Game On Dude on schedule for Clark

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – A six-furlong work in 1:12.60 at Santa Anita on Sunday morning left Game On Dude “right on schedule for the Clark,” according to trainer Bob Baffert.

Game On Dude was ninth last time out in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which ended a six-race win streak. But he came out of the race so well that Baffert said he will be set for the Clark, a Grade 1, $500,000 race at Churchill Downs on Nov. 29. Regular rider Mike Smith has the mount.

“When they turned for home, and Mike saw he wasn’t going to be 1-2-3, he took care of him. The race didn’t knock him out,” Baffert said. “He’s been working great.”

Sunday’s work was the second for Game On Dude since the Breeders’ Cup. Just nine days after the Classic, Game On Dude worked a half-mile in 49 seconds at Santa Anita.

Game On Dude ran well the last time he was at Churchill Downs, finishing second in the 2011 BC Classic to Drosselmeyer.

“He put a lot of good horses away that day,” Baffert said.

Among those expected for the Clark is Will Take Charge, who was second in the BC Classic, losing by a nose to Mucho Macho Man.

◗ There is a carryover of $84,516 into the Super Hi 5 in the final race Thursday. No one hit the wager on Saturday or Sunday. It requires the selection of the first five finishers, in exact order.

◗ Two weeks into the meet, Rafael Bejarano leads the jockeys’ standings with 14 wins, six more than both Martin Garcia and Joe Talamo. Baffert and John Sadler are tied atop the trainers’ standings with six wins each, two more than both Peter Miller and Doug O’Neill.