Hoppertunity Starts 2018 Campaign in Tokyo City Cup

Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman's Hoppertunity, the "barn favorite" in Barn 5 on the Santa Anita Park backside, has run all over the country and twice overseas, but he will try something different April 8.

The two-time grade 1 winner and earner of more than $4.3 million will stretch out to 1 1/2 miles for the first time Sunday in the $100,000 Tokyo City Cup Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita.

The son of Any Given Saturday has been remarkably consistent in a career that has stretched across four seasons, and he'll kick off his fifth campaign as the 2-5 morning-line favorite.

"I'm trying to get a win for 'Hopper.' We'll stretch him out a little bit farther, and he should have no problem getting a mile and a half," said trainer Bob Baffert, who has sent out the 7-year-old horse to seven wins from 29 starts and 10 other graded/group placings, including seven in grade/group 1 races. "He's been such a great horse, and he shows up every time."

Hoppertunity was shooting for bigger prizes this year, but he was scratched out of the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) in March because of a sloppy track, and Baffert decided not to send the bay to Meydan for his third try in the Dubai World Cup (G1). The Hall of Fame trainer said the Tokyo City would be a "prep for something back East."

Hoppertunity has had plenty of success shipping out from his California home base, with both of his top-level wins—the 2014 Clark Handicap (G1) and the 2016 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1)—coming out of state. He also placed in the 2015 and 2017 editions of the Clark, and in the 2015 Stephen Foster Handicap (G1), both at Churchill Downs; won the 2014 Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park; and finished second in the 2015 Hagyard Fayette Stakes (G2) at Keeneland.

The field of six entered for the Tokyo City does not feature another graded winner, but Waldorf Racing Stables' Infobedad arguably had his best performance since moving to the U.S. from South America at a marathon distance. That effort came in the 1 3/4-mile Marathon Stakes Presented by TAA (G2) Nov. 3 at Del Mar, where the Neil Drysdale trainee finished second behind multiple graded winner Destin.

Another entrant capable at the distance is Scott Herbertson's Noble Nick, who won the 1 5/8-mile C. J. Hindley Humboldt County Marathon Handicap at Ferndale and placed in the 1 1/2-mile Cougar II Handicap (G3) at Del Mar in 2017.

Hronis Racing's Twentytwentyvision has placed in multiple graded stakes, including an off-the-turf edition of the San Gabriel Stakes (G3) in 2017 and another off-the-turf grade 3 in the 2016 American Stakes, but most of his success has come on grass.

Completing the field is maiden winner Moonman, who has raced in low-level claiming races for much of his career, and Beaumarchais, a 5-year-old Big Drama gelding who is winless in three starts this year but won four straight races at the claiming and starter allowance levels in 2017.

Entries: Tokyo City Cup S. (G3)

Santa Anita Park, Sunday, April 08, 2018, Race 5

• Grade III
• 1 1/2m
• Dirt
• $100,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 1:36 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Infobedad (ARG)	Kent J. Desormeaux	120	Neil D. Drysdale	8/1
2	2Noble Nick (KY)	William Antongeorgi III	120	Ari Herbertson	6/1
3	3Hoppertunity (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Bob Baffert	2/5
4	4Moonman (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	120	J. Keith Desormeaux	30/1
5	5Twentytwentyvision (KY)	Tyler Baze	120	John W. Sadler	7/2
6	6Beaumarchais (FL)	Martin A. Pedroza	120	Reed Saldana	12/1