Game On Dude to Parade at Santa Anita
Image:
Description:
Game On Dude, who was retired from racing Sept. 18 as the only three-time Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I) winner, will be paraded between the sixth and seventh races Saturday, Sept. 27 at Santa Anita Park.
Trained by Bob Baffert, the beloved 7-year-old gelding thrilled fans for the better part of five racing seasons through 34 starts and 16 victories—14 of which were graded stakes.
"Dude" as he was affectionately referred to by Baffert, will make his way through Santa Anita's Seabiscuit Walking Ring following race six, at approximately 3:35 p.m. PDT. Ridden by Dana Barnes, he will then head to the main track, where he'll make a right turn and proceed east to the track's Eddie Logan Suite on the Club House turn. From there, he'll be turned around and pointed to the Winner's Circle where he will be honored with a brief ceremony that will include a video tribute.
Owned by a partnership that includes baseball Hall of Famer Joe Torre's Diamond Pride, the Lanni Family Trust, Mercedes Stable, and Bernard Schiappa, Game On Dude made history in winning his first Big 'Cap in 2011when ridden to a nose victory by Chantal Sutherland, the first female jockey to win Santa Anita's signature race.
Under Mike Smith, Game On Dude won his second Big 'Cap by a record 7 3/4 lengths in 2013 and he went on to register powerful front-running victories later that year in both the grade I Hollywood Gold Cup and Pacific Classic at Del Mar—becoming only the second horse in history to sweep California's three biggest stakes races for older horses in the same year.
A Kentucky-bred son of Awesome Again out of the Devil His Due mare Worldly Pleasure, Game On Dude registered his 16th and final win in this year's Big 'Cap, winning under Smith by 1 3/4 lengths over a star-packed field.