Midlantic-breds nominated to the Triple Crown are on the move.  The latest:

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• Virginia-bred Defondo looked like a winner entering the lane in a Fair Grounds 1 mile 70 yard dirt allowance yesterday but had to settle for second.  The Dallas Stewart trainee, owned by West Point Thoroughbreds and bred by Mr. & Mrs. Bertram R. Firestone, stalked ultra-longshot early leader The Schwam, begin his move entering the far turn, and made the lead by the head of the lane.  But Bubba Roan — a 60-1 shot piloted by Forest Boyce — rallied in mid-track  and narrowly prevailed despite an erratic stretch run over a main track rated fast.  Defondo, a gelding by El Corredor, now has a win and two seconds from four starts, with earnings of $40,820.
• Two runners have weekend races scheduled:
  • The Man, a Pennsylvania-bred son of Ecclesiastic trained by Bob Baffert, will try to live up to his name in a maiden special weight event at Santa Anita on Saturday.  He’s been second and third in two prior starts and is the 2-1 morning line favorite.
  • Virginia-bred Stellar Wind is 12-1 in the morning line in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel at Santa Anita, also on Saturday.  Originally trained by Donald Barr at Laurel for Barbara Houck, she was sold after an ultra-impressive maiden score to Hronis Racing LLC and is now trained by John Sadler.

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And don’t forget to check out our Mid-Atlantic Triple Crown Trail page, featuring a sortable (and searchable) table of all of this year’s Midlantic-bred Triple Crown nominees.