Hoppertunity, ‘Flight’ Gold Cup Bound

Bob Baffert may have a GI Gold Cup at Santa Anita runner after all in the form of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman’s Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday). Winner of last term’s GI Clark H., the bay finished third in last Saturday’s GI Stephen Foster H. at Churchill Downs. 

“I might want to run Hoppertunity,” the Hall of Fame conditioner remarked. “He just ran, and I think I’m looking at him right now.” 

If Hoppertunity goes to the June 27 Gold Cup, he will face off with Haras Santa Maria de Araras’s Catch a Flight (Arg) (Giant’s Causeway). The Richard Mandella trainee breezed seven furlongs in 1:26.40 under regular pilot Gary Stevens in Arcadia Friday. 

“He’s doing real well,” Mandella said. “He’s in good shape and ready to go.” 

Third in the GI Santa Anita H. Mar. 7, Catch a Flight enters off a pair of victories in Santa Anita’s GIII Precisionist S. May 2 and GII Californian S. May 30.