Defunded, the winner of the Grade 2 Californian Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday, is only one of several older horses who are candidates for major stakes this summer for trainer Bob Baffert.

The next major stakes on the main track for older horses is the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup at 1 1/4 miles on May 29.

Defunded won his third stakes in his last five starts in the 1 1/8-mile Californian. Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Defunded hopped in the air at the start and closed from last of six to win by a convincing three lengths.

Jockey Edwin Maldonado won four of the 10 races at Santa Anita on Sunday, the third time in the last 11 years he has won four races on a card.

Maldonado, 40, won the first race on Jetovator ($4.80), the second on Virasana ($26.80), the ninth on Chicknfingerfriday ($7.20), and the 10th on Keen to Go ($11.60). Maldonado was second by a neck on Ever a Rebel in the fourth.

Jetovator and Virasana are trained by Peter Eurton, while Doug O’Neill trains Chicknfingerfriday and Keen to Go, who were both claimed.

Six months removed from his latest win, Balnikhov is scheduled to start in Saturday’s Grade 3 San Francisco Mile at Golden Gate Fields with something to prove.

Balnikhov rallied through traffic to win by a neck in the Grade 3 Bryan Station Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on turf at Keeneland last October. Balnikhov lost his two subsequent starts. Balnikhov was beaten a nose when second in the Grade 2 Mathis Mile for 3-year-olds on turf at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, and was seventh of eight in the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile on turf at Santa Anita on March 4.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jockey Jose Lezcano, who suffered a broken hand in a spill at Aqueduct on April 8, will likely miss at least the first three weeks of the Belmont Park spring meeting.

According to his agent, Jason Beides, Lezcano will have to wear a cast on his hand for the next four weeks before having another X-ray taken on his hand to determine the healing progress.

Beides said that the injury did not require surgery.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – While Arctic Arrogance won’t be running in the Kentucky Derby, trainer Linda Rice hasn’t ruled out a trip to Louisville for the New York-bred 3-year-old, who is under consideration for the Grade 2, $500,000 Pat Day Mile on the Derby undercard.

If she opts to skip that trip, Rice said Arctic Arrogance would instead by pointed to the $125,000 Mike Lee Stakes for New York-bred 3-year-olds going seven furlongs at Belmont Park on May 29.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Jockey Declan Cannon said he received more than 100 text and voicemail messages following his breakthrough ride on Verstappen in winning the Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland.

“It was great to get a Saturday horse like that,” said Cannon, a 35-year-old native of Ireland. “I was really confident going a mile and a half with him. He relaxed lovely for me. It just couldn’t have worked out better.”

The Elkhorn marked the first stakes win for Cannon at Keeneland.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Trainer Kenny McPeek said Rattle N Roll will make his next start in the $225,000 Blame Stakes at Churchill Downs after the colt earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure in winning the Grade 3 Ben Ali Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland.

Rattle N Roll, owned by the Lucky Seven Stables of the Mackin family, now has won five stakes and more than $1.2 million from 16 overall starts. His Ben Ali score came with the stretch kick he developed early in his career, one that carried him to victory in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland in October 2021.