Saturday’s Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar carries some important Breeders’ Cup implications. For starters, the winner gets a guaranteed, free spot in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Beyond that, what happens in Saturday’s Grade 1 stakes will be doubly important since the BC Sprint will be contested on Nov. 2 over the very same Del Mar surface, which should give the winner a bit of a homefield advantage at the World Championships.

1. Anarchist (10-1 morning-line odds): Returns to the West Coast after battling for the early lead and fading to sixth in the ungraded Kelly’s Landing Stakes at Churchill Downs. That seemed an odd spot to start his 2024 campaign, but he owns stellar form at Del Mar. Last year, he won the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes at Del Mar after finishing second to The Chosen  Vron by a head in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby. There’s every reason to believe he can produce an improved performance here.

JOCKEY: Kazushi Kimura; TRAINER: Doug O’Neill

2. See Through It (30-1): Comes off a couple of starter allowance wins at Los Alamitos, which does not instill confidence for a big showing in a Grade 1 stakes.

JOCKEY: Tiago Pereira; TRAINER: Genaro Vallejo

3. Straight No Chaser (6-1): Was an easy winner of the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint Stakes last year, but tired at Belmont at the Big A as an odds-on favorite in the Grade 3 Runhappy Stakes May 11, which was his first race in almost a year. Can improve off his 2024 debut, but needs a career-best effort to be a factor here.

JOCKEY: Antonio Fresu; TRAINER: Dan Blacker

4. Giant Game (20-1): Considering his last 11 races were at a mile or more and he has yet to race in a six-furlong sprint, hard to picture him winning a Grade 1 sprint stakes.

JOCKEY: Joe Talamo; TRAINER: Peter Eurton

5. Roll On Big Joe (SCRATCHED)

6. Closethegame Sugar (5-1): Owned in part by New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz, this gelding enters off a pair of Churchill Downs sprint stakes wins. Won the Kelly’s Landing in a sharp effort and took the Aristides before that. Figures to have a nice closing kick.

JOCKEY: Umberto Rispoli; TRAINER: Adam Rice

Happy Jack (BENOIT photo)

7. Happy Jack (3-1): Was an impressive winner of the seven-furlong Triple Bend Stakes, setting the pace in the Grade 2 event and pulling away in the final furlong. Was second to The Chosen Vron in the Kona Gold Stakes while making his 2024 debut after a 10-month layoff. Should be a big factor here.

JOCKEY: Edwin Maldonado; TRAINER: Doug O’Neill

8. The Chosen Vron (6-5): Won last year’s Bing Crosby and seeks a sixth straight win while chasing an encore victory in the Grade 1 stakes. Has two months rest for this one and his recent works indicate he’s a deserving favorite and  very much the one to beat here.

JOCKEY: Hector Berrios; TRAINER: Eric Kruljac

9. Jackstown (15-1): He’s making his stakes debut and just his third start in a career that has included 23 months on the sidelines after an injury. As uninspiring as that sounds, he’s trained by Bob Baffert and his speed figure in his big comeback win last month cannot be ignored.

JOCKEY: Juan Hernandez; TRAINER: Bob Baffert

THE PICK: The Chosen Vron

LIVE LONGSHOT: Jackstown

SUPERFECTA: 8-7-9-6