Oaklawn Park: Hoppertunity survives inquiry to win Rebel Stakes

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - The Rebel turned out to be a rumble.

Hoppertunity was a half-length winner over Tapiture, and after a lengthy inquiry as well as a jockey’s objection concerning the stretch run, the results stood in a finish that moves the Bob Baffert trainee further down the road to the Kentucky Derby.

Hoppertunity picked up 50 preference points for his win in the Grade 2, $600,000 Rebel, one start after a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Risen Star in his in his stakes debut last month at Fair Grounds. Tapiture earned 20 points for second on Saturday, while Ride On Curlin, who was third, picked up 10, and Strong Mandate, who was fourth, earned five points on the system administered by Churchill Downs.

Hoppertunity now ranks second in points overall, with 55.

Hoppertunity ($14.20) stalked the pace set by Strong Mandate, who, pushed along by Ride On Curlin, set fractions of 24.06 seconds for the opening quarter and 47.97 for the half-mile. Hoppertunity advanced as Ride On Curlin took over through six furlongs in 1:12.24, and the eventual winner and Tapiture made contact at least twice in the stretch, prompting Ricardo Santana, Jr., to claim foul against Mike Smith, who was aboard Hoppertunity.

“We both got into a little bit of bumping, but he had already forced his way out [into the stretch], so, I can’t keep just giving him ground,” Smith, who was widest in the lane. “I was running third on the outside, and now I’m five wide, just because he pushed me out. I just had to hold my ground, so if anything, I thought it was 60-40.”

Larry Snyder, a steward at Oaklawn, gave a statement on the decision to let the order of finish stand.

“We made our decision on the fact that jockey Ricardo Santana had pushed his way out from behind [Strong Mandate] as the horses were straightening out in the stretch,” Snyder said. “We felt Mike Smith was just holding his position. The rider of [Strong Mandate] never had to stop riding.”

Steve Asmussen, who trains Tapiture, took the decision in stride.

“He ran hard,” he said of Tapiture, who was the favorite on the strength of his win in last month’s Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest.

Hoppertunity covered 1 1/16 miles on a sealed track rated wet-fast in 1:43.90.

Baffert said plans for Hoppertunity are to be determined. The horse shipped to Oaklawn from Southern California.

“We’ll give him another spin,” he said. “I don’t know where he’ll run next. He’s definitely a Derby horse. We’ll just get him home and decide what to do next.”

Baffert said Hoppertunity is a horse just starting to come into his own. The colt, a May foal, is a son of Any Given Saturday. He was a $300,000 yearling purchase at Keeneland in September 2012 and is a half-brother to multiple Grade 1 winner Executiveprivilege.

Hoppertunity races for the partnership of Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman.

He earned $360,000 for the win, his second from four career starts. Hoppertunity won his maiden in his two-turn debut at Santa Anita in January.

Baffert has now won four runnings of the Rebel, his other winners were Lookin At Lucky (2010); The Factor (2011); and Secret Circle (2012).

Attendance ontrack was a season-high 30,873. Handle on the 11-race card from all sources was $9,099,439. Of that amount, $6,933,901 was bet offtrack, and $2,165,538, ontrack.