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Juan Hernandez and Defunded winning the Californian
With the immortal Seabiscuit winning the inaugural running at Hollywood Park in 1938, the Gold Cup will be run for the 85th time on Monday’s Memorial Day program. Baffert, whose first Gold Cup win came with Real Quiet in 1999, notched his most recent win with Country Grammer at Santa Anita in 2021.
A 5-year-old gelding by Dialed In, Defunded comes off a facile three-length win at 1-5 odds in the 1 1/8-mile G2 Californian on April 22 and in a tough call, gets top billing with a solid recent race to his credit. Second in last year’s Gold Cup, Defunded showed a new dimension in winning the Californian, as he hopped at the break and was thus required to settle well off the pace and rally for the win.
On or near the early lead in most of his races, Defunded, with the Californian victory in-hand, approaches this year’s Gold Cup at the absolute top of his game. A winner of the G1 Awesome Again Stakes at 1 1/8 miles five starts back on Oct. 1, Defunded seeks his fourth graded stakes win on Monday.
Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Defunded has a win and a second place finish at a mile and one quarter and is 16-6-4-2 overall with earnings of $1,348,100.
Second two years in a row in the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) and a winner of last year’s $12 million Dubai World Cup, Country Grammer ranks as the fifth-leading Thoroughbred money earner with $14,897,320.
A narrow second two starts back in the Saudi Cup Feb. 25, Country Grammer was never a factor when beaten 13 ¾ lengths in the Dubai World Cup March 25.
A smashing 4 ½-length winner of the G2 San Antonio Stakes three starts back on Dec. 26, Country Grammer, who was ridden in his last three starts by the now-departed Frankie Dettori, will get the services of Flavien Prat, who was aboard for Country Grammer’s 2021 Gold Cup victory.
Owned by Zedan Racing Stables, Inc., Winstar Farm, LLC and Commonwealth Thoroughbreds, LLC, Country Grammer, 6-year-old full horse by Tonalist out of the Forestry mare Arabian Song, has two wins and three seconds from seven tries at a mile and one quarter and is 16-5-6-1 overall.
New Mexico-based trainer Todd Fincher will have his first Gold Cup starter as he saddles Senor Buscador, a G3 winner going one mile at Churchill Downs four starts back on Oct. 1. Most recently a close fourth to Mike Stidham’s multiple graded stakes winning Proxy in the G2 Oaklawn Handicap at 1 1/8 miles April 22, Senor Buscador, a 5-year-old full horse by Mineshaft, will be trying a mile and one quarter for the first time.
Out of the Desert God mare Rose’s Desert, Senor Buscador was bred in Kentucky by Joe Peacock Sr. and his son, Joe Jr., who is also the owner. A winner of five of his 10 starts, he has earnings of $479,427.
GRADE I HOLLYWOOD GOLD CUP,
WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 8 of 10 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT
First post time for a 10-race card on Memorial Day, Monday, is at 1 p.m. PT with admission gates opening at 11 a.m.
Leading trainer Phil D’Amato’s international hit parade of stars on the turf continued on Memorial Day at Santa Anita, where his Brazil-bred Macadamia rated
Mystical Power, the first foal of Champion Hurdle-winning mare Annie Power by superstar sire Galileo, made the perfect start to his career at Ballinrobe.Sent of
The feature of the long holiday weekend is the historic Grade 1, $400,000 Hollywood Gold Cup, now run at Santa Anita. The 1 1/4-mile dirt race, set for 7:44 p.m
Bob Baffert is never far from the center of racing conversation. He will remain in the spotlight Monday when he saddles two of his best runners in a Grade 1 eve
