Game Winner Looks To Establish Himself in Juvenile

What's not to like about Game Winner in the $2 million Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), the headline event of the first day of the World Championships Nov. 2 at Churchill Downs?

The son of Candy Ride  is undefeated in three starts, is a grade 1 winner around two turns, has the highest last-out speed figure coming into the race, is trained by three-time Juvenile winner Bob Baffert, and is owned by Gary and Mary West, whose New Year's Day  won the 2013 edition of the Juvenile.

In short, there's nothing not to like, unless his post 9 compromises his position going into the first turn of the 1 1/16-mile Juvenile. But that would be nitpicking. As would comparing him to the last undefeated runner Baffert brought to Churchill Downs.

"Game Winner is good," Baffert said Oct. 31 after watching him gallop at Churchill. "He's not Justify -good, but he's good." 

Game Winner, who is out of the A.P. Indy mare Indyan Giving and was bred in Kentucky by Summer Wind Equine, has enjoyed a perfect progression in his races, winning at six furlongs, seven furlongs, and at the Juvenile distance when he won the American Pharoah Stakes (G1) at his home base of Santa Anita Park. With a 12-furlong classic winner as his broodmare sire and a 10-furlong grade 1-winning sire, distance should not be a problem for Game Winner in the Juvenile and beyond.

And as a bonus for his owners, the colt wasn't very expensive to bring home, either, costing just $110,000 from the Lane's End consignment at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Ben Glass has long served as the Wests' bloodstock agent, signing the sales tickets at auctions on their behalf. "When I see a horse I love, I just have to try to buy him," Glass noted. "I don't try all the time to look for horses that are perfect. You look at a bunch of things, realizing that horses sometime do run through their problems. You have to go with your gut when you like a horse."

The Wests also employ Jeff Kirk, a former trainer and farrier, to evaluate possible purchases. 

"Game Winner had a suspicious-looking hoof on him that scared a lot of people off," said Gary West. "Jeff looked at him and said there was nothing wrong with the foot, that he just hadn't been shod properly, and that two months with a good farrier would fix it. Most people didn't want to deal with trying to buy him, and, fortunately, we took a deeper dive into it."

The Wests had three Breeders' Cup starters in 2012 and another trio in 2013, including Juvenile winner New Year's Day. Their next World Championships starter was West Coast , who landed third in the Classic (G1) last year and will try that event again Nov. 3.

"Just getting a horse into the Breeders' Cup is tough to do," West said. "I never set my expectations too high for these kind of things. Anything can happen in a 14-horse field with the best horses in the world. A lot of things can happen in a horse race, the vast majority of which are bad. 

"New Year's Day was the most exciting 10 seconds I've had in a horse race. He was buried down on the inside and wasn't getting any calls. I was only able to pick him up for the last 150 yards, and all of a sudden he came up on the rail. Hopefully, this time Game Winner will be somewhere where we can see him, and we'll have the chance to take a little more fun from the race."

While the Wests get enjoyment from participating in racing, their focus is on philanthropy—helping poor, elderly people with health care and social services needs. They have made a major impact on the lives of tens of thousands of people in their adopted hometown of San Diego and hope to expand their model.

The only two-time grade 1 winner in the Juvenile field, Game Winner has been a consistently good horse in the morning and afternoon. He worked bullets before his previous two starts, and since the American Pharoah Stakes has again trained forwardly. 

"(Rider Joel) Rosario said he was nowhere near the bottom of the horse in the (American Pharoah)," West said. "He's been very impressive."

With Baffert in his corner, Game Winner will draw an impressive amount of attention in the Juvenile, in which he will tangle with Complexity and Code of Honor, the 1-2 finishers in the Champagne Stakes (G1). Baffert will have his fourth consecutive 3-year-old champion this year when Justify follows West Coast, Arrogate , and American Pharoah  in earning those laurels, and Game Winner is the most logical choice to continue that streak, although it should be noted none of the other four ran in the Juvenile.

We'll find out Friday just how good "Game Winner-good" is.