running-off a string of seven straight wins including a five-length victory last out in the $100,000 Thor's Echo at Santa Anita in May.

“His last few races have been so easy,” trainer Eric Kruljac says. “So after seven Cal-breds in a row sometimes you need to step out and try the big boys.”

Kruljac bred The Chosen Vron. He wins six-furlong races and he wins one mile contests. He wins on the dirt and he wins on the turf.

“You never know (how good they're going to be) until their 2-year-old year,” Kruljac says. “That's when he started showing flashes of brilliance. He's thriving. He's a happy horse.”

The Chosen Vron will have his hands full in the Bing Crosby with arguably the top sprinter on the West Coast, Spirit of Makena, and last year's winner, American Theorem. There's also Sibelius, winner of the Dubai Golden Shaheen and the cagey veteran C Z Rocket.

“He's my idol, I want to be like him when I grow up,” trainer Peter Miller says of his trusty 9-year old.

The son of City Zip hasn't won since taking a second-level allowance at Del Mar last summer but he's run second in the G2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship, second in the Breeders' Cup Sprint to Elite Power, and second to Dr. Schivel in an open allowance in May. He returned two weeks later and posted a runner-up finish to Spirit of Makena in the G2 Triple Bend.

“He just keeps on ticking,” Miller says. “He's super sound and has high energy all the time. He obviously fits (in the race). As long as he tells me he's enjoying his job and he stays as sound and as energetic, we're going to keep him happy and he's happy when he's running.”

Miller says he's more inclined to train less and run more with an older horse like C Z.

“He doesn't need much training,” Miller says. “He knows how to keep himself fit. Sound is new money and to have a 9-year-old still firing bullets, he's an easy keeper.”

The Bing Crosby is the 10th of 11 races Saturday at Del Mar. Approximate post time is 6:30 p.m.

Here's the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds: Hoist the Gold (Brian Hernandez Jr., 20-1); Spirit of Makena (Joe Bravo, 4-1); Todo Fino (Edwin Maldonado, 20-1); The Chosen Vron (Hector Berrios, 4-1); Kid Corleone (Tiago Pereira, 20-1); Get Her Number (Mike Smith, 15-1); Anarchist (Ramon Vasquez, 4-1); C Z Rocket (Kent Desormeaux, 12-1); Sibelius (Mario Guttierrez, 6-1); American Theorem (Umberto Rispoli, 8-1); Dr. Schivel (Juan Hernandez, 7/2) and Peaceful Waters (Antonio Fresu, 15-1).

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‘Headstrong’ Defunded Improving With Age, Tabbed Morning-Line Favorite In San Diego Handicap

The handicap division appears to be a wide open affair this year. No Flightlines around to bully all the others.

Proxy, Art Collector and Last Samurai traded punches over the winter, while out west Defunded, Stilleto Boy and Taiba notched victories in the handicap division. In the spring Exaulted, West Will Power and Idiomatic entered the picture. Now with the summer comes the influx of 3-year-olds who survived the Triple Crown trail and are ready to take on older horses. They include Geaux Rocket Ride, Mage and Forte.

Plus, to just muddy the waters even more, Cody's Wish is planning to try the G1 Whitney at Saratoga next month to see if he can go farther than a mile.

So it will be a contentious next few months leading up to the Breeders' Cup Classic, starting this Saturday with the G2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar, the local prep for the G1 Fanduel Pacific Classic September 2. Nine horses are entered in the mile and a sixteenth test led by Defunded.

The son of Dialed In is arguably the best handicap horse on the West Coast after he snagged the G1 Hollywood Gold Cup last out at Santa Anita in May. That followed a brilliant performance in the G2 Californian in April, a race he won by three lengths.

“Last year I ran him in the race (the San Diego) and he kind of lost it in the paddock,” trainer Bob Baffert remembers. “So we'll see how he handles it this year. He's doing well. There's a lot of speed in there, so that will be interesting.”

Defunded ran seventh in the 2022 edition of the San Diego Handicap after setting the pace to the top of the lane. Baffert says he's always been a tough horse.

“He's his own worst enemy,” Baffert says. “We had to geld him. He has always been really headstrong. He gets excited in the paddock and this is a tough paddock for him. So we've been doing a lot of schooling with him and he's getting better. He's improved with age.”

Baffert says everything has to go right for Defunded, but once it does, he is one tough customer. He won the G1 Awesome Again last year and the G3 Native Diver at Del Mar in the fall. He kicked off 2023 with a runner-up finish to Art Collector in the G1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park and followed that with a close third to Stilleto Boy and Proxy in the G1 Santa Anita Handicap prior to his win in the Californian.

Defunded is highweight in the San Diego at 125 pounds. Royal Ship and Slow Down Andy are next at 122 pounds.

Last year's San Diego Handicap winner, Royal Ship, returns to defend his crown. The 7-year old son of Midshipman hasn't won since his victory at Del Mar last summer but trainer Richard Mandella is confident Royal Ship will make a good showing.

Slow Down Andy returns to the scene of his biggest victory, the G2 Del Mar Derby last year. Granted, that was on the turf but his subsequent third-place finishes in the G1 Awesome Again and the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile show the son of Nyquist can handle any surface.

There's also Brickyard Ride, a speedy Cal-bred who will be stretching out. He did win the one-mile $100,000 Tiznow Stakes at Santa Anita in February of 2022 but he has run one-turn races since, winning the G3 Kona Gold both last year and this year. The 6-year-old speedball posted a bullet five furlong work last Friday and is expected to go to the lead.

“Defunded is tough,” trainer Craig Lewis acknowledges. “Maybe the best horse in the handicap division. We'll give him a target.”

Another horse of note is Tripoli, the 2021 Pacific Classic winner. The 6-year-old son of Kitten's Joy has only one win, an allowance at Golden Gate Fields, in the two years since his big victory at Del Mar.

The San Diego Handicap will be Race 8 on the 11 race Saturday card. Approximate post time is 5:30 p.m.

Here's the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds:

Slow Down Andy (Mario Gutierrez, 5-1);
Royal Ship (Mike Smith, 6-1);
Tripoli (Tiago Pereira, 15-1);
Missed the Cut (Hector Berrios, 5-1);
American Admiral (Ramon Vasquez, 6-1);
Defunded (Juan Hernandez, 8/5);
Senor Buscador (Giovanni Franco, 12-1);
Piroli (scratched);
Tisquantum (Edwin Maldonado, 30-1), and
Brickyard Ride (Umberto Rispoli, 6-1).

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Take Two: Highlighting Thoroughbreds In Second Careers

Though Thoroughbreds featured prominently in hunter and jumper show rings of the past, the breed is now rarely represented at the highest echelons of the sport. The Take2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program was created to encourage the use of Thoroughbreds in show rings once more.

The Take2 program was the brainchild of Thoroughbred trainer Rick Violette, who grew up on the East Coast showing hunters and jumpers before transitioning to training racehorses. Violette passed away in 2018, but the program remains dedicated to providing opportunities to retiring racehorses.

Executive Director Andy Belfiore says the program works as a go-between for racehorse owners and people seeing show horses. Take2 is a Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance-accredited nonprofit that also encompasses the TAKE THE LEAD program, which is a retirement program for horses that retired from New York Racing Association (NYRA) tracks.

More than 1,000 horses have found new homes between Take2 and TAKE THE LEAD program.

Take2 launched a 3-foot hunter division and a 1.0-to-1.05-meter division specifically for Thoroughbreds in 2012. There are now Take2 divisions in 23 states and the Take2 League has been created. All Take2 classes take place at horse shows that are sanctioned by the U.S. Equestrian Federation.

Membership in the League allows riders to try to qualify for the $20,000 Take2 Hunter-Jumper Finals, which will take place at the Kentucky National Horse Show Sept. 20 to 24, at the Kentucky Horse Park. It also puts riders in the running for year-end high-point awards. Take2 also offers a Junior Rider Program and scholarships.

Learn more about Take2 here.

Weekend Lineup: Juvenile Champ Forte Adds Blinkers In Jim Dandy

This weekend's live racing action has plenty to offer fans, despite closures across multiple tracks due to high heat index predictions.

Woodbine and Laurel have cancelled racing on Friday. Colonial Downs and Ellis Park have cancelled racing on Friday and Saturday. Delaware Park has also cancelled it's Saturday program.

Leading the charge is the return to racing of last year's juvenile champion, Forte, who takes on a small but talented group in the G2 Jim Dandy at the Spa. Defeated last out in the Belmont Stakes, Forte will add blinkers for this next test on the road toward the Travers.

Another 2022 champion will enter the starting gate on Saturday at Saratoga: Elite Power is the headliner for the Grade 1 Vanderbilt. The Bill Mott trainee faces old rival Gunite, as well as talented Florida-bred Dean Delivers.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge program offers a pair of “Win and You're In” races this Saturday as well. First up is Ascot's blockbuster King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, which has drawn Epsom Derby winner Auguste Rodin, last year's winner Pyledriver, and four additional Group 1 winners: Emily Upjohn, Hukum, Luxembourg, and Westover.

The other Challenge race is at Del Mar, the Grade 1 Bing Crosby over six furlongs, which offers a berth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint. It drew a well-matched field of 12, including last year's winner American Theorem.

Saturday's card at Laurel Park features the 32nd renewal of the six-furlong De Francis as headliner on a 10-race program featuring five stakes worth $500,000 in purses, including the $100,000 Deputed Testamony, $100,000 Alma North, and a pair of $75,000 events restricted to Maryland-bred/sired horses.

Breeders' Cup Turf winner in 2022, Rebel's Romance returns stateside for Sunday's G2 Bowling Green at Saratoga, and Sunday's G2 Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar features a field of nine going nine furlongs on the lawn.

Saturday

4:26 p.m. – Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga

Reigning Champion Male Sprinter Elite Power bested dual graded stakes-winner Gunite when they last faced off in the Group 3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint in February in Saudi Arabia. The two millionaire sprinters will renew their rivalry, some 6,400 miles away, as they battle for divisional supremacy.

Juddmonte's Elite Power, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, won 5-of-6 starts last year, taking the Grade 2 Vosburgh at Belmont at the Big A and the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Keeneland to complete his Championship season.

The 5-year-old Curlin chestnut made his seasonal debut with a powerful performance in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint, flying to a 3 1/4-length score over a grinding Gunite. Elite Power did not return until June 10, easily posting a 1 3/4-length win in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2 True North over Big Sandy.

Gunite posted a record of 7-4-2-0 last year, winning stakes at Churchill Downs [Maxfield, Harrods Creek], Saratoga [Grade 2 Amsterdam] and Keeneland [Perryville]. The dark bay endured a troubled trip as he concluded a solid sophomore season in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and settled for fourth, four lengths back of the Mott-trained winner Cody's Wish.

The well-traveled colt prepared for the Riyadh Dirt Sprint with a four-length romp in the King Cotton over sloppy and sealed going in January at Oaklawn Park and completed his overseas excursion with a close third in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen in March at Meydan Racecourse. Gunite tuned up for Saturday's test by posting a career-best 108 Beyer Speed Figure with a stalking effort in the six-furlong Aristides on June 3 at Churchill Downs, scoring a 1 3/4-length win over Bango, who exited that effort to win the Kelly's Landing at Ellis Park.

Dean Delivers, Gun It, Little Vic, Synthesis, and Awesome Aaron round out the field.

Vanderbilt Entries

5:45 p.m. – Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga

Reigning Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Forte will face a compact but talented field as he seeks to regain winning form for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. Forte arrives from a closing runner-up effort to Arcangelo in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 10 at Belmont Park. He entered the 1 1/2-mile marathon from 10-week's rest after scratching the morning of the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby due to a bruised foot, but shook off any signs of rust with a brave five-wide rally from sixth-of-9 to come up 1 1/2 lengths shy of victory in the “Test of the Champion.”

Prior to scratching from the Derby, Forte had been tabbed the morning-line favorite after a spring campaign that saw him notch wins in Gulfstream Park's Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and Grade 1 Florida Derby. As a juvenile, he won a trio of Grade 1s in the Spa's Hopeful, and the Breeders' Futurity and Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland, awarding him with his Champion honors.

Two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox brings a formidable trio of challengers in Grade 1-winner Angel of Empire [post 5, Flavien Prat, 124 pounds], graded stakes-winner Hit Show [post 3, Luis Saez, 120 pounds] and graded stakes-placed Saudi Crown [post 4, Florent Geroux, 118 pounds].

Completing the field is graded stakes-winner Disarm [post 1, Joel Rosario, 120 pounds] for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. The bay colt enters from a determined half-length victory in the Grade 3 Matt Winn on June 11 at Ellis Park for his first graded victory on the heels of a fourth in the Kentucky Derby and on-the-board finishes in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds and Grade 3 Lexington at Keeneland.

Jim Dandy Entries

9:30 p.m. – Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar

The Crosby, named, of course, in honor of the track's founder, has drawn 12 fast horses for a six-furlong spin that not only guarantees the winner a $240,000 check and Grade I honors, but also grants them a guaranteed paid entrance to the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint at Santa Anita this November through the “Win and You're In” program. The race's defending champ, Kretz Racing's American Theorem, is back to give the dash another try.

The Crosby is a very well-matched bunch, but Del Mar's morning line maker Jon White has hung Red Baron's Barn Dr. Schivel – who won the Crosby in 2021 as a 3-year-old – as the ever-so-slight favorite at 7/2. He'll have top rider Juan Hernandez in the boot.

Bing Crosby Entries

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