Hoppertunity will go in San Antonio Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Hoppertunity, the winner of graded stakes at Churchill Downs and Santa Anita in his last two starts, will face the champions California Chrome and Shared Belief in the $500,000 San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 7.

On Saturday, trainer Bob Baffert said Hoppertunity will be his only starter in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes, which is run at 1 1/8 miles.

The San Antonio is the most widely anticipated race of the young season – the first start of the year for California Chrome, the 2014 Horse of the Year, and Shared Belief, the champion 2-year-old male of 2013.

California Chrome and Shared Belief were third and fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic here Nov. 1 behind Bayern. Both California Chrome and Shared Belief later won Grade 1 races in 2014. California Chrome won the Hollywood Derby on turf Nov. 29 at Del Mar. Shared Belief won the Malibu Stakes at seven furlongs here Dec. 26.

Hoppertunity won the Grade 1 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs on Nov. 28 and the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes here Jan. 10. Bayern will miss the San Antonio Stakes because of a minor foot problem that kept him from extensive training in mid-January.

The San Antonio Stakes had a field of eight probable starters as of Saturday. Other contenders are Alpha Bird, Bronzo, Dynamic Sky, Imperative, and Tonito M.

Imperative, who won the Charles Town Classic in West Virginia last April, worked six furlongs in 1:13 Saturday. Trainer George Papaprodromou said Imperative encountered traffic in the stretch or would have recorded a quicker official time.

Papaprodromou, who timed Imperative in 1:12.80, said a decision on the 5-year-old’s status will be made in coming days.

“I’ve got to decide,” Papaprodromou said. “It’s an option.”

Imperative finished 15th Dec. 7 in the Champions Cup at Chukyo, Japan, in his last start.