Game On Dude returns in San Antonio Stakes

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Arcadia, CA (Sports Network) - Three months after losing the Breeders' Cup Classic as the favorite, Game On Dude will make his 2013 debut in Sunday's $200,000 San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita Park.The 6-year-old gelding will face four rivals in the 1 1/8-mile stakes.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Game On Dude will have Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith in the saddle for the second straight time. The pair will break from post 2.

"Things can happen in short fields, as we all know," Smith said. "Everyone knows where everyone's at. Each rider can kind of sit there and make it a sprint for home, but Game On Dude's a naturally quick horse and has a great cruising speed.

"I'm just going to let him do his thing, and I'd do that even if it was a bigger field. We've just got to get away well and get him in a place where he can do what he does best, and that's run. That's my job, anyway. Hopefully, he does the rest."

Game On Dude is using the San Antonio, an event he captured to start his 2012 season, as a prep race for the $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap on March 2, a stakes he won two years ago.

After finishing seventh as the 13-10 favorite in last year's Breeders' Cup Classic, he closed his 2012 season with a victory in the Native Diver Handicap at Hollywood Park.

Co-owned by Joe Torre's Diamond Pride Stable, Game On Dude has won 10 of 22 career starts for more than $3.1 million.

Here is the field for the San Antonio Stakes in post position order: Clubhouse Ride, Aaron Gryder; Game On Dude, Mike Smith; Make Music for Me, Martin Garcia; Chosen Miracle, Joe Talamo and Basmati, Mario Gutierrez.

Post-time will be approximately 5 p.m. (ET).