Lightly raced Hopper, the lone speed in a four-horse field, stretched to two turns following a maiden sprint victory to wire the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes for 3-year-olds on Saturday at Santa Anita. Hopper broke like a shot under Abel Cedillo, established a comfortable lead and widened late to win the 1 1/16-mile race by 5 1/4 lengths in 1:43.83 and return $8.60 as third betting choice. Hopper was making only his third career start, having won a seven-furlong maiden race last out. Cedillo was riding him for the first time Saturday, and knew he was on a rocket.
