First Dude’s 38th winner of 2023 is Defender Gal, who went wire-to-wire going six furlongs in a $26,400 maiden special at Thistledown with Ricardo Feliciano in the saddle.  

    The 3-year-old filly bred by Bruce Andersen, a $22,000 OBS October yearling, scored by three-quarters of a length and paid just $2.80, coming off a second-place finish in her last. She earned $15,480, increasing her total to $36,050, and is 1-3-0 in six starts. With the victory, First Dude is getting closer to $2.3 million in progeny earnings for the year.