Connections Seeking Stud Deal for Hoppertunity
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Photo: Adrianna Lynch
Hoppertunity and jockey Flavien Prat after winning the Brooklyn Invitational at Belmont Park
The connections of multiple grade 1 winner Hoppertunity, one of the longest-running competitors at the graded stakes level in recent years, are looking for a stud deal for the 7-year-old son of Any Given Saturday, trainer Bob Baffert said Oct. 25.
Baffert said Hoppertunity is not officially retired and is still in training at Santa Anita Park, despite reports to the contrary on social media, including from the official Del Mar Twitter acount.
"We're deciding what to do with him right now," the trainer said of Hoppertunity, who last raced in the Cougar II Handicap (G3) at Del Mar, where he finished second, and who last recorded a timed workout at Santa Anita Oct. 14. "We're looking for farms."
Hoppertunity began racing in 2014 and has developed into a fan favorite for his consistency and longevity. He's won eight graded stakes, including the 2014 Clark Handicap (G1) and 2016 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1), and placed in 11 others. He cashed a check (finished in the top five) in the first 25 starts of his career.
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From 34 starts, he has a 9-8-5 record and more than $4.7 million in earnings for owners Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman. At 7, he's continued to perform in 2018, with wins in the Tokyo City Cup Stakes (G3) and Brooklyn Invitational Stakes (G2) and fourth-place runs in the Alysheba Stakes presented by Sentient Jet (G2) and Suburban Stakes (G2), in addition to his Cougar II effort.
The only start of his career where he didn't finish in the top five came in the 2017 Dubai World Cup Sponsored By Emirates Airline (G1), when he came in sixth.