Game on Dude look to blast off in the San Antonio Stakes, leading up to the Big A to defend his title
Game on Dude is returning to his favourite track, where he has always done well, the Santa Anita Park, and it is only fair to the horse, who had a reasonably well 2011, that he kicks things off in the 2012 season over his favourite surface and familiar surroundings.
The red carpet will be rolled out for Bob Baffert trained horse, when he comes out on 5 February, 2012, to participate in the San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita Park, and this time around Game on Dude will have it easy with a mild looking field.
Last graded stakes race at Santa Anita was the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes last month, and the Kory Owens trained, Uh Oh Bango, won it quiet easily, but the conditioner acknowledges that against Game on Dude his horse and the rest of the field don’t look
right up there to challenge the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup runner up.
“This race looks like it is Game On Dude’s to lose,” Owens said. “I don’t see anyone putting pressure on that horse. Maybe in the Big ’Cap, there will be a bigger field and maybe shuffle up [the pace] a little bit.”
There are two roads leading up to the much anticipated Grade 1, $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap on 3 March, 2012, and one goes from the Santa Antonia Stakes and the other scheduled at the same venue, the Grade 2 Strub Stakes which has reeled in quite a few
4-year-olds for the 1 1/8 mile event, which will use it as a prep race toward the Grade 1 Big Cap.
Game on Dude nosed out in the last edition of the race back in early 2011, where he propelled himself from an allowance race to the Santa Anita Handicap win, and now one of the country’s top older males.
So, if the likes of Tapizar gets into the act, and challenge Game on Dude on even grounds on 3 March, who knows there could be another Game on Dude in the making, because the season stretched out long, and there is a lot of room at the top when it comes
to the top older male division.
Tags: