Defunded & Newgrange Head Field Of 11 In Saturday’s Grade I, $500,000 Santa Anita Handicap

By Mike Willman —-

BAFFERT & D’AMATO SQUARE OFF AS DEFUNDED & NEWGRANGE HEAD FIELD OF 11 IN SATURDAY’S GRADE I, $500,000 SANTA ANITA HANDICAP AT 1 ¼ MILES

ARCADIA, Calif. (Feb. 26, 2023)—With Bob Baffert in search of his sixth Big Cap victory and upstart Phil D’Amato aiming for his first ever win in one of North America’s signature showdowns for older horses, Defunded and Newgrange head a field of 11 older horses going a mile and one quarter in the 86th running of the Grade I, $500,000 Santa Anita Handicap, presented by Yaamava’ Resort & Casino on Saturday.

Second, beaten 4 ½ lengths at 5-2 going a mile and one eighth in the Grade I Pegasus World Cup Invitational Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park, Defunded, who in his only career try at a mile and one quarter, finished second here six starts back in the Grade I Hollywood Gold Cup on May 30 of last year, looms the likely favorite with leading man Juan Hernandez, who takes off of Newgrange to ride Defunded for the first time.

A 5-year-old gelding owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Defunded is on a roll for Baffert, having won the Grade III Native Diver on Nov. 27 at Del Mar and the Grade I Awesome Again here three starts back on Oct. 1.

Defunded, who seeks his third graded stakes victory, is 14-5-4-1 overall with earnings of $1,168,100.

D’Amato, a San Pedro native who was Santa Anita’s leading Winter/Spring Meet trainer a year ago, will be seeking his first Big Cap win as will European legend Frankie Dettori, who climbs aboard Newgrange for the first time.

Newgrange, fresh off an authoritative one length tally over Baffert’s Hopper in the mile and one eighth San Pasqual when ridden for the first time by Hernandez, was a two-time graded stakes winner last year at age three when conditioned by Baffert. Transferred to D’Amato prior to running third in the ungraded Shared Belief Stakes going a flat mile at Del Mar four starts back on Sept. 3, Newgrange put it all together in a 5 ½ length one mile allowance score here on Nov. 6, earning a career-top 97 Beyer Speed Figure.

A non-threatening third, beaten 5 ½ lengths by Defunded in the Grade III Native Diver two starts back, Newgrange appears to be at the top of his game as he tries a mile and a quarter for the first time.

Owned by David Bernsen, Little Red Feather Racing and Rockingham Ranch, Newgrange is a 4-year-old colt by Violence out of the Empire Maker mare Bella Chianti. With five wins and two thirds from eight overall starts, he has earnings of $747,334.

Although second beaten a length by Newgrange as the 7-5 favorite on Jan. 28, Baffert’s Hopper had been idle since running away with the Grade III Affirmed Stakes by 5 ¼ lengths here on June 11 and should no doubt benefit from a recent race.

A bargain $90,000 Keeneland September Yearling, Hopper, who debuted in a six furlong turf maiden sprint here on Feb. 25, 2022, will be making only his fifth career start as he stretches out an eighth of a mile.

A 4-year-old colt by Declaration of War out of the Caesour mare Irridescence, Hopper earned a 95 Beyer off the bench in the San Pasqual and with an abundance of natural speed, looms dangerous with Mike Smith taking over for the first time.

Owned by Lanni Bloodstock, SF Racing, LLC and Madaket Stables, LLC, Hopper has two wins and a second with earnings of $140,700.

A winner of the Grade I Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs going a mile and one eighth two starts back, trainer Michael Stidham’s Proxy was most recently fifth, beaten 7 ½ lengths in the Grade I Pegasus World Cup Invitational on Jan. 28 and ships west for the first time from Fairgrounds in New Orleans. Ridden by eastern-based Joel Rosario in his last three starts, Proxy will get the services of John Velazquez in the Big Cap.

A Godolphin, LLC homebred, Proxy is a 5-year-old horse by Tapit out of the Include mare Panty Raid. With an overall mark of 14-4-5-2, he has earnings of $1,055,220.

A winner of last year’s Grade I Hollywood Gold Cup three starts back here on May 30, trainer Michael McCarthy’s There Goes Harvard rates a big chance at a price and will be ridden for the first time by Japanese sensation Kazushi Kimura.
A troubled 11th, beaten 4 ¼ lengths going one mile on turf in the Grade III Thunder Road Stakes on Feb. 4, There Goes Harvard should move up with a recent race under his belt as he returns to the Santa Anita main track, were he has two wins and as many second and thirds from six tries.

A Cannon Thoroughbreds, LLC homebred 5-year-old horse by Will Take Charge, There Goes Harvard was attentive to the pace in his Hollywood Gold Cup score under Irad Ortiz, Jr., and will likely employ similar tactics in the Big Cap. With an overall mark of 14-4-5-2, he has earnings of $456,090.

THE GRADE I SANTA ANITA HANDICAP WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 12 of 12 Approximate post time 5:30 p.m. PT

There Goes Harvard—Kazushi Kimura—120
Parneilli—Victor Espinoza—119
Newgrange—Lanfranco Dettori—122
Stilleto Boy—Kent Desormeaux–122
Defunded—Juan Hernandez—125
Warrant—Flavien Prat—121
Heywoods Beach—Ramon Vazquez—119
Hopper—Mike Smith—120
Scarlet Fusion—Edwin Maldonado—117
Tisquantum—Hector Berrios—114
Proxy—John Velazquez–123

Special early first post time on Santa Anita Handicap Day, Saturday, March 4, is at 12 noon, with admission gates opening at 10 a.m.
About The Stronach Group and 1/ST
The Stronach Group is a world-class technology, entertainment and real estate development company with Thoroughbred horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering at the core. The company’s consumer facing brand 1/ST (pronounced “First”) powers The Stronach Group’s forward-thinking 1/ST RACING & GAMING, 1/ST CONTENT, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY, 1/ST EXPERIENCE, and 1/ST PROPERTIES businesses, while advocating for and driving the 1/ST HORSE CARE mission. 1/ST represents The Stronach Group’s continued movement toward redefining Thoroughbred horse racing and the ecosystem that drives it. 1/ST RACING & GAMING drives the best-in-class horse racing operations and gaming offerings at the company’s premier racetracks and training centers including: Santa Anita Park, Golden Gate Fields and San Luis Rey Downs (California); Gulfstream Park – home of the Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series, Gulfstream Park West and Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center (Florida); the Maryland Jockey Club at Laurel Park, Pimlico Race Course – home of the legendary Preakness Stakes, Rosecroft Raceway and Bowie Training Center (Maryland). 1/ST CONTENT is operating group for 1/ST’s media and content companies including: Monarch Content Management, Elite, TSG Global Wagering Solutions (GWS) and XBTV. 1/ST TECHNOLOGY is horse racing’s largest racing and gaming technology company offering world-class products via its AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, XB SELECT, XB NET, PariMAX and Betmix brands. 1/ST EXPERIENCE blends the worlds of sports, entertainment and hospitality through innovative content development, elevated national and local venue management and hospitality, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and procurement development. 1/ST PROPERTIES is responsible for the development of the company’s live, work and play communities surrounding its racing venues including: The Village at Gulfstream Park (Florida) and Paddock Pointe (Maryland). As the advocate for critical industry reforms and by making meaningful investments into aftercare programs for retired horses and jockeys, 1/ST HORSE CARE represents The Stronach Group’s commitment to achieving the highest level of horse and rider care and safety standards in Thoroughbred horse racing on and off the track. For more information, please visit www.1st.com or follow @1ST_racing on Twitter or @1stracing on Instagram and Facebook.