The 2024 Breeders’ Cup Sprint is shaping up to be one of the best betting races of the championship weekend at Del Mar.

Skelly, The Chosen Vron, Nakatomi, Federal Judge and Mullikin all could make legitimate claims to go off as the favorite in this wide-open affair, but out of these contenders, only The Chosen Vron is trustworthy as an exotics key.

The talented California-bred is the model of consistency with 19 wins and two runner-up finishes from 25 career starts. Even more important than his consistency is his running style. There appear to be at least five front-runners expected to enter the starting gate for the Sprint, many of whom need the lead to be at their best.

The Chosen Vron has tactical speed to stay close, but has shown he is comfortable passing horses from off the early pace. He is at his best when he is stalking a hot pace rather then chasing a loose leader like he did in the Pat O’Brien Stakes (G2) last out.

The Chosen Vron is also one of the only main contenders who has had experience and success at Del Mar, owning four wins and a pair of seconds from seven starts over the main track. 

Bettors who are against this gelding will point to his fifth-place finish in this race last year. The Chosen Vron is better this year than he was last year. He has had four triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures from Daily Racing Form leading up to this year’s Breeders’ Cup and only one leading up to last year’s race.

Last year, The Chosen Vron skipped the Pat O’Brien Stakes and came up to the race off of only works with no prep races after Jul. 29. He was able to use the Pat O’Brien as a prep this year and may not have been 100 percent cranked up for that race despite another good effort.

This year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint is deep, but lacks the star power of Elite Power and Gunite. Most would agree that The Chosen Vron faces an easier field this time around.

The swift early projected pace should not only favor The Chosen Vron, but also the late-running Prince of Monaco. As a 3-year-old facing older, he is likely to go off at double digit odds, a rare occurrence for a Bob Baffert runner.

This improving colt will be making his third start off a layoff in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and will get a dream set-up to chase. The most impressive win of his career came over this track in last year’s Del Mar Futurity (G1) when he easily defeated Muth and Raging Torrent.

This year’s 3-year-old crop of sprinters looks strong and I do not feel this is as big of a step up in class as one may think.

One of the early speed runners such as Straight No Chaser or Raging Torrent, is likely to hang around late for a piece, but The Chosen Vron and Prince of Monaco should be included in all exacta and trifecta box wagering as each runner has the perfect scenario to finish in the top three in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint.