Hard Aces on path to BC Classic after Gold Cup win

ARCADIA, Calif. – Last winter, owners Kosta and Pete Hronis and trainer John Sadler were looking for a prospect for the leading races for older horses in California through the year. When they reached a deal to acquire Hard Aces, they bought much more.

They bought a horse bound for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on Oct. 31.

Hard Aces won his first graded stakes in Saturday’s $501,500 Gold Cup at Santa Anita. The race is part of the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In program, offering a fees-paid berth to the BC Classic.

Hard Aces has a clear autumn goal.

To get there, Sadler is debating how to manage Hard Aces this summer. There are two options at Del Mar – a start in the $200,000 San Diego Handicap at 1 1/16 miles July 25, or waiting for the $1 million Pacific Classic at 1 1/4 miles Aug. 22, the meeting’s top race.

The Gold Cup at Santa Anita was the fourth start for Hard Aces in the Sadler stable. The 5-year-old horse was fourth in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap on March 6, sixth in the Oaklawn Handicap on April 11, and third in the Grade 2 Californian Stakes on May 30.

“I think he’s getting good as an older horse,” Sadler said Sunday. “He ran well in the Big Cap. He took a step back at Oaklawn Park and then a step forward in his last race.”

In the Californian, Hard Aces was beaten four lengths by Catch a Flight, the 8-5 favorite in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita. The performance justified a start in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita, Sadler said.

“To me, when I looked at the race, he was the third choice behind Catch a Flight and Moreno,” Sadler said. “If you’re running for third, you’re in a good spot. I thought he’d move forward.”

Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Hard Aces closed from last in a field of 11 to take the lead in the final furlong. He was fully extended to hold off a threat from Hoppertunity and win by a nose. Catch a Flight finished third, beaten 1 1/4 lengths after leading in the stretch.

Those three are among the principal runners for the Pacific Classic. Shared Belief, the winner of the Santa Anita Handicap, is out with a hip injury. California Chrome, the 2014 Horse of the Year, missed a scheduled start at Royal Ascot on June 17 and is considered a candidate for the Arlington Million on turf Aug. 15.

Catch a Flight won the two races leading to the Gold Cup at Santa Anita – the Grade 3 Precisionist Stakes on May 2 and the Californian. In the Gold Cup at Santa Anita, Catch a Flight was near a quick pace a half-mile from the finish under jockey Gary Stevens but could not sustain the effort.

“It was disappointing not to win,” trainer Richard Mandella said.

Mandella said the San Diego Handicap is a possibility for Catch a Flight, although the Pacific Classic is a priority.

“If I thought he needed to miss it, I would,” Mandella said of the San Diego.