Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday), last seen finishing third behind California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) in the Mar. 26 G1 Dubai World Cup, may have earned a spot in the starting gate for Saturday's GI Gold Cup at Santa Anita with a six-furlong drill at Santa Anita over the weekend. The 5-year-old went the distance in 1:12.20 Saturday. Trainer Bob Baffert said Monday the bay “may run,” in the 1 1/4-mile race.
Also working for Baffert over the weekend, Danzing Candy (Twirling Candy) went six furlongs Sunday at Santa Anita in 1:13.00. Winner of the GII San Felipe S. in March for trainer Cliff Sise, Jr., the sophomore has not started since finishing 15th in the GI Kentucky Derby.
“Danzing Candy may be going in the Affirmed,” Baffert revealed. The 1 1/16-mile GIII Affirmed S. will be run July 2 at Santa Anita.
Gold Cup hopeful Imperative (Bernardini), who worked six furlongs at Santa Anita in 1:13.80 Saturday, will add blinkers for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic 'Win and You're In' event.
“He's doing well,” trainer Richard Baltas reported. “He's been working on the training track and it's really helped his feet. They're ice cold, and I'm going to put some blinkers back on him and see if that helps him. It seems like he's been too far out of touch in his last few races.”
Imperative is coming off a fourth-place effort in the Apr. 23 GII Charles Town Classic, a race he won in 2014 while under the care of trainer George Papaprodromou.
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