Game Winner Still Brightest of Baffert's Juvenile Stars

There are so many talented 2-year-olds in trainer Bob Baffert's barn these days, it's almost hard to keep track of them all.

Each week it seems another good one pops up (see Qahira last weekend at Del Mar), but at this point there remains just one true headliner—undefeated Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) victor Game Winner, who is destined to be named champion 2-year-old male soon enough.

Baffert said Nov. 28 Gary and Mary West's Candy Ride  colt has just been jogging around Santa Anita Park since his Juvenile victory but will get back to serious training in January to get ready for the Triple Crown season.

WINCZE HUGHES: Game Winner Prevails in Breeders' Cup Juvenile

Although the Hall of Fame trainer hasn't mapped out a prep campaign yet, he said Game Winner is the kind of horse who can handle the rigors of the Triple Crown.

"It won't take much to get him back going," Baffert said. "If all goes well, we want to run him in all three (Triple Crown) races. He's a tough enough horse to run in all three."

As for the final top-level races for 2-year-olds in Southern California—the Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity (G1) and the Starlet Stakes (G1), both Dec. 8 at Los Alamitos Race Course—Baffert once again is expected to have a formidable hand.

As of Wednesday, Baffert said he expects to enter Nov. 17 Bob Hope Stakes (G3) winner Mucho Gusto and Nov. 2 Street Sense Stakes winner Improbable in the Futurity. Both colts are undefeated in two starts. Since the Futurity moved from Hollywood Park to Los Alamitos in 2014, Baffert has won all four editions (Dortmund , Mor Spirit , Mastery , and McKinzie).

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For the Starlet, which he won for the first time at Los Alamitos with Dream Tree in 2017, Baffert is expecting to have Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) runner-up and Rags to Riches Stakes winner Mother Mother and two-time stakes winner Chasing Yesterday, a half sister to 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah .

Also of note Wednesday was the return to the Santa Anita work tab for 6 3/4-length debut winner Coliseum (four furlongs in :48 flat) and Del Mar Futurity (G1) third-place finisher Roadster (three furlongs in :36 flat).

Despite the embarrassment of juvenile riches, Baffert can't help but worry about "jinxing" himself.

"Now we've just got to keep them all healthy," he said.