In his second graded stakes assignment, Bob Baffert's Hopkins made it look easy on Sunday at Santa Anita, as he sat close to a fast pace and proved much the best in the $200,000 Palos Verdes Stakes (G3), winning by 2 ¼ lengths under Juan Hernandez while getting six furlongs in 1:08.80.
As expected, Straight No Chaser blasted off from his rail post and showed the way early under Edwin Maldonado, but Hopkins was in close attendance to his outside. Straightening for home, Hopkins got on terms and gained the advantage a furlong out in a dominant performance that gave meet leaders Baffert and Hernandez their ninth and 10th stakes victories, respectively at the meet.
“The race set up really good for us,” said Hernandez, who has been aboard for all seven of Hopkins career starts. “Straight No Chaser, he's a really good horse, he's really fast…I really like (Hopkins) a lot…He's getting better.
“I just played the break and I just watched the other horses. I saw the one (Straight No Chaser) broke really fast, he broke way better than me, and I broke better than the outside horses. So, I just let him go and sat behind him and waited for the quarter pole to ask my horse to go…When I asked him…he picked it up really well and he got the job done.”
Second, beaten a head in a six-furlong second condition allowance Jan. 15 at Santa Anita, Hopkins was off at 2-1 is a field of six older horses and paid $6.20 for the victory.
A 5-year-old horse by Quality Road out of the Salt Lake mare Hot Spell, bred in Kentucky by Nursery Place, Hopkins is owned by a partnership that includes SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, et al. His connections bought him from his breeder for $900,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September yearling sale.
With the Palos Verdes winner's share of $120,000, Hopkins increased his earnings to $244,700 from an overall mark of 3-3-0 from seven starts.
Idle since finishing second in an ungraded seven furlong stakes at Laurel Park, Radical Right, in steady training at San Luis Rey Downs for trainer Peter Miller, made his Southern California debut today and was second best, finishing 1 ½ lengths in front of 2-1 favorite Straight No Chaser.
Early fractions on the Palos Verdes were :21.80, :44.10 and :56.40.
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