DEL MARDEL MAR—Tammy Fox did an Irish jig on a tabletop for Bob Baffert on Wednesday night at the post draw party at Burlap. On Sunday, Dullahan, the fast-kicking colt named for an Irish fairy and trained by Fox’s man Dale Romans, danced by Baffert’s Game on Dude to win Del Mar’s 22nd $1 million, TVG Pacific Classic.
It will be a Classic remembered for the drama leading up between the connections of Game On Dude and Richard’s Kid after Richard’s Kid was sold and moved from Bob Baffert’s barn to Doug O’Neill’s.
Jerry Crawford, head of Donegal Racing’s partnership in Dullahan, said he knew about the issues between the barns and drew up the perfect scenario.
“The way I drew it up, Game On Dude and Richard’s Kid would be fighting down the stretch, their jockeys looking eye to eye, and the horses eye to eye, and then Dullahan would come from behind between them and split up the fight and fly by.”
That’s not quite the way it happened before the 34,482 in attendance, but Dullahan, the 3-year-old son of Even the Score, ruined all the dramatic storylines by closing from next-to-last in the 10-horse field to first, a half-length ahead of Game On Dude. Richard’s Kid was third, 2¾ lengths behind Game On Dude. Dullahan is just the fourth 3-year-old to win the Classic. Game On Dude became the 18th betting favorite not to win it.
“Game On Dude ran a good race,” Baffert said. “The other horse just got us. Dullahan is a nice horse and he thrives on synthetics.”
It will also be a Classic remembered for Game On Dude jockey Chantal Sutherland dropping her left rein inside the sixteenth pole in the deep stretch as she switched her stick to her left hand. She was trying desperately to hold onto the lead, and as she said, “trying to win sloppy.” Fox, a former jockey, defended Sutherland and said that didn’t cost Game On Dude the race.
“Today, we just had the better horse,” said Fox. “Chantal losing the rein didn’t get her beat. That happens to us all. She still had her right hand. It was just Dullahan’s day.”
Winning jockey Joel Rosario didn’t buy the rein issue costing Game On Dude, either.
“My horse was just better today,” said Rosario, Del Mar’s leading rider the last three seasons before moving to New York to ride.
Gary Kirke was responsible for talking Crawford into shipping to Del Mar for the Classic.
He was one of the approximately 25 partners in Dullahan sporting a green Donegal Racing hat in the winner’s circle. Kirke said Dullahan proved himself Sunday. He set a Blue Grass Stakes record at Keeneland before finishing third in the Kentucky Derby and ran the 1¼-miles in 1:59.54, a Polytrack record that beat Acclamation’s mark of 2:00.61 set in last year’s Classic.
“He now has three Grade I wins on Polytrack, 3-for-3,” Kirke said. “I texted a friend before the race and told him we have to run our best race, our career best, and we did. He set a stakes record at 1 1/8 miles at Keeneland (in the Blue Grass Stakes) and set it here. Absolutely scintillating. Game On Dude is a wonderful horse. We just happened to be better today.”
Game On Dude, the 6-5 favorite, started a step slow from the 9 post and was forced to go three-wide. He was third behind long-shot Riveting Reason and Suggestive Boy before taking the lead at the 5/8ths pole.
Jimmy Barnes, Baffert’s assistant trainer, felt Sutherland moved too early in the race.
“(Sutherland) could have waited a little bit to make her move,” Barnes said. “When you move at the 5/8ths like that, there’s a good chance you’re stopping at the sixteenth.”
Sutherland said she had no choice sending Game On Dude when she did.
“That was him making that move on the backstretch,” Sutherland said. “I didn’t send him.”
Sutherland said she felt worse for Baffert than she did for herself.
“I’m hurt because there was so much drama leading up to it,” Sutherland said. “I know this meant a lot to Bob today. I could tell. When I needed Bob he was there for me. I feel like when Bob needed me, I wasn’t there for him. Bob is one helluva trainer.”
Sutherland wasn’t the only jockey feeling heat. Leandro Mora, trainer for Richard’s Kid, said jockey Victor Espinoza didn’t have the best ride.
“We had the best horse in the race, but he did the opposite of what I told him to do,” Mora said. “I didn’t want him on the rail. I wanted him outside. When I saw him at the rail at the half-mile, I knew we were done.”
Dullahan paid $12.60, $5.20 and $3.40. Game On Dude paid $3.20, $2.40. And Richard’s Kid paid $3.
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