2024 Bing Crosby Stakes Preview

A field of nine classy dirt sprinters line up for the 2024 edition of the Bing Crosby (G1) on Saturday. The six-furlong dirt sprint offers a $400,000 purse as well as an automatic berth to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, making this Southern an attractive summer destination for top-level dirt sprinters.

The 2024 edition of the race drew a field of nine led by The Chosen Vron, a superstar California-bred who broke through at the Grade 1 level in the Bing Crosby last year. Other stars in the field include Triple Bend (G2) winner Happy Jack, up-and-comers Closethegame Sugar and Jackstown, and last year’s second-place finisher Anarchist. Eight are expected to run, as Roll On Big Joe was an early scratch.

Bing Crosby Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, July 27
• Track: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
• Post Time: 6:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
• Distance: Six furlongs
• Age/Sex: Three-year-olds and upward
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2024 Bing Crosby Stakes Draw and Odds

This is the field for the Bing Crosby at Del Mar.

Bing Crosby Stakes Prep Race Results

The eight horses expected to contest the Bing Crosby come out of seven different races. The only race that sends two last-out runners to the Bing Crosby is the Kelly’s Landing on June 19 at Churchill Downs. Closethegame Sugar, the confident winner, as well as Anarchist, who will try to bounce back from a sixth-place effort, both line up for the Bing Crosby.

Three other runners come out of stakes races. Happy Jack broke through at the graded level in his last start, romping in the Triple Bend on June 1 at Santa Anita. The Chosen Vron comes out of a victory in a California-bred stakes on May 24 at Santa Anita, the Thor’s Echo; it was the same race he used last year as a prep before he won this. Straight No Chaser was last seen finishing fourth behind Joey Freshwater in the Runhappy (G3) on May 11 at Aqueduct.

The other three runners come out of non-stakes races, with two coming out of conventional allowance or allowance-optional claiming races. Jackstown checked off that same condition in a 6 ½-furlong sprint at Santa Anita on June 14. Giant Game contested a third-level allowance route June 12 at Churchill, but finished fifth of seven.

See Through It takes the biggest class jump in the field. He steps up off an eight-length win, but that came against $12,500 starter-allowance company in a 6 ½-furlong dirt sprint at Los Alamitos.

Bing Crosby Stakes Contenders

These are the 12 contenders in the 2024 Bing Crosby Stakes, in order of post position.

1. Anarchist: Anarchist broke a long, consistent string of exacta finishes when he finished sixth in his seasonal debut in the Kelly’s Landing at Churchill Downs. That raises the question: is he the same horse, or did he just need a start after ten months on the shelf? The cutback to six furlongs from 6 ½ last out may help, as may the return to Del Mar, where he won the Pat O’Brien (G2) last year and missed by a head to The Chosen Fron in this race. And, he has been able to run well from inside posts before, including working out either frontrunning or tactical trips. So, there is still some upside.
2. See Through It: From a $6,250 tag against mixed Thoroughbreds and quarter horses, to a stakes win sprinting on the all-weather at Golden Gate, to a graded-stakes placing on the Santa Anita dirt in the Palos Verdes earlier this year, See Through It has seen a lot during his 45 starts. Now, he sees Grade 1 company for the first time. He is in some of the best form of his life, with a couple of confidence-builders against starter-level foes at Los Alamitos coming into this race. However, he’ll have to tap into his tactical speed and run the best race of his life against this level of company. That’s a lot to ask, even at a price.
3. Straight No Chaser: This horse does his best when he can go straight to the lead, like he did when winning the Maryland Sprint (G3) two starts back. A poor start doomed him in the Runhappy at Aqueduct last out, but a better beginning puts him in the mix. It won’t be an easy ask—he’s drawn inside, and he’ll have the likes of The Chosen Vron and Jackstown pushing the issue from his outside. But, he has been able to set a pressured pace and keep on going over this distance before, making him an interesting value contender.
4. Giant Game: He looked like a promising route horse a year ago, winning a first-level allowance and going right in to win the Cornhusker (G3) at Prairie Meadows next out. However, he hasn’t won in seven starts since. Now he gets a few shake-ups: he was auctioned off for a promising five-figure sum to new owners and has moved from the Dale Romans barn to that of Peter Eurton. And now, he tries six furlongs for the first time in his life. However, that may not be the ticket: not only is he bred top and bottom to go long (he is a half to Isotherm, from the final crop of Giant’s Causeway), but he does his best on the lead, and he’ll be running against horses with true sprint speed.
5. Roll On Big Joe: He was announced as an early scratch from the race.
6. Closethegame Sugar: He announced himself on the national stage when he won the Mahony, a turf sprint at the Spa, last summer. However, this year this son of Girvin is emerging as a really nice dirt horse, as well. The choice to route to Del Mar and not Saratoga is interesting, only given the fact that trainer Adam Rice is a familiar face at the Spa but less so at Del Mar. However, this race has a Breeders’ Cup bid at stake and the Vanderbilt does not, making it logical. His running style is excellent, as he is a reliable stalker who is fast enough to race in range of the pace and then get the job done. In short, there is a lot to like … and with Rice being less familiar, especially in Southern California, than the likes of Doug O’Neill, Bob Baffert, and Eric Kruljac? That could mean a surprisingly good price on such an in-form horse.
7. Happy Jack: He ran third in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) in 2022 and took a crack in the Kentucky Derby, but this first-stringer from the Doug O’Neill barn has done his better work going short. His five-year-old campaign is shaping up to be his best yet: his seasonal debut was a close second behind The Chosen Vron in the Kona Gold two back, and then he broke through at the graded level on June 1 when wiring the Triple Bend. To his credit, he was able to set a contested (albeit relatively slow) pace and draw away in the end. However, that was a seven-furlong race. It helps that he has won before at six furlongs, and that he is versatile enough to stalk or even close and still run a good race. However, as one of the likely shorter prices in the field, it may be worth betting that Happy Jack’s happy place is more those extended one-turn trips than this flat six.
8. The Chosen Vron: The undisputed king of the Southern California sprint circuit, The Chosen Vron just keeps showing up. He is a millionaire, and a winner of 18 of his 23 lifetime starts. He is five-for-six at six furlongs, with his only defeat at the distance coming behind Elite Power in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint last year. He has cracking early speed, but he can also win from a pressing place or even from several lengths off the pace, like he did when he won the Bing Crosby last year. The Chosen Vron just runs fast race after fast race, and he is the one to beat.
9. Jackstown: The 15-1 morning-line odds appear a pipe dream on this one, just given that he is trained by Bob Baffert and a promising Baffert runner always takes money. This four-year-old son of Speightstown cedes experience to the rest of the field: in fact, he has raced just twice. He debuted in July of 2022 as a juvenile, went gate to wire, and then disappeared for almost two years. He returned in a first-level allowance June 14 ,going 6 ½ furlongs at Santa Anita, pressed the pace, and cleared off. The outside post gives him an excellent chance for a clean pressing trip, and if he can run back to that last-out win over this slightly shorter distance, he shapes as a contender. Demand some semblance of a price—especially since it’s a big step up from first-level allowance foes to some truly top sprinters—but the raw material is there.

Bing Crosby Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Bing Crosby Stakes?

A: The Bing Crosby happens on Saturday, July 27, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. The race is carded as the tenth of 11 on the Saturday card.

Q: Where is the Bing Crosby Stakes?

A: It takes place at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, California.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Bing Crosby Stakes?

A: Bob Baffert and Bruce Headley are tied for the most wins in the Bing Crosby with four wins each. Bob Baffert can take the record for himself if Jackstown wins.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Bing Crosby Stakes?

A: The Chosen Vron is the 6-5 morning-line favorite. He is the defending champion and an extremely consistent horse, meaning he should be a well-defined favorite.

Q: Who is the best Bing Crosby Stakes jockey?

A: The jockey with the most wins in this race is Flavien Prat, who won it six times between 2015 and 2021. Prat is based at Saratoga again this summer, and will not have a call. Among riders who are in the Bing Crosby this year, only one has won the race before: Hector Berrios, who guided The Chosen Vron to victory in 2023 and goes for the repeat in 2024.

Q: Who won the Bing Crosby Stakes in 2023?

A: The Chosen Vron won the 2023 Bing Crosby for trainer Eric Kruljac and rider Hector Berrios, and the same connections bring The Chosen Vron back for another try in 2024.

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