Game On Dude calls it a career

Game On Dude, the only horse ever to win the Santa Anita Handicap three times, also owns the race record time and biggest winning margin (Benoit Photos)

Eight-time Grade 1 star
Game On
Dude has been retired, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert told the

Blood-Horse’s Steve Haskin on Thursday.

The venerable seven-year-old gelding was most recently fourth as the
defending champion in the August 24 Pacific Classic at Del Mar. He had not
posted a work in the interim.

Baffert told HRTV on Monday that Game On Dude was feeling the effects of a
hard race, so he was “backing off” and giving him time to freshen up.

By Thursday, his connections — Diamond Pride, Lanni Family Trust, Mercedes
Stable, and Bernie Schiappa — had decided to call time on his magnificent
career, during which Game On Dude amassed nearly $6.5 million from a record of
34-16-7-1.

“It’s starting to wear on him a little bit to the point where it’s not fun
for him anymore,” Baffert told Haskin. “We always felt if he couldn’t compete at
the Grade 1 level and wasn’t enjoying what he was doing, it would be time to
retire him.

“He’s become such a big pet around the barn, and watching him get beat like
that is just killing us. It’s really tough.

“I could have freshened him up and
run him in the Breeders’ Cup, but with all that speed in there, I just didn’t
want to do that to him, especially at his age. He probably could have been
competitive, but I’ve always told the partners this day would come and we would
do the right thing by retiring him.”

Game On Dude scored a rare sweep of the Big ‘Cap, Hollywood Gold Cup and Pacific Classic in 2013 (Benoit Photos)

Game On Dude developed into a top older horse of 2011. He survived a rough
stretch run, and a protracted stewards’ inquiry, to earn the first of an
unprecedented three victories in the Santa Anita Handicap. After placing in the
Charles Town Classic and Lone Star Park Handicap, the dark bay missed by a
whisker to stablemate First Dude in the Hollywood Gold Cup, and checked in
fourth in the Pacific Classic.

But back at Santa Anita, Game On Dude regained the winning thread in the
Goodwood, and set his sights on the
Breeders’ Cup Classic
at Churchill Downs. He set a solid pace beneath the Twin Spires that day, only
to be inhaled late by his old foe Drosselmeyer on the far outside, and relegated
to second.

Game On Dude looked better than ever when next seen in the 2012 San Antonio
at Santa Anita, where he rolled to an arrogant 5 1/4-length decision. He then
ventured to Meydan for the Dubai World Cup, but wasn’t happy on the Tapeta
surface and wound up 12th. Game On Dude rebounded in Southern California with
victories in the Californian and Hollywood Gold Cup, but again found the Pacific
Classic unattainable when upset by Dullahan in track-record time at Del Mar.

Game On Dude is led into the winner’s circle by co-owners Bernie Schiappa (right) and Joe Torre (Benoit Photos)

Game On Dude kicked off 2014 with a fifth in the San Antonio, the race that
he had previously owned, and there were significant questions about whether he
could make history by winning the March 8 Santa Anita Handicap for an unheard-of
third time.

As if aware of the moment, Game On Dude delivered one of his absolute best
performances, scorching through splits of :45 1/5, 1:09 1/5 and 1:32 2/5 and
stopping the clock in 1:58 — a stakes record for the time-honored Big ‘Cap.
Moreover, he gained revenge on runner-up Will Take Charge and left 2013
Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man back in fourth.

That spark was missing in his final three starts. Second in the Charles Town
Classic, he was fourth in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita (the successor to the
Hollywood Gold Cup) and fourth in the Pacific Classic.

Baffert later spoke to

HRTV about the retirement.

“We knew that it was probably going to be the last year, and I just didn’t
see how competitive he’d be for the Breeders’ Cup,” Baffert said, adding that he
would have been retired if he’d disappointed back in March in the Big ‘Cap.