Breeders' Cup | 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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‘He Wants To Run The Show’: Smile Happy Confirmed For ‘Win And You’re In’ Whitney

Trainer Kenny McPeek confirmed Lucky Seven Stable's graded stakes winner Smile Happy for next Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Whitney at Saratoga Race Course, but his Grade 1-winning stablemate for the same owner Rattle N Roll will take his show on the road.

The nine-furlong Whitney offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic in November at Santa Anita Park.

Both Rattle N Roll [2nd] and Smile Happy [5th] last raced in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Stephen Foster on July 1 at Ellis Park. McPeek said Rattle N Roll will target either the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga or the Grade 1, $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar. Both races are run at 10 furlongs on September 2 and are “Win and You're In” qualifiers for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic.

Smile Happy, who captured the Grade 2 Alysheba on May 5 at Churchill Downs, got his first glimpse of the Oklahoma training track on Friday.

“He galloped really well this morning over the Oklahoma track,” McPeek said. “This was his first day here. We stood him in the gate, backed him out and gave him some gate schooling. He did well.”

Smile Happy last breezed on July 22 at Churchill Downs, completing a half-mile move in 49 seconds flat.

“We've had plenty of work into him at Churchill. He had a work days ago with a long, strong gallop and I don't know that we'll breeze him at all,” McPeek said.

Smile Happy earned a career-high 110 Beyer Speed Figure from his Alysheba conquest, defeating Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup winner Art Collector and next-out Grade 1 Stephen Foster winner West Will Power by two lengths. He kicked off his 4-year-old season on March 16 with an optional-claiming triumph over a sloppy and sealed Oaklawn Park main track in his first start since finishing eighth in last year's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. During his juvenile campaign, he captured the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs.

McPeek described the 4-year-old son of medication-free stallion Runhappy as a quirky horse that likes doing things his own way.

“He's a bit of an alpha. He wants to run the show, but the talent is unquestioned,” McPeek said.

McPeek said Smile Happy will be ridden by jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr.

Smile Happy, bought for $185,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Select Sale, is out of the Pleasant Tap mare Pleasant Smile.

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‘May The Best Horse Win’: Papaprodromou Doubles Up For Bing Crosby With American Theorem, Spirit Of Makena

The first Grade 1 race of the Del Mar summer meet is set to go this Saturday when 12 of the track's fastest dirt runners compete in the G1 Bing Crosby, a “Win and You're In” challenge race for the Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Trainer George Papaprodromou will have a double-barrel attack when he sends out last year's winner, American Theorem, and arguably the current leader of the West Coast sprint division in Spirit of Makena.

American Theorem looked to be a rising star in the sprint division when he won back-to-back graded stakes in 2022; the G2 Triple Bend in June and the Bing Crosby in July. A runner-up finish to Laurel River in the G2 Pat O'Brien one month later did nothing to tarnish his image.

Papaprodromou trained American Theorem up to the Breeders' Cup and the son of American Pharoah ran a distant eighth. He was given the winter off and returned in June, on closing day at Santa Anita, and ran fifth and last in a second level allowance.

“He needed the race,” Papaprodromou says. “He was coming off of the layoff and he wasn't ready. I think it will help him this time.”

Papaprodromou says American Theorem is doing very well coming into Saturday's race, as is his stablemate Spirit of Makena, who has been nothing short of brilliant so far this year. The son of Ghostzapper opened with a victory in an entry level allowance at Santa Anita in February. He followed that with a stylish win in the G3 San Carlos in March and then stamped himself a Breeders' Cup contender with a win in the G2 Triple Bend.

As for running his star sprinters against each other, Papaprodromou has no problem.

“Hopefully, one of them wins,” he says. “May the best horse win. They both belong there.”

The Bing Crosby is the 10th of 11 races Saturday. 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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Good Magic Filly Takes King to ‘Top End of the Game’ at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga

Last fall, his homebred filly Slammed (Marking) took Brad King to the Breeders' Cup, and in just over a week, another filly will bring the Texan to Saratoga for the first time when he offers a yearling daughter of red-hot sire Good Magic as hip 32 with the Legacy Bloodstock consignment at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale.

“We've pinhooked off and on for probably 10-15 years,” King said. “But this is our first one that we are taking up there. When we bought her, that was the plan the whole time, we were trying to look for a young stallion that would be on the upper end and we just got really lucky with Good Magic. She has the pedigree to get in up there, for sure.”

The filly is out of graded stakes winner Devious Intent (Dixie Union), who is a half-sister to millionaire Pioneer Spirit (Malibu Moon). King purchased the bay for $150,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale.

“We like to pick horses that are really powerful and there is a lot of substance to them,” King said of the weanling's appeal. “The horses that we keep and run are the same way. That's just kind of what we do. When we saw her as a foal, we were like that's the kind that we want right there.”

Of the filly's six-figure price tag, King admitted, “We did stretch a little bit last year. We had had a good year at the races and we had a good sale year last year.”

Since purchasing the filly last November, her sire has been hitting on all cylinders on the racetrack. In addition to GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage, Good Magic has also been represented recently by stakes winners Scotland, How Did He Do That, Reincarnate, and Miss New York, as well as 'TDN Rising Star' and $2-million OBS March graduate Muth.

“That part couldn't have worked out any better,” King said of the sire's hot streak. “Every weekend there are three new wins. They just keep coming. And that's just dumb luck there. That's what a lot of this game is, you've just got to get lucky every now and then.”

King has been happy with what he has seen from the filly over the winter.

“Luckily, she has basically kept the same great shape and just grown up,” he said. “For a Good Magic, she is big enough. They are not the biggest horses, but she is definitely big enough.”

King traditionally has plenty of company when his horses make it to the winner's circle, owning most of his runners in partnerships.

“I love it when they come in and have instant success because then they are in the business forever,” he said.

But hip 32 is a rare one that King owns all on his own.

“Usually, I have partners on all of my horses,” he explained. “I just didn't have anybody who was really asking to get in, so we just bought that one ourselves. The only reason she is going to the sale is because we do own her by ourselves. If we had owned her as a group, we probably would have just kept her and run her. But I definitely don't need to own her by myself.”

King, who is the owner of Clear Vu Auto Glass in Lubbock, Texas, followed his father into the racing game.

“When Texas got pari-mutuel racing in the mid-80s, my dad got in it here in Texas,” King recalled. “We bought a few mares at that time. We had never owned a horse before that. I was probably 14 or 15 at that time. And I got immersed into it quickly from that point.”

From a limited stable, King has enjoyed plenty of success recently on the racetrack. In addition to Slammed, who earned her way into the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint with a win in the GII Thoroughbred Club of America S. last fall at Keeneland, he is also co-owner of Flying Connection (Nyquist), who took her owners to the GI Kentucky Oaks this year thanks to a win in the Sunland Oaks; and Olivia Twist (Mshawish), who was third in the GIII Fantasy S. at Oaklawn in April.

“We have probably eight to 10 in training,” King said. “We are a small stable for sure. And I've got about 15 mares between Kentucky and New Mexico.”

The broodmare band includes Hennesey Smash (Roll Hennessy Roll), dam of Slammed, as well as stakes winner and graded placed Smash Ticket (Midnight Lute) and multiple stakes winner Roll on Diabolical (Diabolical). The 14-year-old mare produced a colt by City of Light this year and was bred back to superstar Flightline.

Smash Ticket joined the band this year and was bred to Jackie's Warrior.

The recently retired Slammed, meanwhile, will be offered at auction this November.

“At the end of the day, you have to treat it like a business,” King said of the decision to sell the graded stakes winner. “And that's probably the smart thing to do. I don't have any mares who are worth what she is. And it's not just her–then you have to breed her the way she needs to be bred and it's just a three-year process of that much more [in] stud fees and all of that. And some of the partners that are in her are not into the breeding that much. I have a sister to her and we still have her dam.”

Asked if the trip Slammed took him and his partners on last year made him eager to increase his stable's numbers, King said, “It gives you a taste for the top end of the game, that's for sure. And you definitely strive to stay at that. With Slammed, it was extra special just because she was a homebred and New Mexico-bred and I had had her her whole life. I had her dam and her granddam. So it was extra special because we had had the family for so long.”

Bringing a yearling to Fasig-Tipton's boutique Saratoga sale can offer King that same racetrack experience in the sales ring.

“You know you are playing at the top end of the game when you make it to Saratoga, that's for sure,” King said.

He added, “Going up there to the sale will be the first time I've ever been to Saratoga. I've been to nearly all of the other tracks, but not to that one, so that will be fun. We were in Del Mar for a week last week. And I thought, you can get used to going to Del Mar for a week and Saratoga for a week. That's the life.”

The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale will be held Aug. 7 and 8 with bidding beginning each day at 6:30 p.m.

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