ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — Bob Baffert will have a horse in the $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap this weekend. It just won’t be defending champion Game On Dude.
The Hall of Fame trainer decided Wednesday that Game On Dude will skip Saturday’s Grade 1 race at Santa Anita and chase a bigger payday in the $10 million Dubai World Cup on March 31 in the United Arab Emirates.
Baffert’s hopes of winning a third straight Santa Anita Handicap will rest with 8-1 shot Prayer for Relief, whose career earnings of more than $1 million make the 4-year-old colt the richest of the race’s 13 starters.
Ultimate Eagle was made the 5-2 morning line favorite for the 75th Big ‘Cap. He is coming off a 7 1-4-length victory in the Strub Stakes on Feb. 4.
