azul coast | Horse Racing Free Tips

Defunded is Dominant in Native Diver

Sunday, Del Mar
NATIVE DIVER S.-GIII, $150,500, Del Mar, 11-27, 3yo/up,
1 1/8m, 1:50.12, ft.
1–DEFUNDED, 125, g, 4, by Dialed In
                1st Dam: Wind Caper (MSP, $194,286), by Touch Gold
                2nd Dam: Wind Tunnel, by Summer Squall
                3rd Dam: Tivli, by Mt. Livermore
($210,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson
& Paul Weitman; B-Athens Woods LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert;
J-Edwin A. Maldonado. $90,000. Lifetime Record: GISW,
13-5-3-1, $608,100. *1/2 to Lookin At Roses (Lookin At Lucky),
SP, $251,910. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree
or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Azul Coast, 121, h, 5, Super Saver–Sky Treasure, by Sky Mesa.
($150,000 Wlg '17 KEENOV; $320,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP).
O-Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson & Paul Weitman; B-SF
Bloodstock LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $30,000.
3–Newgrange, 120, c, 3, Violence–Bella Chianti, by Empire
Maker. ($125,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $325,000 3yo '22 FTKHRA).
O-David A. Bernsen, LLC, Little Red Feather Racing &
Rockingham Ranch; B-Jack Mandato & Black Rock
Thoroughbreds (KY); T-Philip D'Amato. $18,000.
Margins: 4 3/4, 3/4, 1 3/4. Odds: 0.70, 8.30, 4.90.
Also Ran: Go Joe Won, Tizamagician, Parnelli. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Grade I winner Defunded, who skipped a shot at the Breeders' Cup, kept it rolling with a popular score in the GIII Native Diver S. Sunday at Del Mar.

A second-out graduate last March at Santa Anita, the gelding was fourth in both the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby and GIII Pat Day Mile S. before running second in the GIII Affirmed S. and GIII Los Alamitos Derby. Scoring a pair of blowout allowance/optional claiming victories, he was a hard-fought runner-up in the GI Hollywood Gold Cup S. May 30, but finished off the board in the GII San Diego H. and GII Pat O'Brien S. here this summer.

Going wire to wire to capture the GI Awesome Again S. last out Oct. 1 in Arcadia, the chestnut was knocked down to odds-on in this spot and broke awkwardly. Soon rushing up to press the pace three wide, Defunded moved into second past a :23.62 quarter and drew alongside the longshot pacesetter through a sharp half in :46.41. Poking his head in front five-sixteenths out, the favorite kicked clear into the lane and bounded away to score as much the best, well ahead of stablemate Azul Coast.

“He came away from there a little bit slow, but I wasn't concerned. This horse doesn't need to be in front,” said winning rider Edwin Maldonado. “He's won from off the pace before. I rode him with confidence all the way. On the [far] turn he wanted to lean on the horse inside us, but I got him going straight and it all worked out from there.”

“Edwin said Defunded was kind of wanting to sit back and when that happens and they sit back when the gate opens, then you're going the wrong way,” added Jimmy Barnes, assistant to winning trainer Bob Baffert. “Luckily they were going slow enough he was able to recover and get back in a good position. He's always had talent. It's just that he's been a little aggressive in the paddock on us at times. But he went through the paddock good, he went to the gate good so maybe we've got him straightened out.”

Pedigree Notes:

One of 22 stakes winners, eight graded stakes winners and three Grade I winners for Darby Dan's Dialed In, Defunded is the third black-type performer out of her four-time stakes-placed dam, a daughter of a SW Wind Tunnel. That mare is a half to GSW Reunited (Dixie Union), who produced MGISW Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}). Bought by the winner's breeder for $37,000 at Keeneland November in 2016, Wind Caper has an unraced 3-year-old Maclean's Music filly, an unraced juvenile Lookin At Lucky filly named Capital Lights and a yearling full-sister to the winner named Ringy Dingy who sold to Oracle Bloodstock for $200,000 at Fasig-Tipton October.

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‘Charlie’ Looms Large in San Antonio

While his fellow sophomores square off in the GI Runhappy Malibu S. later on Santa Anita's Sunday opening day card, talented and accomplished Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) stays around two turns for the GII San Antonio S. The GII Louisiana Derby winner was third in the GI Kentucky Derby and second in the GI Belmont S. before being DQ'd from first to last for interference in the GI Haskell Invitational S. in July. He got his Grade I in the Sept. 25 Pennsylvania Derby, defeating the likes of subsequent GI Cigar Mile H. hero Americanrevolution (Constitution), and earning a career and fiel- best 111 Beyer Speed Figure. Hot Rod Charlie was far from disgraced last time when fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, and a repeat of anything close to that effort would probably be enough to get the job done here.

Pegram, Watson and Weitman's Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday) took back-to-back runnings of this race in 2016 and 2017, and Azul Coast (Super Saver) will carry the same red and yellow silks. The 4-year-old defeated Kiss Today Goodbye (Cairo Prince) and stablemate Eight Rings (Empire Maker) in the GIII Native Diver S. Nov. 20.

Express Train (Union Rags) probably needs to rediscover his best form to defeat Hot Rod Charlie, but he's a two-time Grade II winner in spots like this one over the past year or so and exits a pair of Grade I tries, most recently finishing third behind ill-fated Medina Spirit (Protonico) in the GI Awesome Again S. Oct. 2.

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Hot Rod Charlie Back For More In Sunday’s San Antonio

One of America's most consistent and talented 3-year-olds throughout 2021, Hot Rod Charlie heads a field of seven 3-year-olds and up in Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita. An iconic prep for the G1 Santa Anita Handicap, the San Antonio will be run for the 84th time and is one of six graded stakes on a blockbuster 11-race Opening Day program.

Most recently fourth, beaten 4 ½ lengths by presumptive Horse of the Year Knicks Go in the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 6, Hot Rod Charlie has been a gem of consistency, while on occasion very unlucky, for O'Neill. A handy winner of the G1 Pennsylvania Derby two starts back on Sept. 25, he was disqualified from a hard fought nose victory three starts back in the G1 Haskell Invitational.

A massive second, beaten 1 ¼ lengths by A-Lister Essential Quality in the G1 Belmont Stakes June 5, he was a troubled third, beaten one length by Medina Spirit in the G1 Kentucky Derby five starts back on May 1.

A winner of the G2 Louisiana Derby in his second start of the year on March 20, Hot Rod Charlie is 7-2-1-2 on the year, with 2021 earnings of $2,087,500. Owned by Boat Racing, LLC, Gainesway Stable (Antony Beck), Roadrunner Racing & William Strauss, Hot Rod Charlie will reportedly use the San Antonio as a prep to the G1 Dubai World Cup in March.

Freshened since running third to Medina Spirit in the G1 Awesome Again Stakes Oct. 2, C R K Stable's Express Train has been in the money in six out of his seven career starts at Santa Anita and rates a big chance off the bench. Trained by John Shirreffs, Express Train's last win came three starts back in the G2 San Diego Handicap on July 17. With an overall mark of 14-4-4-3, this 4-year-old colt by Union Rags has earnings of $695,800.

A half-length winner of the G3 Native Diver Handicap on Nov. 20, Bob Baffert's Azul Coast could rate second billing as he seeks his second graded stakes win. Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Azul Coast, who has four wins from 10 starts, will be ridden for the first time by John Velazquez.

THE GRADE 2 SAN ANTONIO WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 6 of 11 Approximate post time 1:30 p.m. PT

Extra Hope—Tyler Baze–121
Express Train—Victor Espinoza—125
Go On—Mario Gutierrez–119
Hot Rod Charlie—Flavien Prat—123
Eight Rings—John Velazquez—121
Kiss Today Goodbye—Kent Desormeaux—121
Azul Coast—Juan Hernandez–123

First post time for an 11-race Opening Day card Sunday is 11 a.m. Admission gates will open at 9 a.m.

The post Hot Rod Charlie Back For More In Sunday’s San Antonio appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Azul Coast Bounces Back From Poor Showing In Awesome Again To Take Native Diver

Seventh last-out in the Grade 1 Awesome Again, Azul Coast bounced back from that lackluster performance to earn his first graded stakes victory in the Grade 3 Native Diver at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

Under jockey Flavien Prat, Azul Coast bumped Bal Harbour out of the gate and then settled back last of six early in the 1 1/18-mile stakes as fellow Baffert trainees Ax Man and Eight Rings ran on the lead around the first turn and in the backstretch. As the field approached the far turn, Azul Coast moved up on the outside, improving his position from last to fourth.

Azul Coast went four-wide into the far turn, entering the stretch with Ax Man and Eight Rings on his inside. Ax Man tired and faded out of contention while Eight Rings and Azul Coast were head-to-head down the first half of the stretch, the latter eventually gaining a narrow lead as Kiss Today Goodbye mounted his bid to the outside. At the wire, Azul Coast was able to hold on by a neck over Kiss Today Goodbye, with Eight Rings third.

The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:50.55. Find this race's chart here.

Azul Coast paid $8.40, $4.60, and $2.60. Kiss Today Goodbye paid $5.20 and $2.80. Eight Rings paid $2.20.

“'Azul' runs his best races down here. He likes this track and he ran really impressive. When I ran him in the Awesome Again, he just laid an egg, he was up there close and I was really disappointed, but he was chasing Medina Spirit. I had no idea how it would set up, they were all on their own. I told the jockeys (he had three horses in the race) you guys ride your own races and hopefully we'll run 1-2-3. I'm happy for the connections, the well has been a little dry lately. Main thing is that we got the 'w'…” trainer Bob Baffert said after the race.

“We were in a good spot for the whole trip. I could tell the pace was only moderate, so I moved him up closer near the three-eighths (pole). Then when we went we were in good position and he was ready. A good win,” jockey Flavien Prat told the Del Mar Press Office after the Native Diver.

Bred in Kentucky by SF Bloodstock LLC, the 4-year-old colt is by Super Saver out of the Sky Mesa mare Sky Treasure. He is owned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman. Consigned by Woods Edge Farm, Azul Coast was purchased by Three Amigos for $320,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. With this win in the G3 Native Diver, Azul Coast has two wins in four starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of four wins in 10 starts and career earnings of $221,280.

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