Hoppertunity cruises in Tokyo City Cup (G3)

Hoppertunity, a veteran campaigner who is a favorite in Bob Baffert’s barn, got back to his winning ways on Sunday at Santa Anita with a 6 1/2-length score in the $100,000 Tokyo City Cup (G3).

Though Hoppertunity had won over $4 million and had six graded stakes wins to his credit, the 7-year-old was winless since February, 2017 before Sunday.

Stretched out to 1 1/2-miles in the Tokyo City for the first time, Hoppertunity handled the challenge with ease. Last early, he steadily moved up closer and took the lead for good with about a half-mile to run and was never threatened in the stretch as he won eased up under Flavien Prat.

“This horse really needed a win badly, he’s been going against all of these really tough horses the last couple of years,” said Baffert. “Sometimes, you do this, show them a win and you can see a change. I could see he was really enjoying himself. He is a barn favorite, everyone loves Hopper. You can tell the crowd was getting into it.” 

Owned by Baffert’s long-time clients Karl Watson, Mike Pegram and Paul Weitman, Hoppertunity has now amassed $4,407,025, with seven graded stakes victories to his credit.