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Game Winner
Game Winner (foaled March 6, 2016) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the champion two-year-old colt of 2018. He was undefeated in four starts at age two, including wins in the Del Mar Futurity, American Pharoah Stakes and Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He started his three-year-old campaign with second-place finishes in both the Rebel Stakes and Santa Anita Derby before finishing fifth in the 2019 Kentucky Derby. After a brief layoff, he returned in July to win the Los Alamitos Derby.
Game Winner is a bay colt who was bred in Kentucky by Summer Wind Equine, owned by Jane Lyon. His sire Candy Ride was undefeated in seven starts in Argentina and the United States, and has had growing success as a breeding stallion. Candy Ride's most successful offspring include Horse of the Year Gun Runner and champion Shared Belief. Game Winner's dam Indyan Giving was an unraced daughter of leading sire A.P. Indy, out of champion older mare Fleet Indian. The family traces back to influential broodmare La Troienne. Indyan Giving died due to colic just three months after foaling Game Winner.
Game Winner was purchased as a yearling for $110,000, a relative bargain considering his breeding, at the Keeneland 2017 September Sales by Gary and Mary West. He failed to attract much attention at the sale due to a problem with one of his feet, since corrected by shoeing. He is trained by Bob Baffert.
Game Winner earned a "Rising Star" designation from the Thoroughbred Daily News for his performance in his first start on August 18, 2018, at Del Mar, a six-furlong maiden special weight race. Drawing the outside post position in a field of nine, he was carried wide around the turn while contesting the early pace. He assumed the lead around as they entered the stretch and continued to draw away, winning by 5+3⁄4 lengths.
Sixteen days later, Game Winner made his graded stakes debut in the Del Mar Futurity on September 3, run over a distance of seven furlongs. He was the 8-5 second choice in the field of six, in which the favorite, Roadster, was also trained by Baffert. The stablemates rated five lengths behind the fast early pace set by Rowayton, then made their moves on the final turn. Roadster could not match Game Winner's acceleration and finished third, while Game Winner pulled by Rowayton in the final furlong to win by 1+1⁄2 lengths. Baffert commented, "I knew coming in that (Game Winner) was coming back a little quick, but he's a big, strong, heavy horse, and I knew he could handle it. I'd rather run him again than keep working him."
Game Winner made his next start in the American Pharoah Stakes on September 29, going off as the 3-10 favorite in a field of five. He pressed the early pace set by Rowayton, then moved to the lead around the far turn and pulled away in the final furlong for a 4+1⁄2 lengths. It was Baffert's eighth win in the race formerly known as the FrontRunner Stakes and renamed for Baffert's Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. "[Game Winner] tipped us off this summer that he was going to be a good one. He is strong and he still looks a little heavy," said Baffert. "I don't plan to do too much with him before the Breeders' Cup. The good ones get there. I was very happy to win the first American Pharoah. Pretty cool and nice of Santa Anita to name a race after him. We had the same groom on this horse as American Pharoah [Eduardo Luna]."
The win established Game Winner as an early favorite for the 2019 Kentucky Derby. Sportswriter Steve Haskin cited the colt's flexible running style (having won from both on and off the pace), his superior breeding, and Baffert's recent successes with Arrogate and Justify in addition to American Pharoah.
Fourteen horses were entered in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile on November 2, held in 2018 at Churchill Downs. However, the highly regarded Code of Honor was scratched after developing a fever, leaving thirteen to go to post with Game Winner as the even-money favorite. Game Winner was bumped at the start, then settled in mid-pack while being carried wide around the first turn. He continued to race wide down the backstretch, then started his move on the final turn. Meanwhile, longshot Knicks Go pressed the early pace and moved to the lead at the head of the stretch. Game Winner gradually made up ground despite bumping with Knicks Go in midstretch and pulled away late to win by 2+1⁄4 lengths. "He broke fine, but it looked like they took my spot, and I had to go wide," said jockey Joel Rosario. "He seemed like he didn't mind that. He was comfortable. That's why we got him moving at that point, instead of getting inside and taking back. Turning for home, the more I rode him, the more he gave it to me."
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Game Winner
Game Winner (foaled March 6, 2016) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the champion two-year-old colt of 2018. He was undefeated in four starts at age two, including wins in the Del Mar Futurity, American Pharoah Stakes and Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He started his three-year-old campaign with second-place finishes in both the Rebel Stakes and Santa Anita Derby before finishing fifth in the 2019 Kentucky Derby. After a brief layoff, he returned in July to win the Los Alamitos Derby.
Game Winner is a bay colt who was bred in Kentucky by Summer Wind Equine, owned by Jane Lyon. His sire Candy Ride was undefeated in seven starts in Argentina and the United States, and has had growing success as a breeding stallion. Candy Ride's most successful offspring include Horse of the Year Gun Runner and champion Shared Belief. Game Winner's dam Indyan Giving was an unraced daughter of leading sire A.P. Indy, out of champion older mare Fleet Indian. The family traces back to influential broodmare La Troienne. Indyan Giving died due to colic just three months after foaling Game Winner.
Game Winner was purchased as a yearling for $110,000, a relative bargain considering his breeding, at the Keeneland 2017 September Sales by Gary and Mary West. He failed to attract much attention at the sale due to a problem with one of his feet, since corrected by shoeing. He is trained by Bob Baffert.
Game Winner earned a "Rising Star" designation from the Thoroughbred Daily News for his performance in his first start on August 18, 2018, at Del Mar, a six-furlong maiden special weight race. Drawing the outside post position in a field of nine, he was carried wide around the turn while contesting the early pace. He assumed the lead around as they entered the stretch and continued to draw away, winning by 5+3⁄4 lengths.
Sixteen days later, Game Winner made his graded stakes debut in the Del Mar Futurity on September 3, run over a distance of seven furlongs. He was the 8-5 second choice in the field of six, in which the favorite, Roadster, was also trained by Baffert. The stablemates rated five lengths behind the fast early pace set by Rowayton, then made their moves on the final turn. Roadster could not match Game Winner's acceleration and finished third, while Game Winner pulled by Rowayton in the final furlong to win by 1+1⁄2 lengths. Baffert commented, "I knew coming in that (Game Winner) was coming back a little quick, but he's a big, strong, heavy horse, and I knew he could handle it. I'd rather run him again than keep working him."
Game Winner made his next start in the American Pharoah Stakes on September 29, going off as the 3-10 favorite in a field of five. He pressed the early pace set by Rowayton, then moved to the lead around the far turn and pulled away in the final furlong for a 4+1⁄2 lengths. It was Baffert's eighth win in the race formerly known as the FrontRunner Stakes and renamed for Baffert's Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. "[Game Winner] tipped us off this summer that he was going to be a good one. He is strong and he still looks a little heavy," said Baffert. "I don't plan to do too much with him before the Breeders' Cup. The good ones get there. I was very happy to win the first American Pharoah. Pretty cool and nice of Santa Anita to name a race after him. We had the same groom on this horse as American Pharoah [Eduardo Luna]."
The win established Game Winner as an early favorite for the 2019 Kentucky Derby. Sportswriter Steve Haskin cited the colt's flexible running style (having won from both on and off the pace), his superior breeding, and Baffert's recent successes with Arrogate and Justify in addition to American Pharoah.
Fourteen horses were entered in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile on November 2, held in 2018 at Churchill Downs. However, the highly regarded Code of Honor was scratched after developing a fever, leaving thirteen to go to post with Game Winner as the even-money favorite. Game Winner was bumped at the start, then settled in mid-pack while being carried wide around the first turn. He continued to race wide down the backstretch, then started his move on the final turn. Meanwhile, longshot Knicks Go pressed the early pace and moved to the lead at the head of the stretch. Game Winner gradually made up ground despite bumping with Knicks Go in midstretch and pulled away late to win by 2+1⁄4 lengths. "He broke fine, but it looked like they took my spot, and I had to go wide," said jockey Joel Rosario. "He seemed like he didn't mind that. He was comfortable. That's why we got him moving at that point, instead of getting inside and taking back. Turning for home, the more I rode him, the more he gave it to me."