Baffert preparing Game Winner for ‘everything'

ARCADIA, Calif. – Game Winner has yet to lose, and trainer Bob Baffert hopes to keep him that way through the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 2 at Churchill Downs. Baffert has put Game Winner through a series of varied workouts, which on Friday at Santa Anita included working him inside the 3-year-old Ax Man in his final preparation for the Juvenile.

“He’s got to be ready for anything,” Baffert said. “Inside, outside, on the lead, coming from behind. I want him to be able to handle everything.”

So far, Game Winner has done just that, winning all three of his starts, including two Grade 1 races – the American Pharoah at Santa Anita and the Del Mar Futurity.

In his Friday work, Game Winner, under Joe Talamo, seemed to stave off Ax Man, under Drayden Van Dyke, while being timed officially in 47 seconds for four furlongs, though they appeared to break off at the five-furlong pole.

“He’s so professional,” Baffert said of Game Winner. “He’s a serious horse.”

“But so is Complexity,” he said, referring to the Chad Brown-trained winner of the Champagne Stakes. “He’s a serious horse, too.”

O’Neill works Mopotism, others

Mopotism, who will join Abel Tasman and Vale Dori as West Coast representatives in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, worked seven furlongs in 1:26.20 on Friday morning at Santa Anita as trainer Doug O’Neill put several of his Breeders’ Cup runners through their final serious drills.

O’Neill worked Splashy Kisses for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies; she went six furlongs in 1:15.20 while besting workmate Whooping Jay. He also worked B Squared, who was pre-entered in the Sprint and Turf Sprint and will get into the Sprint, but is likely to be excluded from the oversubscribed Turf Sprint. He went a half-mile from the gate in 47.60 seconds.

O’Neill’s morning was a difficult one, though, for only moments after Mopotism worked, the 2-year-old colt Tariq collapsed and died from an apparent cardiac event following a workout. He had worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 under Rafael Bejarano and was about to exit the track at the outside fence near the quarter pole when he collapsed. Bejarano appeared to escape injury.

Tariq, who had raced twice against maidens, was a son of Into Mischief who was purchased at auction for $450,000 earlier this year by Dennis O’Neill, Doug’s brother, on behalf of Zedan Racing Stables.

◗ Giant Expectations, prepping for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, worked five furlongs in 59.80 seconds for trainer Peter Eurton.