The Chosen Vron to Run in Pat O'Brien, Then BC Sprint

Trainer J. Eric Kruljac noted immediately following the Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) at Del Mar last month that he would not be training The Chosen Vron up to the Breeders' Cup this year. At some point he would run his star gelding in a prep between now and November. Now he's decided what that prep will be. Kruljac says he will run in the Aug. 24, $250,000 Pat O'Brien Stakes (G2), a seven-furlong affair that may also attract this year's Saudi Cup (G1) winner, Senor Buscador. "He's doing great," Kruljac says of The Chosen Vron. "We're going to breeze tomorrow (Aug. 17) morning. So far he's hitting on all cylinders and I couldn't be any more pleased with his training." The Chosen Vron put in his first work since the Bing Crosby Aug. 10 when he went three furlongs in :36, fourth-best of 16 works at the distance that morning. So what does Kruljac do to keep 'Vron' in top form? "When you're given a model of perfection it's pretty easy," Kruljac notes. "It's not rocket science." Last year The Chosen Vron also won the Bing Crosby, a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series event for the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1). Kruljac chose to train the horse up to the big race and he ran a well-beaten fifth, 5 1/4 lengths behind the winner, Elite Power. "I felt like I gave him too much time between the Bing Crosby and the Breeders' Cup last year," Kruljac admits. "He's thriving and so far so good." All trainers dream of the day they have a superstar horse. For Kruljac, the ride on The Chosen Vron has exceeded expectations. "Far beyond," he says, "because I never had the bankroll with instructions to find me a Derby horse or a Test winner. They just come along. I've always enjoyed buying yearlings instead of claiming. My grandfather got me kicked off looking at yearlings. Kruljac's grandfather won honors for cattle breeding. He actually ran a research program that started a process to find the gene that was causing deformities in some of his cattle. "He always had three or four broodmares," Kruljac recalls. "I'd go to the races with him quite often so it was in my blood at an early age." Kruljac is one of the breeders of The Chosen Vron which, if it's possible, makes the experience of the last three years even more special. "Absolutely, if it wasn't for The Chosen Vron I probably would be retired by now," the 71-year-old Kruljac claims. "It's a gift." The 6-year-old son of Vronsky has won 19 of his 24 starts and finished in the money in 22 of them. He's amassed more than $1.6 million in earnings and is the reigning Cal-bred Horse of the Year. 'Vron' is currently riding a six-race win streak which he started after the Breeders' Cup loss. Before that, he strung together eight straight wins. Entries for next Saturday's Pat O'Brien will be drawn Aug. 21.