The Grade 1, $400,000 Bing Crosby Stakes, a “Win & You're In” for the Breeders' Cup Sprint this fall at Santa Anita, drew an extremely talented field of 12 including the 2022 and 2021 winners of this race in American Theorem and Dr. Schivel, respectively. However, both those excellent sprinters enter the race off poor fifth-place finishes with no real excuses.
Leading the group with top efforts in stakes races is Spirit of Makena, who won the Grade 2 Triple Bend Stakes when last seen near the end of May. C Z Rocket, who finished second in the Triple Bend, was third in this race when beaten a neck by Dr. Schivel two years ago. Anarchist is another who has proven to be competitive at this level as he recently finished second in the Grade 2 True North Stakes behind 2022 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Elite Power. Sibelius ran the best race of his career this spring when taking the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen Stakes but his most recent effort was a fourth-place finish.
The Chosen Vron brings a seven-race win streak into the Bing Crosby, in stakes races restricted to California-bred horses, but his tenacity and drive to win must be respected. Kid Corleone and Hoist the Gold won their most recent starts, at the classified allowance level however they ran poorly just prior to that in graded stakes, with Kid Corleone sixth in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship last fall and with Hoist the Gold finishing eighth in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap.
Chilean-bred Todo Fino stepped into stakes competition for the first time early this month, finishing third in the Grade 3 Smile Sprint Stakes. Get Her Number, who was second behind American Theorem in this race last year, finished sixth when last seen in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes. Peaceful Waters rounds out the field but must not be dismissed out of hand as he has never finished worse than third in seven career sprint races and won when last seen in April.
Analysis and main contenders:
Historically, winners of the Bing Crosby have run quite well in their most recent starts prior to this race, and that makes sense given the stature of a race that gives the winner an automatic fees-paid entry into the prestigious Breeders' Cup Sprint in the fall – so the race draws horses of exceptional caliber.
Last year's winner, American Theorem, won the Triple Bend Stakes two months earlier and that is precisely why I feel Spirit of Makena is the horse to beat in this year's Bing Crosby as he won the Triple Bend two months ago. If not for a head defeat the only time he ran around two turns, Spirit of Makena would have a perfect five-for-five record and his four-for-four record in sprints like this one gives him an edge. After that two-turn try last summer, Spirit of Makena won in February with a career-best 113 Equibase Speed Figure. He then didn't need to run as fast winning the San Carlos Stakes (103 figure) and Triple Bend Stakes (103) figure in succession.
Jockey Joe Bravo, who guided American Theorem to win this race last year and who has ridden that horse in five straight races, has ridden Spirit of Makena in his last three races, all wins, and rides again. In a race with a likely contested early pace courtesy of need-the-lead types Kid Corleone and Peaceful Waters, with many of the others hot on those pacesetters' heels, Spirit of Makena should get a great trip and win his first Grade 1 race while stamping himself as one of the leading candidates in this year's Breeders' Cup Sprint division.
Dr. Schivel stepped out of California for only the second time in his 12 race career last month, facing 2022 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Cody's Wish, as well as 2022 Kentucky Derby third place finish Zandon, in the Metropolitan Handicap. I'm willing to ignore that effort, not only because of the caliber of the horses he faced and because a mile may be too far, but mostly because some horses just don't like leaving their home environments. That experiment being over, Dr. Schivel returns to his favorite track, Del Mar, where he has earned three of his six career wins including in the 2021 Bing Crosby. Following that, Dr. Schivel earned a career-best 113 figure winning the Santa Anita Sprint Championship before suffering the toughest defeat of his career when beaten a nose by Aloha West in the 2021 Breeders' Cup Sprint.
Away from the races from March of 2022 until this past May, Dr. Schivel picked up where he left off with an extremely strong victory at this six-furlong trip, earning a 109 figure. Then came the Metropolitan Handicap, and I feel if we can ignore that race then Dr. Schivel is going to improve off his only sprint of the year and be a strong factor in this race.
The Chosen Vron may not be considered as strong a contender to win by bettors as some of the others here based on the fact that all of his last seven wins (in a row) have come against California-bred horses only. Don't let that fool you as he's just been raking in money for his owners where he fits. With 12 wins in 16 races, it must be noted The Chosen Vron has stepped out to “open” (not restricted) company five times in his career, with three wins and one second place finish to show for those efforts, including victories in the Lazaro Barrera Stakes and Affirmed Stakes as a 3-year-old.
Having earned 111, 109, and 107 figures in his last three starts, all competitive with the best in this field, The Chosen Vron may really benefit from the contested early pace and fast early fractions in this race, similar to when rallying from fourth to win the Sensational Star Stakes in March and when coming from eighth in the California Flag Stakes last October. Jockey Hector Berrios has been aboard for each one of the horse's last seven wins and rides back so there is a lot to like about the chances for The Chosen Vron posting the mild upset in this race.
Among a number of horses which deserve honorable mention, Anarchist rises to the top because he has finished first or second in seven straight races including two graded stakes. He won the Jacques Cartier Stakes at Woodbine in May with a 115 figure as good as the top runners in this field. Next, although second in the True North Stakes last month in New York, it was big effort as neither he nor any of the other four horses was going to beat last year's Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Elite Power. Nevertheless, Anarchist was clearly second by nearly four lengths over the next horse and earned a 108 figure. Considering he has been so consistent over the last year, I feel Anarchist is a must to use on any exacta tickets we play in this race as he could likely add to his record
The rest of the field, with their best Equibase Speed Figures in similar races, is American Theorem (115), C Z Rocket (109), Get Her Number (112), Hoist the Gold (101). Kid Corleone (107). Peaceful Waters (103), Sibelius (109) and Todo Fino (103).
Win Contenders:
Spirit of Makena
Dr. Schivel
The Chosen Vron
Bing Crosby Stakes – Grade 1, $400,000
Saturday, July 29 – Race 10 at Del Mar; Post Time 9:30 p.m. ET
Six Furlongs, 3-Year-Olds and Upward
Ellis Starr is national racing analyst for Equibase.
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