Game On Dude continues to impress ahead of Classic

Multiple Grade 1 star Game On Dude shored up his early favoritism for the

Breeders' Cup Classic with a strong seven-furlong drill in 1:25 over Santa

Anita's fast main track Sunday morning.

Under regular rider Rafael Bejarano, the Bob Baffert charge worked in company

with Grade 2-winning stablemate Blueskiesnrainbows, who went six furlongs in

1:13 3/5.

"He worked like he's been working right along," Baffert said matter-of-factly

of Game On Dude, owned in part by baseball icon Joe Torre. "It was his last

workout (before the Classic). So far, so good.

Game On Dude exits a 3 1/4-length score in the Grade 1 Awesome Again at Santa

Anita. The classy gelding was winning that local prep for the second straight

year, having captured the 1 1/8-mile test under its former name, the Goodwood,

last year.

Runner-up in the 2011 Classic at Churchill Downs, Game On Dude will try to go

one better over his home track, where he is a perfect five-for-five.

Game On Dude was one of 12 Baffert horses on Sunday's worktab.

His Juvenile contenders, Power Broker and Title Contender, blitzed five

furlongs in a bullet :59 in company. The two Pulpit colts tied for the fastest

of 50 moves at the distance.

Bejarano, who rode Power Broker to his 6 1/2-length romp in the Grade 1

FrontRunner (formerly the Norfolk), was aboard for the Sunday work. Title

Contender steps up off a sharp maiden win.

Baffert's Sprint duo of Coil and Capital Account traveled a half-mile in :48

1/5 and :48 3/5, respectively. They recently gave Baffert a one-two finish in

the Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship.

Unbeaten Fast Bullet, who is first on the also-eligible list for the Sprint,

sped in :48 1/5. If he gets in, the Baffert trainee would be making his stakes

debut off a nearly year-long layoff.

Dirt Mile contender Fed Biz went in :48, breezing. The highly-regarded

sophomore was knocked off the Triple Crown trail by injury, but returned to take

the El Cajon Stakes and last time checked in third in the Grade 2 Indiana Derby.

Grade 1 Acorn and Grade 1 Test heroine Contested sizzled six furlongs in a

bullet 1:11 2/5 for the Filly & Mare Sprint. The daughter of Ghostzapper

registered the best of 21 trials at the trip.

Baffert later commented on the morning works.

"Coil and Capital Account went really nice; Fast Bullet went real nice, and

Power Broker went real nice with Title Contender," the Hall of Famer said.

"Contested worked really fast early, but I didn't think she was going that

fast."

Although Baffert was satisfied with his Breeders' Cup team at the moment, he

wasn't taking anything for granted.

"A lot can happen in a week," Baffert cautioned.

On Sunday at Churchill Downs, Grade 1

Whitney Handicap winner Fort Larned turned in his final major training move

prior to the Classic. The Ian Wilkes trainee breezed a bullet five furlongs in

1:00 2/5, the fastest of 65 at the distance on the fast main track.

Working under exercise rider Kate Merritt, Fort Larned recorded fractions of

:24 3/5, :36 2/5 and :48 2/5 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:13 4/5.

"He went really well and I was very pleased with him," Wilkes said.

Fort Larned has won of four of his eight starts this year, including the

Grade 3 Skip Away, Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap and the

aforementioned Whitney Handicap, but Wilkes is hopeful the best is still yet to

come.

"I hope we haven't seen the best of him yet," Wilkes said. "The hope is that

he'll be at his peak next week."

The four-year-old Fort Larned made his career debut on Churchill's "Stars of

Tomorrow II" program during the 2010 fall meet.

"Anytime you lead one of them over, you're hoping it's your next good horse,"

Wilkes said. "That's what these Stars of Tomorrow programs are all about."

In other Breeders' Cup news:

Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer told Daily Racing Form that

Nonios would run in the Classic. The Grade 3-winning sophomore, who finished

second to Game On Dude in the Awesome Again, had previously listed the Dirt Mile

as his first preference.

Bourbon Bay was declared out of the Turf by Hall of Fame trainer Neil

Drysdale.

Know More is confirmed for the Juvenile Turf, trainer Doug O'Neill said. He

had been cross-entered to the Juvenile.

Three flights carrying European-trained horses entered to run in the

Breeders' Cup arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday, and one more shipment is due

Monday.

First to arrive Saturday around noon (PDT) was a private charter from England

with four runners owned by Dubai's Maktoum family that originated from Stanstead

Airport near London. Next to arrive was a flight from Luxembourg with

French-trained contenders early evening after a refueling stop in Winnipeg,

Canada, and another flight touching down soon after from Stanstead with

English-trained runners as well as one for Irish-based trainer Dermot Weld.

The fourth and final flight from Europe due Monday will be a private charter

from Ireland with the Coolmore team eight strong trained by Aidan O'Brien, led

by defending Breeders' Cup Turf hero St Nicholas Abbey and Excelebration, one of

the favorites for the Mile.

Todd Pletcher's assistant Whit Beckman reported that the barn's Belmont-based

Breeders' Cup hopefuls emerged from their Saturday preparations in good order,

and are ready to ship to California when the weather permits. Hurricane Sandy is

bearing down on the East Coast, casting some uncertainty over travel schedules.

"We're still scheduled to ship them all out," Beckman said of Shanghai Bobby

(Juvenile), Dreaming of Julia (Juvenile Fillies), Kauai Katie (Juvenile Fillies

or Juvenile Sprint) and Turbulent Descent (Filly & Mare Sprint).

"My understanding is the flight may be pushed back from Tuesday to Wednesday.

But all in all, it doesn't really hurt us."

HRTV will televise live Monday the post position draw for the 29th Breeders'

Cup. At 1 p.m. (PDT), 13 of the 15 Breeders' Cup races will be drawn. At a

separate ceremony at 4 p.m., the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic and the Breeders'

Cup Classic will be drawn.

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