By Christie DeBernardis
GI Breeders' Cup Classic runner-up Collected (City Zip) is by far the one to beat in Tuesday's GII San Antonio S. on Santa Anita's winter meet opening day. The Bob Baffert trainee won his first four starts this term, including a 14-length demolition in the GIII Precisionist S. and a half-length defeat of his champion stablemate Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) in the GI Pacific Classic. The chestnut suffered his first loss of 2017 at the hooves of likely Horse of the Year Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) after dueling that rival every step of the way in the BC Classic at Del Mar last time Nov. 4.
Baffert also saddles two-time San Antonio winner Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday), who seeks his third straight win in this test. The dual Grade I victor's only win of 2017 came in this event in February, after which he made the journey to Meydan, where he finished sixth behind Arrogate and Gun Runner in the G1 Dubai World Cup. Given some time off upon his return to California, the bay was second to Top of the Game (Desert Party) in the Comma to The Top S. Oct. 28, going a bit shorter than he prefers at just a mile, and came running late for third last time in Churchill's GI Clark H. Nov. 24.
Javier Castellano makes the trip in from New York to ride Accelerate (Lookin at Lucky). Best known for defeating Arrogate by 8 1/2 lengths upon that rival's return from Dubai in the GII San Diego H. July 22, the chestnut checked in third in the Pacific Classic and failed to fire when ninth in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile Nov. 3.
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