The moment was tinged with both pride and sentiment at Del Mar as officials confirmed a change that will resonate with California racing fans. The Cary Grant Stakes, a fixture of the Bing Crosby Season since 2014, will now carry the name of a horse who defined resilience and brilliance: The Chosen Vron.
It is rare for a racehorse to stamp himself so deeply on a circuit that a stakes race is renamed in his honor, but The Chosen Vron, a chestnut gelding by the late Vronsky, was no ordinary runner. Owned in partnership by Sondereker Racing, J. Eric Kruljac, Robert Fetkin, and Richard Thornburg, and trained throughout by Kruljac, he won 19 of 25 career starts, banking just over $1.7 million. His steady power and durability placed him in the Top 20 of California-bred earners, a testament to both his consistency and heart.
A Champion’s Resume
Fans at Del Mar remember his two victories in the Grade I Bing Crosby Stakes, moments that underlined his class on one of the toughest sprint stages in the country. He also earned a start in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Sprint, finishing a respectable fifth. Recognition soon followed, with The Chosen Vron crowned California-Bred Horse of the Year in both 2023 and 2024.
No horse is complete without his partner, and jockey Hector I. Berrios became inseparable from him in the final act of his career. The Chilean-born rider steered him in 17 consecutive races, 14 of them wins, including back-to-back triumphs in the Cary Grant Stakes in 2022 and 2023.
Honoring the Legacy
“He was an exceptional racehorse and it was always an exciting day when he came out to run,” said Tom Robbins, Del Mar’s executive vice president for racing. “We think it is very fitting that one of our Cal-bred stakes has been renamed in his honor.”
The first running of the newly named The Chosen Vron Stakes will take place on Saturday, November 8, offering a $100,000 purse for California-breds aged three and up. It will be one of 20 stakes during the Bing Crosby Season, which runs from October 30 through November 30. The stand will also feature the Breeders’ Cup, making its fourth visit to Del Mar on October 31 and November 1.
Carrying His Name Forward
For those who watched his husky frame power down the stretch, the renaming is more than a change in the program. It is a reminder of afternoons when a Cal-bred gelding turned routine races into memorable occasions. The Chosen Vron left his mark on Del Mar’s sand, and now, his name will live on in stakes history.
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