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Hard Aces noses out Hoppertunity in Gold Cup at Santa Anita
"He's improving. Every race, he's getting better and better," Espinoza said. "When he was back east he wasn't quite there but in his last race he ran good and today he ran great." "We thought the last race was key," Sadler noted. "He really stepped forward with a strong race right at the end of a mile and eighth and he got some more pace today." The late runner benefited from a hot pace, with Batti Man (Manipulator) and Big Cazanova (Giant's Causeway) contesting an opening quarter-mile in :23 1/5. Hard Aces was last of 11 runners in the early going and continued to lag well behind until the far turn. Big Cazanova reached the half-mile point in a quick :45 4/5 with a half-length edge and continued to motor up front, extending his margin to three lengths through three-quarters in a 1:10. The field started to bunch up behind the front-runner rounding the far turn, with Hard Aces advancing between foes before angling toward the rail for the stretch drive with plenty of momentum. Catch a Flight (Giant's Causeway), the 8-5 favorite, was the first to pounce upon the tiring speed, accelerating inside of Big Casanova to take the lead in upper stretch. Hoppertunity, the 5-2 second choice, rallied fast into contention on the far turn but was forced to go five wide entering the straightaway. Hard Aces got first run on his adversary, surging along the fence to take a short lead inside the final furlong, but Hoppertunity was still plugging away on the far outside and just missed in a head-bobbing finish on the wire. "I think by the half mile pole I was committed," Espinoza said of his trip. "I already lost ground at the start from being bumped a little by Batti Man; he took me out of the race a little. I decided not to encourage him early and save ground. I thought my best shot was to save ground and get through on the inside and it worked out well." "We got a good trip," Sadler added. "We were hoping the pace would be there; we saw 45 and change, it looked like there was a lot of speed, but it's got to come together. Victor did a beautiful job with him. He's ridden him a few times and he's not an easy horse to ride. "He's a very difficult horse to ride, so Victor's gone forward with him for two or three races. He was a good fourth in the Big Cap (G1)...then he came back with a good third here and put it all together in the big one today." Off as the 7-1 fourth choice, Hard Aces returned a $17.80 win mutuel. Hoppertunity wound up 1 1/4 lengths better than Catch a Flight, who was 3 1/4 lengths clear of the late-running Finnegans Wake (Powescourt) in fourth. Big Cazanova, Lideris (Mizzen Mast), Majestic City (City Zip), Moreno (Ghostzapper), Poshsky (Vronsky), Motown Men Decarchy) and Batti Man completed the order of finish. Hard Aces finished fourth behind Shared Belief (Candy Ride) when making his first start for Sadler in the aforementioned Santa Anita Handicap and then shipped to Arkansas to record an even sixth in the Oaklawn H. (G2) prior to the Californian. Sadler said the $1 million Pacific Classic (G1) on August 22 will be next for Hard Aces. "He'll stay home and run right in our own back yard at Del Mar." Bred by Dreamchaser Thorobreds, Hard Aces is the first stakes winner out of the Quiet American mare All in with Aces, a daughter of stakes queen Aces (Housebuster). The immediate female family includes a Scandinavian champion, Aces Star (Monarchos). With the $300,000 payday, Hard Aces more than doubled his career earnings to $592,145 from a 23-6-3-7 record. Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com
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