Santa Anita roundup: Defunded, Brickyard Ride win Saturday

An odds-on, multiple stakes winner who was expected to be on the lead in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Californian Stakes at Santa Anita, Defunded took a crow hop leaving the gate and instead of being in front, found himself last in a field of six, four lengths off the lead around the clubhouse turn.

It mattered not, however. The classy 5-year-old gelding cruised into contention around the far turn and then fairly mowed down the competition in a command performance that enabled to him to win by three lengths.

Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Juan Hernández, Defunded got 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.91 and certainly appears headed to the Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) on the same track going 1 1/4 miles May 29.

With Mr. Impossible and Midnight Mammoth battling for early supremacy, Midnight Mammoth took the lead going up the backside. He was headed midway around the far turn by Brazil-bred Royal Ship, but Defunded, under a vigorous hand ride, got on terms with both of them at the top of the lane, and his class prevailed from there.

“He was standing really good, and at the last moment, he decided to take a step back. and at that time they gave us the break, so he kind of hopped in the air,” said Hernández, who registered his second stakes win of the day.  “After the bad break, he relaxed very well behind those horses. He wasn’t rank at all, and down the backside I felt like I had a lot of horse.

“Around the three-eighths I swung out, and I put him in the clear, and when I did that, he picked it up by himself. I just let him go, and he caught the horses.”

Most recently a close third in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) on March 4, Defunded was off at 1-5 and paid $2.40, $2.10 and $2.10.

“He’s always had a little issue at the gate,” said Baffert, who notched his fourth career win in the Californian. “Juan said that he was standing perfect, and right when they kicked it, he stepped back, and that’s why he hopped out of there. ... (Hernández) said he was never rank. He was in the bridle, and he was just being patient with him. ... Down the backside I wasn’t sure. I thought we missed the race.

“I almost didn’t run him in here, but he was doing so well, I put him in the race to freshen him up a little bit. ... I like the fact that he has always been one-dimensional, and it looks like now he’s maturing, getting older, and he is starting to fill out. He’s always been a little bit of a head case, but now he’s figuring it out, and he knows he’s a good horse, so that’s important.”

By Dialed In out of the Touch Gold mare Wind Caper, Defunded is owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. In garnering his third career graded-stakes win, he improved his overall mark to 16: 6-4-2. With the winner’s share of $120,000, he increased his earnings to $1,348,100.

Trained by Richard Mandella and ridden by Mike Smith, Royal Ship finished second by one length in front of Midnight Mammoth and paid $3.00 and $2.20 as the second choice at 9-2.

Ridden by Kyle Frey, Midnight Mammoth was off at 15-1 and paid $3.20 to show while finishing a half-length better than fellow long shot Kiss Today Goodbye.

Fractions for the race were 23.22, 47.35, 1:11.00 and 1:35.82.

Brickyard Ride wins again in Kona Gold

With a recent race under his belt, California-bred Brickyard Ride demonstrated his customary speed and considerable class Saturday, when he held off a determined Anarchist late to take the $100,000 Kona Gold Stakes (G3), becoming only the second horse to register repeat victories in the 38-year history of the race.

Owned and bred by Alfred Pais, trained by Craig Lewis and ridden by Hernández, Brickyard Ride got 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.84.

Quick from the gate but anything but lonely on the lead, Brickyard Ride was pressed to the far turn by a threesome comprised of Anarchist, Armagnac and Positivity.

Approaching the three-furlong pole, Hernández managed to open up on Anarchist by 1 1/2 lengths. This was perhaps the winning move, since Brickyard Ride was all out late to prevail while Anarchist was steadily closing the gap on the money.

Idle since May 29 prior to running third down the hillside turf course in the San Simeon (G3) on March 5, Brickyard Ride, one of three California-breds in a field of five older horses, was off at 4-5 and paid $3.60, $2.40 and $2.10.