BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Since owner Stonebase LLC and trainer Justin Nixon acquired Admiral Hopper sometime before beginning of her 2024 campaign in February, they have tried the Florida-bred mare against stakes horses in four of five starts with her the best results coming in two thirds.
The team returns Admiral Hopper to black-type company again Saturday at Delaware Park where she faces five other fillies and mares, 3-year-old and older, going six furlongs in the $150,000 Endine Stakes.
Fourth last time in a second condition, $50,000 optional claiming over six furlongs at Colonial Downs on Aug. 28, Admiral Hopper will try to avenge her third-place finish two starts back behind winner Alani and runner-up Happy Clouds in the $102,000 Love Sign going six furlongs at Colonial Downs in July.
Admiral Hopper raced midpack in the Love Sign before advancing while four-wide on the turn while closing in on a front-running Alani. She moved into second mid-stretch but could not get to the winner and just missed finishing second, a neck behind Happy Clouds. The 7-year-old Admiral Hopper was also third in Disco Ebo’s $99,000 Primonetta going six furlongs on a muddy track at Laurel Park on April 12.
In two other starts this year, Admiral Hopper was off the board in the $125,000 Lightning City at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 22 and in the $100,000 The Very One at Pimlico Race Course on May 16, both sprinting five furlongs on the turf.
Bred in Florida and previously raced by Krista Seltzer and Edward Seltzer, Admiral Hopper is by Field Commission out of Flower Class, by Stormy Atlantic. She has won seven of 18 career starts with two seconds and two thirds with earnings of $223,325.
Admiral Hopper has drawn the outside post six and will be ridden by Jean Gregor Briceno.
Alani has two starts since the Love Sign including a nearly two-length victory in a upper level allowance race going five-and-a-half furlongs at Laurel on Sept. 6.
Trained by Michael Moore for Hardesty Stables and Michael R. Day, Alani was previously fifth in a top condition, $100,000 optional claiming race won by Carmelina going six-and-a-half furlongs at Parx Racing on Aug. 19.
Alani is by Competitive Edge and has won six with six seconds and a third in 16 starts with earnings of $320,895.
Andy Henandez has ridden her in her last four races and has the return mount for the Endine. They will start from post four.
Happy Clouds has post five and was third in the $72,000 Shine Again won by Endine rival Discreet Ops at Timonium on Aug. 23 in one start since the Love Sign.
She is trained by Ryan Gillespie and has six wins, nine seconds and five thirds in 31 starts while earning $286,689 while racing primarily for owner Timothy Freitag.
Denis Vicente Araujo will ride Happy Clouds.
Rounding out the field are Discreet Ops with jockey Carlos Lopez, Katie Davis takes the call on Sunday Girl and Jaime Rodriguez will be in the saddle for Striker Has Dial.
Return to the September 24 issue of Wire to Wire
