By Jim Charvat

Defunded © Benoit Photo

DEFUNDED EYES TOP SPOT IN HANDICAP DIVISION IN G2 SAN DIEGO

The handicap division appears to be a wide open affair this year. No Flightlines around to bully all the others.

Proxy, Art Collector and Last Samurai traded punches over the winter, while out west Defunded, Stilleto Boy and Taiba notched victories in the handicap division. In the spring Exaulted, West Will Power and Idiomatic entered the picture. Now with the summer comes the influx of 3-year-olds who survived the Triple Crown trail and are ready to take on older horses. They include Geaux Rocket Ride, Mage and Forte.

Plus, to just muddy the waters even more, Cody’s Wish is planning to try the G1 Whitney at Saratoga next month to see if he can go farther than a mile.

So it will be a contentious next few months leading up to the Breeders’ Cup Classic, starting this Saturday with the G2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar, the local prep for the G1 Fanduel Pacific Classic September 2. Nine horses are entered in the mile and a sixteenth test led by Defunded.

The son of Dialed In is arguably the best handicap horse on the West Coast after he snagged the G1 Hollywood Gold Cup last out at Santa Anita in May. That followed a brilliant performance in the G2 Californian in April, a race he won by three lengths.

“Last year I ran him in the race (the San Diego) and he kind of lost it in the paddock,” Trainer Bob Baffert remembers. “So we’ll see how he handles it this year. He’s doing well. There’s a lot of speed in there, so that will be interesting.”

Defunded ran seventh in the 2022 edition of the San Diego Handicap after setting the pace to the top of the lane. Baffert says he’s always been a tough horse.

“He’s his own worst enemy,” Baffert says. “We had to geld him. He has always been really headstrong. He gets excited in the paddock and this is a tough paddock for him. So we’ve been doing a lot of schooling with him and he’s getting better. He’s improved with age.”

Baffert says everything has to go right for Defunded, but once it does, he is one tough customer. He won the G1 Awesome Again last year and the G3 Native Diver at Del Mar in the fall. He kicked off 2023 with a runner-up finish to Art Collector in the G1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park and followed that with a close third to Stilleto Boy and Proxy in the G1 Santa Anita Handicap prior to his win in the Californian.

Defunded is highweight in the San Diego at 125 pounds. Royal Ship and Slow Down Andy are next at 122 pounds.

Last year’s San Diego Handicap winner, Royal Ship, returns to defend his crown. The 7-year old son of Midshipman hasn’t won since his victory at Del Mar last summer but trainer Richard Mandella is confident Royal Ship will make a good showing.

Slow Down Andy returns to the scene of his biggest victory, the G2 Del Mar Derby last year. Granted, that was on the turf but his subsequent third-place finishes in the G1 Awesome Again and the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile show the son of Nyquist can handle any surface.

There’s also Brickyard Ride, a speedy Cal-bred who will be stretching out. He did win the one-mile $100,000 Tiznow Stakes at Santa Anita in February of 2022 but he has run one-turn races since, winning the G3 Kona Gold both last year and this year. The 6-year-old speedball posted a bullet five furlong work last Friday and is expected to go to the lead.

“Defunded is tough,” trainer Craig Lewis acknowledges. “Maybe the best horse in the handicap division. We’ll give him a target.”

Another horse of note is Tripoli, the 2021 Pacific Classic winner. The 6-year-old son of Kitten’s Joy has only one win, an allowance at Golden Gate Fields, in the two years since his big victory at Del Mar.

The San Diego Handicap will be Race 8 on the 11 race Saturday card. Approximate post time is 5:30 p.m.

Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds: Slow Down Andy (Mario Gutierrez, 5-1); Royal Ship (Mike Smith, 6-1); Tripoli (Tiago Pereira, 15-1); Missed the Cut (Hector Berrios, 5-1); American Admiral (Ramon Vasquez, 6-1); Defunded (Juan Hernandez, 8/5); Senor Buscador (Giovanni Franco, 12-1); Piroli (scratched); Tisquantum (Edwin Maldonado, 30-1), and Brickyard Ride (Umberto Rispoli, 6-1).

FULL SPEED AHEAD AS SPRINTERS CLASH IN G1 BING CROSBY AT DEL MAR

The G1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar will boast a full field this year. Twelve horses will lock horns in the 6-furlong sprint, a “Win and You’re In” challenge race for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita November 4. Three of the entries are horses you can’t help but root for: Dr. Schivel, C Z Rocket and The Chosen Vron.

Dr. Schivel is a 5-year old son of Violence who won the 2020 G1 Del Mar Futurity. Instead of going on to the Breeders’ Cup, the connections shut him down until June of the next year and he rewarded them with three straight victories, including a win in the 2021 Bing Crosby.

This time they did go to the Breeders’ Cup. Dr. Schivel carried a five-race win streak into the Sprint at Del Mar where he suffered a heartbreaking defeat, losing by a nose to a surging Aloha West.

He returned in the G1 Malibu the day after Christmas and ran into Flightline. He lost by 19 lengths. Undeterred, his connections shipped Dr. Schivel to Dubai where he made a good account of himself in the Dubai Golden Shaheen. But when he got back to the states, trainer Mark Glatt didn’t like what he saw in his horse and shut him down for what turned out to be more than a year.

Dr. Schivel returned this year to win an allowance race and then lost to Cody’s Wish in the G1 Met Mile at Belmont Park.

“He didn’t have a good trip,” Glatt says. “I think he would have ran much better. Probably wouldn’t have outrun Cody’s Wish but he got in a bad position and never had a fair shot in the race.”

The Chosen Vron is another 5-year-old who has become popular with followers of the Southern California racing circuit. He’s stepping up into much tougher company in the Bing Crosby. The last time the son of Vronsky ventured outside of Cal-bred company he finished fifth in the G2 Pat O’Brien last summer at Del Mar. He hasn’t lost since, running-off a string of seven straight wins including a five-length victory last out in the $100,000 Thor’s Echo at Santa Anita in May.

“His last few races have been so easy,” trainer Eric Kruljac says. “So after seven Cal-breds in a row sometimes you need to step out and try the big boys.”

Kruljac bred The Chosen Vron. He wins six-furlong races and he wins one mile contests. He wins on the dirt and he wins on the turf.

“You never know (how good they’re going to be) until their 2-year-old year, Kruljac says. “That’s when he started showing flashes of brilliance. He’s thriving. He’s a happy horse”

The Chosen Vron will have his hands full in the Bing Crosby with arguably the top sprinter on the West Coast, Spirit of Makena, and last year’s winner, American Theorem. There’s also Sibelius, winner of the Dubai Golden Shaheen and the cagey veteran C Z Rocket.

“He’s my idol, I want to be like him when I grow up,” trainer Peter Miller says of his trusty 9-year old.

The son of City Zip hasn’t won since taking a second-level allowance at Del Mar last summer but he’s run second in the G2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship, second in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint to Elite Power, and second to Dr. Schivel in an open allowance in May. He returned two weeks later and posted a runner-up finish to Spirit of Makena in the G2 Triple Bend.

“He just keeps on ticking,” Miller says. “He’s super sound and has high energy all the time. He obviously fits (in the race). As long as he tells me he’s enjoying his job and he stays as sound and as energetic, we’re going to keep him happy and he’s happy when he’s running.”

Miller says he’s more inclined to train less and run more with an older horse like C Z.

“He doesn’t need much training,” Miller says. “He knows how to keep himself fit. Sound is new money and to have a 9-year-old still firing bullets, he’s an easy keeper”

The Bing Crosby is the 10^th of 11 races Saturday at Del Mar. Approximate post time is 6:30 p.m.

Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds: Hoist the Gold (Brian Hernandez Jr., 20-1); Spirit of Makena (Joe Bravo, 4-1); Todo Fino (Edwin Maldonado, 20-1); The Chosen Vron (Hector Berrios, 4-1); Kid Corleone (Tiago Pereira, 20-1); Get Her Number (Mike Smith, 15-1); Anarchist (Ramon Vasquez, 4-1); C Z Rocket (Kent Desormeaux, 12-1); Sibelius (Mario Guttierrez, 6-1); American Theorem (Umberto Rispoli, 8-1); Dr. Schivel (Juan Hernandez, 7/2) and Peaceful Waters (Antonio Fresu, 15-1).

HANDICAPPING SEMINARS RETURN TO DEL MAR

Del Mar’s series of handicapping seminars continues this weekend. Every Saturday and Sunday during the summer meet, top handicappers will offer their insights prior to the races. The sessions are free and held at the Plaza de Mexico, behind the grandstand west of the paddock.

On Saturday, host Frank Scatoni will have long time horseplayer Josh Chidester as his handicapping guest. Then on Sunday, Dan Smith will have Daily Racing Form’s Steve Andersen as his guest. The seminars start at 1 p.m. and last 30-to-45 minutes.

DAYBREAK AT DEL MAR

Daybreak at Del Mar returns again this weekend. The popular Saturday program allows fans to walk into the track free, purchase breakfast at one of the nearby concession stands and then enjoy your meal seated in the Clubhouse Terrace Restaurant while watching the morning workouts. It’s interactive, too, with one of Del Mar’s hosts available to tell you about the horses and answer your questions.

It begins at 7:30 a.m. and lasts for about an hour and half. You will have to pay for parking but you can get it validated when you buy breakfast. Just drive through the main gate, park in the main lot, enter through the clubhouse entrance and head to the second floor restaurant area. No reservations are needed.

COOLING OUT:  Happy Birthday to the Del Mar Grandstand. It was on this date in 1993 the new grandstand was dedicated. The six-story structure replaced the old original wooden grandstand that was built in the 1937…Assael Espinoza, leading rider up at Golden Gate Fields this past spring and nephew of Hall of Fame rider Victor Espinoza, won his first race of the meet when he guided Outer Sunset to victory in the second race Thursday…Trainer Tim Yakteen says Big Pond came out of her upset win in the Fleet Treat Stakes in good order. He says he’ll sit down with owner George Krikorian and discuss a plan moving forward… G1 Haskell winner Geaux Rocket Ride was out on the racetrack this morning, his first exercise since arriving from his cross-country journey on Tuesday. Trainer Richard Mandella said his colt is “looking real good today. He galloped nice.” Mandella has expanded the possibilities for the colt’s next race to include the Shared Belief on Sunday September 3, a race restricted to 3-year-olds, unlike the other option the G1 FanDuel Pacific Classic for older horses the day before. Notable works on Friday: Dirt – Bran (4f, :47.40); Spycatcher (4f, :49.00); Arabian Lion (5f, 1:00.20) and Skinner (5f, 1:00.00). A total of 129 horses put in official works.

Del Mar Statistics

 Jockey Standings
(Current Through Thursday, July 27, 2023 Inclusive)

Trainer Standings
(Current Through Thursday, July 27, 2023 Inclusive)

Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Thursday, July 27, 2023 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 10 out of 40 -- 25.00%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 6 out of 24 -- 25.00%
Winning favorites on turf -- 4 out of 16 -- 25.00%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 1 out of 4 -- 25.00%
In-the-Money favorites -- 26 out of 40 -- 65.00%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 3 out of 4 -- 75.00%