Flashback: Game On Dude's record Santa Anita Handicap score

The moment remains prominent, six years ago, when the aging Game On Dude threw down the gauntlet at Santa Anita Park and bid for history in the 2014 Santa Anita Handicap (G1).

So the theory went, the 7-year-old gelding was past his peak, winding down at the tail end of a long and productive career. Victorious in 15 of his 30 races, Game On Dude already had seven Grade 1 wins to his credit, including triumphs in the 2011 and 2013 editions of the historic Big ‘Cap.

But when the 2014 renewal rolled around, it seemed as though “The Dude” had lost his way. He had finished a dull ninth as the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, trailing top two finishers Mucho Macho Man and Will Take Charge by 11 lengths. He’d come up short against Will Take Charge again in the Clark Handicap (G1), losing by a head at 6-5. And he’d suffered a shocking defeat in the San Antonio (G2), fading to finish a distant fifth at odds-on.

Bettors finally abandoned Game On Dude in the Santa Anita Handicap. No horse had ever won the 1 1/4-mile race three times, and Game On Dude seemed an unlikely candidate to complete the hat trick. Mucho Macho Man and Will Take Charge were back in the fray, along with the top three finishers from the San Antonio, and Game On Dude needed a major rebound to be competitive.

Though I had been a big Game On Dude fan for years, I was among the handicappers who played against the veteran performer in the 2014 Santa Anita Handicap, siding instead with Will Take Charge. It seemed like a logical decision at the time; I rationalized that the speedy Mucho Macho Man would apply early pressure to the front-running Game On Dude, allowing Will Take Charge to swoop past in the homestretch.

But I failed to account for Game On Dude’s heart — that of a champion. As the horses paraded to the starting gate on March 8, 2014, jockey Mike Smith could feel that the real Game On Dude was ready to reemerge.

“I knew he was going to run today. I knew it from the post parade when we turned around to go to the gate,” Smith later said. “He was on his toes today, he was on fire. He’s like that when he runs well.”

I remember watching the run down the stretch for the first time as Game On Dude sprinted hard for the lead, dueling with longshot Hear the Ghost through blazing fractions of :22.91 and :45.39. Such a pace would be quick even for a competitive mile heat; going a mile and a quarter, the intensity figured to be destructive. Mucho Macho Man, eyeing the battle from third place, was likely sitting too close. Will Take Charge, reserved five lengths back in fourth place, appeared poised to capitalize.

“They went fast but he was rockin’ — he was rollin’,” Game On Dude’s Hall of Fame trainer, Bob Baffert, said. “…I just told Mike Smith, ‘When they expect you to be on the lead, you have to be on the lead. Just let him rip, do his thing and if it happens, it happens.'”

It happened.

Mucho Macho Man and Will Take Charge advanced on the final turn, pulling within a length of the free-running Game On Dude, prompting track announcer Trevor Denman to declare, “This is the race we’ve been waiting for. The three stars line up as they pass the three-eighths!” It was a heart-pounding moment, defining everything racing is supposed to be.

Then, approaching the quarter pole, Game On Dude found another gear. Somehow — I still don’t know how — he kicked away from his pursuers and opened up a lead of nearly two lengths, running the mile in a blazing 1:32.57 to enter the homestretch with history in his sights.

Mucho Macho Man was empty, beaten, but Will Take Charge still had something left. Down the stretch he loomed up outside of Game On Dude, grinding closer, threatening to spoil the storybook moment in the making.

And in that moment, I switched alliances. All my pre-race handicapping insights were forgotten as I started rooting — cheering, shouting! — for Game On Dude to dig deep, to hold on. To make history.

Through the final furlong, Game On Dude’s strides never wavered. Smith was right: The old gelding was ready to run the race of his life. Will Take Charge tried his best, but Game On Dude was widening at the wire, flashing across the finish line in front by 1 3/4 lengths.

It was a tremendous performance, made all the more impressive by the clock. The timer revealed Game On Dude — coincidentally named a first-ballot Hall of Fame finalist this week — had completed the 1 1/4-mile journey in a blazing 1:58.18, shattering the stakes record of 1:58.60 set by Triple Crown winner Affirmed in 1979. Furthermore, Game On Dude’s time missed Spectacular Bid’s world record of 1:57.80 by just 0.38.

Rarely have I been so wholeheartedly happy with the outcome of a race. For days afterward, I would think back on Game On Dude’s gallant victory and smile. The fact I didn’t cash a single ticket on the race was unimportant and irrelevant. On that special Saturday in March, I watched a great horse — a personal favorite — turn back the clock to make history.