Game on Dude captures Charles Town Classic

Game on Dude proved his mettle and staked his claim to the

top spot in the handicap division Saturday night with a hard fought win over Clubhouse

Ride and Ron the Greek in the Grade 2, $1.5 million

Charles Town Classic.

In addition

to Game on Dude's win, the evening's 13 race card produced an all-sources handle

figure of $4,398,984, smashing the previous handle record on a single Charles

Town card by nearly $1 million. The $332,876 wagered on track also represented a

near 25 percent increase over last year's on-track business.

With a handle record and win by one of the country's top

handicap horses, the night proved an overwhelming success for the track.

"What a great horse race and a great night," Vice

President of Racing Operations Erich Zimny said. "We're thrilled to be able to bring

horses of this quality to Charles Town and be able to best our previous handle

record by nearly $1 million."

Sent off as the 1-5 favorite, the Game on Dude yet again

repelled a challenge from Clubhouse Ride and a late run from

Ron the Greek to notch the half-length win in the country's

richest race outside of the Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup. The six-year-old

gelding finished 1 1/8 miles on Charles Town's fast main track in 1:52 1/5 after

tracking a pedestrian early pace of :25 4/5, :49 1/5 and 1:13 1/5 set by

Percussion.

"He's just a workhorse. He does everything. He runs over

everything," the Hall of Fame rider stated. "He had a bit of trouble

handling the surface today; he was slipping on it especially around the turns.

He's not used to those tighter turns.

"In the stretch normally, he takes a breather, but on a

track like this I didn't want to let him to."

Baseball legend Joe Torre -- who co-owns Game on Dude as Diamond Pride LLC

along with Lanni Family Trust, Mercedes Stable LLC and B. Schiappa -- made the trip in for the race and was

pleased but admittedly nervous about the outcome.

"My heart was pumping," Torre said. "It's a helpless

feeling because you can't do anything about it, just watch. Sort of the same

thing when Mariano Rivera goes out to the mound. You put your hands in your

pocket and hope for the best.

"Mike Smith has such a great relationship with

Dude. He backed him out. He just wasn't comfortable and got back in. He's a

terrific jock."

Game on Dude paid $2.60, $2.20 and $2.20 for his fourth straight graded

victory. Clubhouse Ride, who also finished second to his rival in the San

Antonio and Santa Anita Handicap in their past two meetings, held second by a

nose over last year's Big 'Cap winner Ron the Greek, who ran fourth behind the

top two in this year's edition of that race.

It was 7 1/2 lengths farther back to Percussion in fourth, while defending champion Caixa Eletronica could only muster a fifth-place

finish. Isn't He Perfect filled out the order under the wire after Mordi's

Miracle was withdrawn.

Game on Dude now boasts 11 total stakes wins, all against graded competition,

and five graded placings. He's banked $4,702,158 in career earnings to go along

with his 25-13-5-1 scorecard that includes five victories and three placings in

Grade 1s, including a second in the 2011 Breeders' Cup Classic.