Gold Cup Comes Up Aces, Pharoah Thrills Santa Anita Fans

Hard Aces (inside) held off Hoppertunity to win the Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes on Saturday. (BENOIT photo)
Hard Aces held off game runner-up Hoppertunity by a nose in a thrilling finish in the $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes on Saturday, a card that also featured a special appearance by 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.
Hard Aces charged through an opening on the inside near the top of the stretch and battled bravely in the closing strides under Victor Espinoza to hold off hard-charging Hoppertunity.
“It was tight,” winning trainer John Sadler said. “It was a wonderful ride by Victor. He’s in great form right now after winning the Triple Crown. He’s in the zone.”
With the win, Hard Aces earned an automatic starting spot in the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 31 at Keeneland Race Course. The Gold Cup is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge series “Win and You’re In” race, guaranteeing the winner a spot in the Classic plus entry fees and travel expenses.
ESPINOZA CELEBRATES WIN ON HARD ACES

BENOIT Photo
A bay, 5-year-old by Hard Spun, Hard Aces won the Louisiana Handicap in January at Fair Grounds for his first career stakes win. He finished third on May 2 in the Grade 2 Californian Stakes at Santa Anita but until the Gold Cup had never won a graded stakes race.
“He’s improving,” Espinoza said. “Every race, he’s getting better and better. When he was back east he wasn’t quite there but in his last race he ran good and today he ran great.”
Owned by Hronis Racing, Hard Aces completed 1 ¼ miles in 2:02.46 to improve to six from 23 starts and raise his career earnings to $592,145. Hronis purchased him from breeder Dreamchaser Thorobreds after his Louisiana Handicap win.
Sadler knows exactly where he plans to send Hard Aces next: Del Mar.
“He’ll turn up in the Pacific Classic,” said Sadler, who will be stabled at Del Mar for the meet that starts on July 16. “I don’t see any reason to go on the road at this point. He’ll stay home and run right in our own back yard at Del Mar.”
Hard Aces was bred in Kentucky out of the Quiet American mare All in With Aces.
Catch a Flight, the 1.70-to-1 favorite in the Gold Cup, finished 1 1/4 lengths behind the top two in third place.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Earlier on the card, American Pharoah made an appearance on the track to the delight of a crowd of 21,528. The 2015 Triple Crown winner, along with his Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and rider Victor Espinoza, was paraded between the seventh and eight races on Saturday’s card and received a hero’s welcome befitting the first 3-year-old to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes since Affirmed in 1978.
CELEBRATING AMERICAN PHAROAH AT SANTA ANITA

BENOIT Photos