Game On Dude heads 17th Dubai World Cup

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Sports Network) - Game On Dude, the leading older thoroughbred in the U.S., heads a field of 14 for Saturday's $10 million Dubai World Cup. The 1 1/4-mile race is the richest thoroughbred event in the world.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Game On Dude will be ridden by his regular jockey Chantal Sutherland from the far outside post.

"It's fine. Whatever happens, I'll deal with it," Sutherland stated. "He has a tendency to sometimes break slow and if he was to do that, it could put us in a bit of a predicament on the rail, so on the outside we have more options."

Baffert, a member of the Racing Hall of Fame, is recovering in Dubai from a heart attack suffered on Monday, but is expected at the races Saturday.

"He is expected to get out of the hospital on Thursday," said Game On Dude co- owner Bernie Schiappa in Dubai. "He will have to stay eight to 10 days to recover before he can fly home."

Game On Dude comes into the World Cup off a victory in the San Antonio Handicap at Santa Anita Park, his only start this year. In 2011, the five- year-old gelding won the Santa Anita Handicap and was second to Drosselmeyer in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.

The gelding has earned better than $1.9 million with three wins in eight lifetime starts.

Joining Game On Dude from America is Eclipse Award winner Royal Delta. The four-year-old filly will be ridden by Jose Lezcano from post seven.

"It's the middle of the field. She'll get a good look at the field from there and number seven has been our lucky number," the filly's trainer Bill Mott said. "We'd love for her to win. The reason we're really here is to see if we can win. I can't predict the outcome but she is doing really well -- well enough to win a race like this."

Royal Delta will be making her second start of the season and first ever versus males. She began the year with a runner-up finish to Awesome Maria in the Sabin Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Owned by Besilu Stables, Royal Delta was the champion three-year-old filly for 2011, highlighted by her victory in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic. In seven career starts the filly has four wins for more than $1.6 million.

Hers is the full field for the World Cup in position order: Master Of Hounds, Christophe Soumillon; Eishen Flash, Christophe Lemaire; Zazou, Olivier Peslier; So You Think, Joseph O'Brien; Smart Falcon, Yutaka Take; Planteur, Ryan Moore; Royal Delta, Jose Lezcano; Monterosso, Mickael Barzalona; Silver Pond, John Murtagh; Transcend, Shinji Fujita; Capponi, Ahmad Ajtebi; Prince Bishop, Frankie Dettori; Mendip, Silvestre De Sousa and Game On Dude, Chantal Sutherland.

Post-time for the World Cup will be 1:40 p.m. (ET).

Previous winners of the race, held at Meydan Racecourse, include Cigar, Silver Charm, Invasor and Curlin.

TVG will provide live coverage of the Dubai World Cup.