Hoppertunity to Carry Highweight in Cougar II

Dual grade 1 winner Hoppertunity, who continues to win races in top company and adding to his bankroll of almost $4.7 million, will carry highweight of 125 pounds July 25 in the $100,000 Cougar II Handicap (G3) at a marathon distance of 1 1/2 miles over Del Mar's main track.

Assigned morning-line odds of 6-5, the 7-year-old son of Any Given Saturday, owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman and conditioned throughout his career by Bob Baffert, will take on seven rivals in the mid-week headliner. Flavien Prat has the ride from post 4.

Hoppertunity is 2-for-2 at 12 furlongs, both of which came in 2018. His two wins of four starts this year include a 6 1/2-length score in the Tokyo City Cup (G3) at Santa Anita Park in April and the June 9 Brooklyn Invitational (G2) at Belmont Park, where he won by 2 1/4 lengths. Most recently, he was fourth in the 1 1/4-mile Suburban Stakes (G2) at the New York track.

Looking to step up in class, 5-year-old Unapologetic comes into the Cougar II off a two-race win streak in optional claiming company, the first victory of which was at 12 furlongs. This will be the Temple City  gelding's first try in graded company.

Chilean-bred Full of Luck is a group 1 winner in South America, but in three stakes tries since being imported to the United States he has finished off the board. The son of Lookin At Lucky  had his best effort in the April 28 Californian Stakes (G2), where he ran well in the stretch to miss third by a nose in the 1 1/8-mile contest at Santa Anita.

DP Racing's Prince of Arabia finished second in the Californian, and comes into the race of a next out fifth in the May 26 Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes (G1). Twentytwentyvision was runner-up to Hoppertunity in the Tokyo City Cup, but the Pollard's Vision  gelding has not seen the winner's circle since September of 2016. 

The Cougar II is scheduled as race 7, to run at 8:00pm EDT on Wednesday.