Hoppertunity to Play San Antonio Spoiler to Chrome, Shared Belief

Hoppertunity winning the Clark Handicap in his final race of 2014. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
The Grade 2, $500,000 San Antonio Invitational Stakes gives us the long awaited second meeting between California Chrome and Shared Belief, two of the best three-year-olds of 2014. After a perfect three-for-three start to his career as a two-year-old in 2013, Shared Belief missed the Derby preps and Triple Crown Races with a foot issue. Returning in the fall, Shared Belief reeled off four straight wins before a troubled fourth place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic last fall. While Shared Belief was on the sidelines from December 2013 through the end of May, California Chrome was winning every race he entered. California Chrome won six in a row, including the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, before three straight defeats including a loss by inches in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Both Shared Belief and California Chrome enter the San Antonio off strong stakes wins, but they are not alone in that capacity. Hoppertunity, another top three-year-old early last year who missed the spring classics, enters the race off a strong win in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes.
Hoppertunity entered the Derby picture last year with a win in the Rebel Stakes in March, before a second place finish behind California Chrome in the Santa Anita Derby. Sidelined after that through the summer, Hoppertunity returned to finish second in his comeback last fall. In his second race off the layoff, Hoppertunity beat a solid field in the Clark Handicap in Kentucky at the distance of the San Antonio, earning a career best 118 Equibase Speed Figure in the process. Returning to Santa Anita last month, Hoppertunity won the San Pasqual Stakes rather easily although regressing to a 100 figure. Never worse than second in four two-turn races at Santa Anita, Hoppertunity still may be a bit ignored in the wagering compared to the two more well known runners. In short, Hoppertunity appears to have all the tools to win the race if he repeats his Clark effort as neither California Chrome nor Shared Belief has run as fast as he has.
Shared Belief ran the best race of his life at the distance of the San Antonio, earning a 114 Equibase Speed Figure when victorious in the Awesome Again Stakes last fall over the track. The win brought his record to a perfect seven-for-seven at the time. In his next race, the Breeders' Cup Classic, Shared Belief was compromised by being forced into another horse when Bayern came over after the start. Subsequently, even more traffic issues made his fourth of 14 finish a significant accomplishment. Returning in the Malibu Stakes at the end of December, Shared Belief rallied to win by a neck and tied his best figure, 114. Likely to improve in his second race off a layoff and flattered when Malibu runner-up Conquest Two Step came back to win the Palos Verdes Stakes last weekend, Shared Belief could give Hoppertunity all he can handle in the San Antonio Stakes.
SHARED BELIEF WINNING THE AWESOME AGAIN STAKES

Alfa Bird has never run in a stakes race and but is the likely early leader with a need-the-lead style and high cruising speed. Alfa Bird enters the race off a pair of wins, the most recent at the distance of the San Antonio and rather easily by five lengths, earning a 109 in the process. A newly turned four-year-old, the same as Hoppertunity, California Chrome and Shared Belief, Alfa Bird may have improving to do and if left alone for the first half-mile on an uncontested lead he could post the upset.
California Chrome earned a career best 116 at the mile and one-eighth distance he will be running in the San Antonio when victorious in the Hollywood Derby (on turf) at the end of November. In his next start, California Chrome was arguably as good as Bayern and Toast of New York as he missed by a nose and a neck to those two in the Breeders' Cup Classic. His accomplishments when winning six races in a row from December 2013 through the Preakness last May cannot be understated. If he is able to transfer the form shown two months ago on grass to the main track, California Chrome could help to make this year's San Antonio Stakes the best race to date in 2015.
The rest of the San Antonio field, with their best representative Equibase Speed Figures, is Bronzo (114), Clubhouse Ride (115), Imperative (109), Tonito M. (101), and You Know I Know (108). 
My Selections:
Hoppertunity
Shared Belief
Alfa Bird
California Chrome

$500,000 San Antonio Invitational Stakes
Race 8, Saturday, Santa Anita, Post Time 7:00 PM E.T.
1 1/8 miles, 4-Year-Olds and Up

PP

Horse

Jockey

Weight

Trainer

1

Hoppertunity (KY)

Martin Garcia

123

Bob Baffert

2

Tonito M. (KY)

Rafael Bejarano

120

Jerry Hollendorfer

3

You Know I Know (KY)

Drayden Van Dyke

118

John Sadler

4

Imperative (KY)

Flavien Prat

120

George Papaprodromou

5

Shared Belief (KY)

Mike Smith

123

Jerry Hollendorfer

6

Clubhouse Ride (KY)

Aaron Gryder

120

Craig Anthony Lewis

7

Bronzo (CHI)

Gary Stevens           

120

Neil Drysdale

8

California Chrome (CA)

Victor Espinoza

123

Art Sherman

9

Alfa Bird (KY)

Tyler Baze

118

Victor Garcia

#TheRematch on FOX Sports 1
$500,000 San Antonio Stakes
Saturday, February 7 at 2:30 ET/4:30 PT