Last year's champion 2-year-old colt Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg})–last seen crossing the line sixth after a well-documented wide journey in the GI Kentucky Derby–couldn't have landed in a better spot to reboot his sophomore campaign versus three overmatched rivals in Saturday's GIII Los Alamitos Derby.
A perfect four-for-four in 2018 led by a hard-fought victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs, the 'TDN Rising Star' finished second in a pair of prior runs this term-the split-division GII Rebel S. Mar. 16 and GI Santa Anita Derby Apr. 6. Game Winner's worktab is lined with bullet workouts for his return, capped by a six-furlong move in 1:13 (1/11) at Santa Anita July 6. The bay will race with blinkers on for the first time since his eye-catching debut victory at Del Mar last summer.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has saddled three out of the last four winners of this race, including a victory for these same connections with champion West Coast in 2017. He will also tighten the girth on the well-bred Kingly (Tapit), most recently fifth in the GIII Affirmed S. in Arcadia June 16.
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