Defunded heads cast for Sunday's Native Diver at Del Mar

Six older horses will match strides at Del Mar Sunday in the 45th edition of the Native Diver Stakes, a Grade 3 affair named for one of California’s great racehorses.

“The Diver,” as he was known, won an amazing 34 races and was the state’s first racing millionaire. And he won his races with pure speed, something that will be prominent among the half dozen racing Sunday.

It appears the horse to beat in the 1 1/8-mile, $150,000 headliner is Defunded, the 6-5 morning line favorite. The 4-year-old gelding comes into the test off a frontrunning score in the Awesome Again (G1) at Santa Anita on Oct. 1, a race contested at the same distance as the Native Diver.

Trainer Bob Baffert had veteran jockey Edwin Maldonado named on board that day and he’ll give him a leg up again on Sunday.

Baffert, who also will saddle Azul Coast (6-1) in the race, has won the Native Diver four times, with Azul Coast last year, Dortmund (2015), Game on Dude (2012) and General Challenge (1999).

2022 Native Diver Stakes G3

Fin	Silks	Horse / Sire	Rating	Trainer / Jockey	Last Start / Next Start	Status
		Tizamagician Tiznow	6.94	Richard E. Mandella Flavien Prat	3rd, 2022 Tokyo City Cup G3 Race Video ×	Entered
Last Race		3rd, 2022 Tokyo City Cup G3 Race Video ×
		Parnelli Quality Road	5.57	John A. Shirreffs Victor Espinoza	5th, 2022 San Diego Handicap G2 Race Video ×	Entered
Last Race		5th, 2022 San Diego Handicap G2 Race Video ×
		Newgrange Violence	5.72	Philip D'Amato Ricardo Gonzalez	3rd, 2022 Shared Belief Stakes LS Race Video ×	Entered
Last Race		3rd, 2022 Shared Belief Stakes LS Race Video ×
		Go Joe Won Protonico	4.84	Paula S. Capestro Jose Valdivia Jr.	4th, 2022 Twilight Derby G2 Race Video ×	Entered
Last Race		4th, 2022 Twilight Derby G2 Race Video ×
		Defunded Dialed In	5.86	Bob Baffert Edwin A. Maldonado	1st, 2022 Awesome Again G1 Race Video ×	Entered
Last Race		1st, 2022 Awesome Again G1 Race Video ×
		Azul Coast Super Saver	5.17	Bob Baffert John R. Velazquez	8th, 2022 Awesome Again G1 Race Video ×	Entered
Last Race		8th, 2022 Awesome Again G1 Race Video ×