Betting With, and Against, The Chosen Vron in the Bing Crosby Stakes

An excellent cast of nine dashers will speed six panels on the Del Mar dirt in Saturday’s $400,000 Bing Crosby S. (G1). 

Leading the way in the event is defending champ #8 The Chosen Vron (6-5) for conditioner Eric Kruljac. The brilliant California-bred is a superb 10-for-11 since 2023, the gelding owns a 5-for-6 mark at the distance, and he also comes in with four measured victories in succession. 

The Vronsky chestnut defeated a field with similar depth in it in 2023 and has posted seven solid morning moves leading up to the sprint. Hector Berrios will be in the silks once again. 

The Chosen Vron – With

• $20 exacta 8 with 1 ($20)
• $10 exacta 8 with 3,7 ($20)
• $2 trifecta key 8 with 1,3,7 ($12)

The Chosen Vron – Against

• 50-cent trifecta 1,3,7 with 1,3,7,8 with all ($31.50)
• 50-cent superfecta 1 with 3,7,8 with 3,7,8 with all ($18)

While betting against The Chosen Vron would have been a losing wager in 18 of his 23 lifetime starts, there are some very good alternatives in this contest for those looking for an upset. 

Trainer Doug O’Neill has a pair for the heat, including #1 Anarchist (10-1), who was runner-up by a head in the contest last campaign. The Distorted Humor five-year-old didn’t run his best in a 2024 debut at Churchill Downs most recently, but it should be a benefit having run in advance of Saturday. He likes the surface, and Kazushi Kimura will be in the stirrups. 

O’Neill’s #7 Happy Jack (3-1) is at his peak right now and has thrived since cutting back to sprint events. The Oxbow five-year-old was a sharp second to the favorite in the Kona Gold S. two back prior to dominating the Triple Bend (G2) at Santa Anita most recently. The Calumet homebred might not be a pure six-furlong horse, but he’s an obvious win contender in his current form, nonetheless. Edwin Maldonado will ride. 

I simply can’t omit Dan Blacker’s #3 Straight No Chaser (6-1) as the potential one to catch in the dash. The five-year-old burned a lot of money in his seasonal debut at Aqueduct, but his best efforts last year were superb – he could be any kind in trying this dirt oval for the first time. He drilled a bullet five-eighths in his latest morning spin and will be sent from the opening bell by Antonio Fresu.