Ultimate Eagle looking to take advantage of Game on Dude's Big 'Cap absence

Ultimate Eagle looking to take advantage of Game on Dude's

Big 'Cap absence

Game on Dude will not line up to defend his title in Saturday's Grade 1

Santa Anita Handicap,

as trainer Bob Baffert has opted to send his charge to Dubai for the Group 1 Dubai

World Cup on March 31, but that still leaves 13 runners to contest the 1

1/4-mile Big 'Cap.

"It was a pretty tough decision because we always look forward to

running in the 'Big Cap, it is such a great race," Baffert told HRTV.

"I was actually trying to see if I could make both, but last year after his race

I was going to go to Dubai with him, but he just didn't bounce back as quick as

I thought he would, because he would have had to ship two weeks later.

"Being

that he is a gelding and he's doing great right now, we just thought, for $10

million, we should go there and give him a really good chance to win."

"I think he's the speed of the speed," the Panamanian-born Pedroza remarked.

"If someone wants to go crazy and go with him, they won't get far. You basically

can do whatever you want with him, but he runs his best races when he's up

close, on the pace or close to the pace."

As the starting high weight at 120 pounds, the Kentucky-bred son of Mizzen

Mast will break from post position 2.

"He's ready to run his best race ever," the horseman insists.

With Game on Dude being prepared to be sent overseas, Baffert's hopes of

winning a third successive Santa Anita Handicap will rest with Prayer for Relief

and jockey Martin Garcia. The four-year-old Jump Start colt has run third in his

past two starts against Grade 2 company, the most recent of which came as a 9

1/2-length defeat in the Strub.

Despite boasting the most career earnings in the field, Prayer for Relief

will need to return to the form that saw him capture the Grade 3 Iowa Derby,

Grade 2 West Virginia Derby and Grade 2 Super Derby in succession last season.

On paper, Ron the Greek might not bear credentials comparable to the major

contenders, but trainer Bill Mott thinks enough of him to ship cross country.

The five-year-old son of Full Mandate is exiting a solid second in the Florida

Sunshine Millions Classic at Gulfstream Park on January 28. Another sleeper

could be Holladay Road. A deep closer in the largely speed-laden field, the

seven-year-old Street Cry gelding was claimed for $25,000 last summer at Del Mar

and has closed strongly to win three of his last four starts, including the

January 28 Crystal Water Stakes. Holladay Road may be facing a tall order, but

he'll try to follow in the hoofsteps as fellow claimed California-bred Lava Man

to capture the Big 'Cap.

Also entered on Saturday are Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes winner Uh Oh Bango, a

five-year-old son of Top Hit who ran second to Game on Dude in the Grade 2 San

Antonio Stakes last out, and Novsky, a Vronsky gelding who captured the Grade 2

San Gabriel Stakes before a close third in the Grade 2 San Marcos Stakes, both

on turf.