Game On Dude, Wasted Tears top draws for Lone Star Million Day

Game On Dude, Wasted Tears top draws for Lone Star Million
Day

Game On Dude (right) was declared the winner of the Santa Anita Handicap after a length inquiry (Benoit Photos) The reigning winners of the prestigious Santa Anita H. (G1) and Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) will meet for a second time this season in another relatively unusual location. GAME ON DUDE (Awesome Again), hero of the Big ‘Cap, and AWESOME GEM (Awesome Again), the eight-year-old gelding who last visited the winner’s circle following the Gold Cup more than 10 months ago, finished second and sixth, respectively, in the Charles Town Classic (G3) in West Virginia on April 16. On Monday, they square off in Texas over 1 1/16 miles in the $300,000 Lone Star Park H. (G3). The Lone Star Park Handicap is one of six stakes on a special Memorial Day program dubbed Lone Star Million Day, with stakes purses totaling $1 million. The Lone Star Park and the $200,000 Ouija Board H. (G3), the only other graded event on the card, book-end the day’s stakes action. In a division lacking a clear leader, Game On Dude has at least fared consistently in his two stakes appearances this year for trainer Bob Baffert. After winning a controversial running of the Big ‘Cap by a nose, the four-year-old earned runner-up honors by a head in the Charles Town Classic, a three-turn race contested in sloppy going. In his last visit to Lone Star a year ago, Game On Dude drew off to win the Lone Star Derby (G3) by 4 1/2 lengths and later finished a solid fourth in the Belmont S. (G1).

Despite finishing a half-length fourth in the Alysheba S. (G3) following the
Charles Town Classic, age might be starting to catch up with Awesome Gem, who
has finished unplaced in five of six starts since his Gold Cup upset. Perhaps
the most serious threat to Game On Dude will come from THISKYHASNOLIMIT (Sky
Mesa), the Steve Asmussen pupil who gutted out a half-length victory in the
Texas Mile (G3) last month. The four-year-old rebounded from a pair of
lackluster efforts at Santa Anita over the winter to finish second in the
Razorback H. (G3) before taking the Texas Mile, his fourth career stakes win. 

FLAT OUT (Flatter), who took the Smarty Jones S. at Oaklawn in January 2009,
has missed the better part of the last two years due to injury. He breaks from
the rail in the Lone Star Park ‘Cap having not raced since a two-length
allowance score at Fair Grounds on December 5. The outsider in the field is
LYDIA’S LAST STEP (Spanish Steps), who took the Premiere S. for Texas-breds on
Lone Star’s opening night card April 14.

Wasted Tears, shown winning the 2010 Jenny Wiley, will seek a third straight score in the Ouija Board (Wendy Uzelac/EquiSport Photos) The Ouija Board, at one mile on the turf, marks the season debut of the talented WASTED TEARS (Najran), who racked up seven straight wins over 2009-10, including the last two editions of the Ouija Board. The speedy mare took her show on the road from coast to coast last year, landing the Honey Fox S. (G3) at Gulfstream, the Jenny Wiley S. (G2) at Keeneland, and the John C. Mabee S. (G2) at Del Mar. Her streak came to an end when she finished fifth in the First Lady S. (G1) in October, but she bounced back with a fine second in the Matriarch S. (G1) at Hollywood Park in November. Hoping to spring the upset in the Ouija Board are SHEER BEAUTY (Mizzen Mast) and SLIDE ON BYE (Smart Strike), one-two in the recent Irving Distaff, and multiple stakes veteran CATEGORY SEVEN (Gulf Storm).

The $200,000
Lone Star Derby,
which was downgraded from a Grade 3 for this year’s edition, has been moved to
the turf and will be run at 1 1/16 miles. The race has still attracted several
with graded stakes credentials, including Lexington S. (G3) hero DERBY KITTEN
(Kitten’s Joy), a nondescript 13th last out in the Kentucky Derby (G1). Another
exiting a race from Derby
weekend at Churchill Downs is CLOSE ALLY (Giant’s Causeway), second in the
American Turf S. (G2) on the Oaks undercard.

Baffert will saddle UNCLE SAM (Tapit), who has been mentioned as a Belmont S.
candidate for his Hall of Fame conditioner. Uncle Sam, a last-out second in the
Alydar S. at Hollywood, would be making his turf debut should he start in the
Lone Star Derby, as would DREAMINOFTHEWIN (Successful Appeal), a distant third
against older foes in the Texas Mile most recently. Other potential contenders
include the stakes-winning ACES N KINGS (Jet Phone) and THIRTYFIRSTSREET (Good
Journey).

Several graded stakes winners will square off in the $150,000
Dallas Turf Cup
for older horses at 1 1/16 miles. Grade 2 veteran EXPANSION (Maria’s Mon) sprung
a 32-1 upset taking the Fair Grounds H. (G3) in February, and just failed to
repeat when a nose second in the Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial H. (G2), but beat
only one of 12 rivals to the wire in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (G1)
earlier this month.

DEAN’S KITTEN (Kitten’s Joy), last year’s Lane’s End S. (G2) hero, enters off
back-to-back seconds in the Ben Ali S. (G3) and Tejano Run S. on Polytrack,
while John B. Connally Turf H. (G3) winner SCHRAMSBERG (Storm Cat) recently finished second
after a wide trip in the Sunland Park H.

The other two stakes on the card are the $75,000
Cinemine S. for
three-year-old fillies at seven furlongs, and the $75,000
Valid Expectations S.
for older fillies and mares at six furlongs.