Game Winner Pulls Away in American Pharoah
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Photo: BENOIT PHOTO
Game Winner takes the American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita Park
The trajectory of Game Winner's career continued in its upward trend Sept. 29 with a 4 1/2-length score in the $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park.
Sent off at odds of 1-5 in his first start around two turns, Gary and Mary West's 2-year-old Candy Ride colt pressed early leader Rowayton, put his head in front in the second turn, and pulled away late to finish off the 1 1/16-mile test in 1:43.77.
Gunmetal Gray, who stalked the early leaders in third in the backstretch, passed his Jerry Hollendorfer-trained stablemate Rowayton in the final strides to pick up second.
"It was a good run," said Gunmetal Gray's jockey, Flavien Prat. "He had a good trip and he made a nice run down the lane. The winner was just better than us today."
Game Winner is now undefeated in three starts and has two grade 1 victories, including his first top-level score in the Sept. 3 Del Mar Futurity (G1). The win Saturday was trainer Bob Baffert's first win in the race—which was previously named the FrontRunner Stakes and the Norfolk Stakes—since American Pharoah won in 2015. The Hall of Fame conditioner has won the race eight times overall.
"I can't take credit for this horse," Baffert said. "The Wests and their team found this horse and trusted me with him. ... I just want to get (to the grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile) with a nice, healthy horse. This horse tipped us off this summer that he was going to be a good one."
As in their last meeting, the seven-furlong Futurity, Rowayton dictated the pace, but this time Game Winner was significantly closer (he was five lengths back early in the Futurity when Rowayton shot to a big lead). The fractions in the American Pharoah went in :23.43, :47.50, and 1:11.85 through six furlongs, but Game Winner never let Rowayton get more than a half-length in front.
"He broke well out of there," said winning jockey Joel Rosario, who also piloted Game Winner to his 5 3/4-length maiden-breaking score Aug. 18 at Del Mar before Mario Gutierrez got a leg up in the Futurity. "I just chirped at him a little bit, put him on the outside, and he responded to that really well.
"I wasn't trying to be too far back, and that worked out."
Rowayton finished third, 3 1/4 lengths ahead of Jefe in fourth. Sigalert came in last in the field of five.
Bred in Kentucky by Summer Wind Equine out of the A.P. Indy mare Indyan Giving, Game Winner now has $396,000 in earnings from his three wins. He was a $110,000 purchase by agent Ben Glass from the Lane's End consignment to the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
"He'd been training well and we thought he'd like two turns," Gary West said. "His family all liked a mile and a quarter, but you never know until they do it. I didn't think he deserved to be that big of a favorite, but he ran great. We're looking forward to the Breeders' Cup, for sure. ... I've been in the horse business about 40 years. All days are not like this one."