The winners in both of the July 27 graded stakes at Del Mar have come back in good order and plans are in the works for their next races.
The Chosen Vron made it look easy, beating a solid field of sprinters in the Bing Crosby (G1), a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series event for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1).
“He’s doing super,” trainer Eric Kruljac said July 28. “He wasn’t tired and cleaned up his feed. He looks like a million bucks.”
Last year Kruljac trained The Chosen Vron up to the Breeders’ Cup following his victory in the Bing Crosby. That will not be the case this year.
“We’re much more likely to look for an out (a prep race),” Kruljac says. “Last year I backed off. I could have trained him a lot harder. I don’t know if it would have made a difference or not. We’ll definitely be much more aggressive. He seems be no worse for wear this morning.”
The Chosen Vron finished a distant fifth to Elite Power in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
Closethegame Sugar ran a creditable race in the Bing Crosby, albeit second to The Chosen Vron. Trainer Adam Rice was on a plane first thing Sunday morning, returning home to Kentucky and says the horse will follow this week.
“The track was tiring on him,” Rice said.
Straight No Chaser was scratched out of the Bing Crosby the morning of the race. Trainer Dan Blacker would not get into specifics but said it’s an issue with the horse.
“We still don’t know the answers,” Blacker says. “It was just really disappointing for everyone. My team had worked really hard with him and done such a great job with him to get to this point. He’s been such a consistent horse to train so when something changed in that consistency we knew something was wrong.”
On to the Pacific Classic for Dr. Venkman, Katonah
Dr. Venkman scored on the stretch out, disposing of race favorite Arabian Knight and holding off a hard-charging Katonah to win the San Diego Handicap (G2), the local prep for the Aug. 31 Pacific Classic (G1).
Jockey Antonio Fresu guides Dr. Venkman to the winner’s circle after their victory in the San Diego Handicap
“He came back good,” trainer Mark Glatt said. “Certainly it (the Pacific Classic) will be on our radar after today’s performance.”
Dr. Venkman had run exclusively in sprints in his four lifetime starts, but Glatt felt the horse might get the two turns.
“I was as confident as you can be,” Glatt says. “He didn’t really surprise me but, until I see it, I don’t believe it and he passed with flying colors.
“It’s a struggle stretching out with horses for the first time,” Glatt continues. “But we trained him to hopefully back off the bit. He’s always been very push button so I was as confident as can be.”
Glatt entered Dr. Venkman in both the San Diego and the Bing Crosby, but chose the San Diego. Obviously, it was the right choice.
“It feels great,” Glatt says. “It was a tough decision. Do you really want to take on a horse like Arabian Knight in the first attempt around two turns? Certainly there was a lot of debate about it.”
Katonah returned from a one-year layoff to finish a respectable second. He was also doing well Sunday morning.
“A great, great comeback,” trainer Doug O’Neill says. “The Pacific Classic is our dream goal.”
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
