Harris Farms Connected Runners Awarded Five State-bred Championships

Arcadia, CA (February 12, 2025) – Five runners with Harris Farms’ connections secured five year-end honors and two of the three nominations for 2024 California-bred Horse of the Year it was announced today by the CTBA.

The Chosen Vron (Vronsky) earned accolades for the fourth consecutive year, with five stakes victories in six starts. Named Champion Older Horse and Champion Sprinter, the multiple G1-winner is a finalist for California-bred Horse of the Year. A career earner of $1,709,678, he has won 19 of his 25 starts, 17 black-type races and eight championships. Starting with the Champion Three-Year-Old Male in 2021, he was named Champion Older Male and Turf Horse in 2022, and in 2023, he repeated as Champion Older Male, added a Champion Sprinter trophy and was named California-bred Horse of the Year.

Adding to the family laurels was his dam, Tiz Molly, who was named 2024 California Broodmare of the Year. The Chosen Vron was bred by the Tiz Molly Partners and he races for Sondereker Racing LLC, Robert S. Fetkin, Richard Thornburgh, and his trainer Eric Kruljac.

Kings River Knight (Acclamation) was named Champion Turf horse, following in the footsteps of his sire, who earned the honor in both 2011 and 2012. Readying for a return in 2025, Kings River Knight was undefeated in his championship season, starting with a victory in the Unusual Heat Turf Classic, an allowance race featuring several stakes winners, and finishing with a victory in the Crystal Water Stakes. Bred by Old English Rancho, he has earned $649,830 for Integrity Thoroughbred Racing, The Ellwood Johnston Trust, and Kenneth A. Tevelde. He is out of the Poteen mare, Seasontoperfection. He is trained by John Sadler.

Smiling Tiger’s legacy in the Golden State continues as Shady Tiger and Grand Slam Smile swept the Three-Year-Old Male and Female divisions respectively.

Shady Tiger was four-for-five in 2024, with victories in the Snow Chief Stakes and the Echo Eddie Stakes. The earner of $259,400 has been steadily working at Santa Anita for his 2025 debut. He is a homebred racing for Edward Rusty J. Brown and he is trained by Phil D’Amato. He was produced by the winning Full Mandate mare, Divine Legacy.

Grand Slam Smile was earning championship honors for the second consecutive season. Top of her class at two, she won the Leigh Ann Howard California Cup Oaks, the Melair Stakes, the Fleet Treat Stakes and earned graded-black type with her third place finish in the Torrey Pines Stakes (G3). She has the distinction of finishing in the top three in all eleven of her career starts, and she has earned $526, 400 for her owner/breeders, Larry and Marianne Williams. Trained by Steven Specht, who earned trainer of the year honors, she is out of their multiple stakes-producing Grand Slam mare, Royal Grand Slam.

The second of the three nominees for 2024 California-bred Horse of the Year was Big City Lights, who was foaled at Harris Farms.

Congratulations to all!