Hard Aces by a nose in Gold Cup at Santa Anita

ARCADIA, Calif. – Hard Aces was last of 11 in Saturday’s $501,500 Gold Cup at Santa Anita when the field passed under the wire for the first time. One mile later, he was in front by the narrowest of margins and the winner of the most prestigious race of his career.

Hard Aces ($17.80) held off a late surge from Hoppertunity to win the Gold Cup at Santa Anita by a nose. The finish was so close that trainer John Sadler declined to move toward the winner’s circle until the photo finish came down to reflect the win by Hard Aces.

“I’ve been around too long to say how the bob goes,” he said. “I didn’t believe it until it was up.”

The win gave Hard Aces a clear goal for the second half of the year. The Gold Cup at Santa Anita was part of the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In program, offering a fees-paid berth to the BC Classic at Keeneland on Oct. 31.

Sadler and owners Pete and Kosta Hronis have secured two such berths this month. On June 13, Talco won the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile, earning a fees-paid berth for the BC Mile on Oct. 31.

The win by Hard Aces leaves the handicap division in California without a clear leader. Shared Belief, the winner of the Santa Anita Handicap, is sidelined with injury. California Chrome, the 2014 Horse of the Year, has not raced since March and missed a start at Royal Ascot in England this month because of a foot injury.

The come-from-behind win by Hard Aces in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita at 1 1/4 miles is reflective of the 5-year-old’s season this year. He won the minor Louisiana Handicap at Fair Grounds in January in his final start for Larry Jones and has progressed significantly in recent months.

Purchased privately following that race, Hard Aces was fourth in the Santa Anita Handicap on March 7 and sixth in the Oaklawn Handicap on April 11. Given a seven-week break, Hard Aces rebounded to finish third in the Grade 2 Californian Stakes on May 30 behind Catch a Flight and Moreno, two leading contenders for the Gold Cup at Santa Anita.

“He was a good fourth in the Big Cap,” Sadler said on Saturday. “He moved forward with the last race. He put it all together for the big one today.”

Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Hard Aces was last or 10th for the first six furlongs, well behind a quick pace of 45.90 seconds for a half-mile and six furlongs in 1:10.17 set initially by Batti Man and later by Big Cazanova.

Espinoza kept Hard Aces on the inside and was fifth with a quarter-mile remaining but only 3 1/2 lengths behind Big Cazanova. Staying on the rail, Espinoza had Hard Aces in second with a furlong to go, a head behind Catch a Flight, the 8-5 favorite. Catch a Flight faded from contention in the final furlong as Hard Aces took over. Hoppertunity surged in the final strides to make for a desperate finish that went the way of Hard Aces.

“I thought he was too far back, but Victor rode him patiently,” Kosta Hronis said. “Victor cut the rail and won the race. I thought we won.”

Hoppertunity, who won the Grade 1 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs last November, finished 1 1/4 lengths in front of Catch a Flight, who won the Grade 3 Precisionist Stakes and the Californian Stakes in his two previous starts.

Finnegans Wake, the winner of the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on May 2, finished fourth, followed by Big Cazanova, Lideris, Majestic City, Moreno, Poshsky, Motown Men, and Batti Man.

Hard Aces, by Hard Spun, has won 6 of 23 starts and earned $592,145.

Hronis and Sadler said that Hard Aces will be pointed for the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 22.

“We’ll stay home,” Sadler said.