I Got Game pulls away to win Ozark in stakes debut
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HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – I Got Game made his stakes debut a winning one Monday, shuttling home by 3 1/2 lengths in the $150,000 Ozark at Oaklawn Park. Hola Joey finished second, while it was another 1 1/2 lengths back in third to Waco.
The Ozark was a six-furlong race for 3-year-olds.
I Got Game ($8.80) stalked the early pace as Innova took the field through an opening quarter in 22.15 seconds while under pressure from several rivals. Innova continued to lead through a half-mile in 45.88 seconds as I Got Game began to advance near the half-mile pole and drew even with the leader into the stretch. I Got Game went on from there under jockey Ramon Vazquez, covering the distance on a fast track in 1:10.95.
“I thought he ran great,” trainer Tom Amoss said. “We’ve been working very hard on getting him to leave the gate correctly and we hadn’t made a lot of progress with that and today he left beautifully, and that’s a credit to the jock as well as the gate crew there. That was great.”
I Got Game is a son of Game Winner who races for Take it to the Limit Stable. He won his maiden at Oaklawn in December, then ran second to Innova in an off-the-turf allowance at Fair Grounds one start prior to the Ozark. Amoss has divisions at both Oaklawn and Fair Grounds, and he said I Got Game likely would return to New Orleans.
“He likes Oaklawn,” Amoss said. “We’ve been having some luck moving him back and forth. I think we’ll probably do that just because the weather is very consistent down here in New Orleans. But that’s the only reason he would move back, due to weather concerns.”
The next move with I Got Game – including whether he remains sprinting or stretches out – is to be determined.
“Right now, we’re going to enjoy the win,” Amoss said. “We know he’s a heck of a sprinter and what we do from here is still a work in progress.”
I Got Game has now won 2 of 8 starts for earnings of $224,900.
Racing resumes Friday at Oaklawn.
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