December 23, 2024

Hard Aces noses out Hoppertunity in Gold Cup at Santa Anita

Last updated: 6/27/15 11:27 PM











Hard Aces held by the
narrowest of margins
to record his
first graded stakes victory

(Benoit Photo)





Hronis Racing LLC’s Hard Aces (Hard Spun) saved ground cutting the corner
for home and that proved to be the difference in the end, with the
five-year-old horse gamely defeating a wide-trip Hoppertunity (Any Given
Saturday) by a nose in Saturday’s $500,000
Gold Cup
at Santa Anita (G1)
.

The 1 1/4-mile race served as a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup
Classic (G1) and Hard Aces garnered his initial graded victory when stopping the
teletimer in 2:02 2/5.

Victor Espinoza delivered the heady ride aboard the bay Kentucky-bred, who
won for the first time from four attempts since being sold and transferred to
John Sadler in February. A rallying third most recently in the May 30
Californian (G2), Hard Aces recorded his lone previous stakes tally in the
listed Louisiana H. at Fair Grounds in mid-January, his last start for former
trainer Larry Jones.

“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.



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