Arcadia, CA
Hard trying Hoppertunity snaps losing streak and wins photo in taking the Grade II San Antonio Stakes Saturday afternoon.
The five-year-old settled near the back of the field under jockey Flavien Prat, before picking off the leaders and holding on to a nose victory over the fast closing Imperative.
Cat Burglar set a fast pace of :23, :46, and 1:10 opening fractions to help set it up for the off-the-pace runners in Hoppertunity and Imperative.
Prat had the favorite very wide around the turn to make his run in the clear down the stretch. Jockey Mike Smith also took the same route guiding Imperative to his outside for his final run.
Donworth completed the trifecta, finishing in third, and ran a solid race just 1 3/4 lengths behind the top two after being a part of the fast opening fractions.
Hoppertunity returned $5.80 to win and ran the 1 1/8 mile race in a final time of 1:48.
The Bob Baffert trained stakes winner now spots five wins from 18 career starts with a $1.87 million bankroll.