Breaking sharply under jockey Juan Hernandez, Kentucky-bred Defunded controlled proceedings in the $400,000 Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) at Santa Anita on Memorial Day, keeping a tenacious Piroli at bay the length of the stretch to register the second Grade 1 win of his career.
Sent off as the odds-on 3-5 race favorite, Defunded took control early and led through fractions of :23.89, :47.59, and ran six furlongs in 1:11.83. When Hernandez asked Defunded for more in the lane, the game 5-year-old son of Dialed In responded with determination and put Piroli away in deep stretch. In defeating his stubborn rival by a half-length in the end, Defunded covered the 1 ¼ miles in 2:02.85.
“Today, he was very professional,” said Hernandez. “He was pulling on the backside, which is a really good sign. I waited until the last quarter (mile), and he switched leads and gave me two good jumps toward the wire.”
Owned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, Defunded is trained by Bob Baffert who has now won the Gold Cup a record nine times, surpassing Charlie Whittingham. The $240,000 winner’s share of the purse increased Defunded’s lifetime bankroll to $1,588,100. A $210,000 Keeneland September Sale graduate in 2019, Defunded is produced from the multiple stakes-placed Touch Gold mare Wind Caper. He was bred in Kentucky by Athens Woods LLC.
Defunded notched his other Grade 1 win in last year’s Awesome Again S. (G1). This season, in addition to his win in the Gold Cup, Defunded also annexed the Californian S. (G2) and was third in the Santa Anita H. (G1) and runner-up to Art Collector in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. (G1) at Gulfstream Park.