On his first start outside of California on April 1, Bob Baffert trained funnel thrive on Oaklawn Park oval, back to challenges from graded bet winners River Caddo And happy smile to win $400,000 Oaklawn Mile Stakes (G3).
Racing with a blink off after weakening to fourth in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) March 4, Hall of Fame jockeys John Velazquez and Hopper took the lead Atoka passed the initial fractions of :22.42 and :45.56 quickly before taking the lead to go home. Caddo River and Smile Happy, both scoring at useful allowances at Oaklawn and never falling far behind their predecessors, each bid for the long haul.
Caddo River attacked first and dueled Hopper in the lane when Atoka gave way. Hopper rushes in and pushes back Spin hard pony, taut as Smile Happy closes in the middle of the track.
Hopper, the second favorite game close to 7-5 odds after Smile Happy, crossed the seat belt with a length of 1 3/4. He completed a mile in a final time of 1:37.63 on a track rated as fast. He paid $4.80 to win
“I think he’s learning to run. He’s a big, strong horse,” Baffert said by phone from his main base in Southern California.
Caddo River and Smile Happy completed the trilogy. Smile Happy, join traffic while saving land until the end of the road, closing from the last position to finish after the runner-up.
“(Hopper) definitely has a lot of talent,” Velazquez said. “Obviously he hasn’t run a lot. He’s still learning. Like even when he’s going down the lane, he’s still looking at the pitch and drifting out a little bit. I tried to let him out. He focused on the job, and he got it done.”
Bought by bloodline dealer Donato Lanni’s X-Men Racing for $90,000 at Keeneland’s September 2020 Annual Sale, Hopper raced to partner with Lanni, Madaket Stables and SF Racing. Oaklawn Mile is the second ranked bet win for my 4-year-old son Declaration of war who won the Confirmed Handicap (G3) last year at Santa Anita . Park.
Hopper was eliminated from group 1 Caesar mare metallic luster , champion in South Africa 2005. Six of her seven ponies raced with three wins. Hopper was her only stake winner.
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Eyeling Clover turns his back on gun pilot in hot spring
Three races after the Oaklawn Mile, sophomores compete in the same ride in the $200,000 Hot Springs Stakes, a Ten Strike Racing’s race eye-catching clover win by repelling gun pilot by one length.
Winning for the third time in four starts, with defeat as the final fourth in Gotham Stakes (G3) in the stakes debut on March 4, Eyeing Clover ran a mile in 1:39 ,45. He paid $5.60 to win.
Florent Geroux with her 3-year-old son Look at Lucky , who raced with the blink on Saturday for coach Brad Cox. Hot Springs was the first two-turn race of the pony’s career, and his inexperience showed on the first turn as he seemed to drift out of the inside spot as he became the number one. when asked by Geroux to get up to speed.
Gun Pilot wide race runner-up, who moved with the Eyeing Clover as the latter took the lead after six laps, finished brilliantly Cactus in third place. Strong fourth run.
set tempo rock rocket last run of the year in a race exhausted by the scratches of Carmel Street And dim departure .
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