Bob Baffert | Horse Racing Free Tips

TAA Launches Holiday Giving Campaign

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Holiday Giving Campaign launches Tuesday and runs through Dec. 31. Those wishing to support accredited Thoroughbred aftercare can visit the TAA's website to make a donation and send digital holiday cards to colleagues, friends, and loved ones.

Throughout the year-end campaign, the TAA will host special one-day only donation matching with some of horse racing's biggest names, including Denali Stud, West Point Thoroughbreds, Bob and Jill Baffert, and more.

“While we gear up for the holidays, it is my hope that those of us in the Thoroughbred industry consider donating to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance during its Holiday Giving Campaign,” said TAA President, Jeffrey Bloom. “The horses give us so much, and every donation to the TAA helps support a network of 81 accredited organizations, 180 facilities, and over 4,000 Thoroughbreds. Keep holiday giving simple, donate to the TAA.”

To learn more about the TAA's Holiday Giving campaign, visit: ThoroughbredAftercare.org/HolidayCampaign.

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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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Uncaptured’s Havnameltdown Gives Bob Baffert 1-2 in Bob Hope

Looking to collect his second graded stakes win of the season, Havnameltdown proved he was up to the task with a professional score over stablemate Newgate in Sunday's GIII Bob Hope S. at Del Mar. One of three Baffert trainees in the short five-horse field, Havnameltdown and Hard to Figure (Hard Spun), breaking from the inside two gates, broke cleanly while Practical Move, exiting stall 6, was pinched back as the converging Newgate and Mixto (Good Magic) made their exit. The overly headstrong Hard to Figure proved hard to handle racing out of the chute as Havnameltdown, Practical Move and Newgate all pressed the issue four abreast through a quarter in :22.23. Taking charge heading into the far turn, the favorite carved out a half in :44.36 as the early pacesetter retreated leaving Practical Move and Newgate the only rivals in contention. A length and a half on top turning for home, Havnameltdown continued on with purpose late as Newgate loomed, however, the favorite proved best on the day to score by 1 1/4 lengths at the wire. Practical Move finished a clear third.

“He broke nice and easy today,” explained winning rider Juan Hernandez. “Before in his races, he was sling-shotting out of there. Today, he was more professional. Our other horse [trainer Baffert's Hard to Figure] inside of us on the rail was trying to get out into us, but my horse took it well. He's learning how to run. After we cleared that other horse, I had a nice trip from there.”

Marking his debut at last July going five panels at Del Mar, the Florida bred made it two straight with a score in the GIII Best Pal S. at the seaside oval Aug. 14. Stepping into top-level competition for his latest, he finished 5 1/4 lengths behind subsequent Breeders' Cup Juvenile runner-up Cave Rock (Arrogate) in the GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity Sept. 11.

Pedigree Notes:
Former Ocala Stud stallion Uncaptured–relocated to South Korea for the 2020 breeding season–is the sire of Havnameltdown and other 2022 graded winners Yes I Am Free, Willy Boi, and Lightening Larry, as well as two other graded winners. Of Uncaptured's 11 black-type winners total, two–Havnameltdown and additional graded winner Two Sixty–are out of Put It Back mares. The late Put It Back, an Honour and Glory/Relaunch stallion, also originally stood in Florida before his export to Argentina and has 30 stakes winners out of his daughters.

Havnameltdown and Two Sixty have another tie, as they are out of full-sisters. Two Sixty was bought by Stonestreet at last year's Keeneland November sale for $440,000 while in foal to Constitution and had a colt Jan. 23. Havnameltdown's dam, Ashley's Babe, has a yearling colt by Tapiture, who was a $4,500 RNA at Keeneland January, and was bred to Maximus Mischief for 2023. Her fourth dam, Rose Bowl (Habitat), was a champion in England and an excellent broodmare who produced three stakes winners, while her descendants include Canadian champion Strait of Dover (English Channel) and English highweight Iktamal (Danzig Connection).

Sunday, Del Mar
BOB HOPE S.-GIII, $100,000, Del Mar, 11-20, 2yo, 7f, 1:21.68, ft.
1–HAVNAMELTDOWN, 124, c, 2, by Uncaptured
              1st Dam: Ashley's Babe, by Put It Back
              2nd Dam: Charms Way, by Salt Lake
              3rd Dam: Remember Midnight, by Cure the Blues
($16,000 Ylg '21 OBSOCT; $200,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR).
O-Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson Paul Weitman; B-Katherine
S Devall (FL); T-Bob Baffert; J-Juan J. Hernandez. $60,000.
Lifetime Record: GISP, 4-3-1-0, $288,000. Werk Nick Rating:
A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for
the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Newgate, 120, c, 2, Into Mischief–Majestic Presence, by
Majestic Warrior. 'TDN Rising Star'. 1ST BLACK TYPE,
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($850,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP).
O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert
Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay A. Schoenfarber,
Waves Edge Capital LLC & Catherine Donovan; B-Town &
Country Horse Farms, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $20,000.
3–Practical Move, 120, c, 2, Practical Joke–Ack Naughty, by
Afleet Alex. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($90,000 RNA Ylg '21 KEESEP; $230,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR).
O-Pierre Jean Amestoy, Jr., Leslie A. Amestoy & Roger K.
Beasley; B-Chad Brown & Head of Plains Partners (KY);
T-Tim Yakteen. $12,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 2HF, 4 1/4. Odds: 0.90, 1.40, 9.30.
Also Ran: Mixto, Hard to Figure. Scratched: Giver Not a Taker, Lloyds Logic.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG

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Velazquez To Winter In California

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez won a pair of races on the opening day of the Bing Crosby meet at Del Mar and his presence is something that Southern California is about to get more used to. The 50-year-old is using his time at Del Mar as a steppingstone to the winter stand at Santa Anita Park, where he plans to ride full time.

“I wanted to get it started here so the trainers and owners know I'm going to be here for the winter,” Velazquez told the Del Mar press office. “Hopefully I'll get the opportunities to ride some real nice horses here and keep me going for the winter.”

Velazquez has ridden with success on the West Coast previously and just last winter, partnered with Bob Baffert to win the GII Sham S. with Newgrange (Violence), the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. with Messier (Empire Maker) and the GIII Las Virgenes S. with Adare Manor (Uncle Mo).

“It's like everything, you have to adjust to wherever you go,” Velazquez says. “Every racetrack has different turns and where the poles are. You have to get used to it and do your homework and hopefully you get some nice horses and they respond to what you like to do. I got lucky [on opening day]; the horses ran really well.”

Velazquez will be aboard Newgate for Baffert in Sunday's GIII Bob Hope S.

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