Joe Torre is juggling World Series duties and his nerves about this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup Classic.
He co-owns Game On Dude, a gelding that was made the early 8-5 favorite for Saturday’s US$5 million race at Santa Anita.
Torre was in St Louis on Monday for game five of the World Series between the Cardinals and Boston Red Sox. He is an executive with Major League Baseball, having retired from a managerial career that included overseeing the Dodgers and the Yankees.
Bob Baffert, who trains Game On Dude, called Torre on Monday. “Bob, everything OK?” Torre said in answering the call, which interrupted his meeting with the umpiring crew. Assured it was, Torre called Baffert back later.
“When you have a good horse and your trainer calls, you got to take this call,” Baffert said. “He’s really excited about it. This horse pumped him up at Del Mar.”
That’s where Game On Dude won the US$1 million Pacific Classic in August by a record 81/2 lengths.
“I was jumpy as all get-out,” Torre said at the time. “I can’t tell you how exciting it was to watch him.”
Even if the World Series goes to a game Seven on Thursday, Torre will be clear to attend Saturday’s Classic, the richest race in North America.
Baffert is winless in the Classic, but he has trained Game On Dude to a 5-0 record this year heading into Saturday’s race.
“He’s not the same horse that ran here last year [when he lost], thank God,” he said. “He’s bigger, he’s filled out and he’s a happy horse. I’ve spaced his races out and that’s allowed me to keep his weight on.”
Fort Larned, who won last year’s Classic by three-quarters of a length over Mucho Macho Man, is back to defend his title. Mucho Macho Man returns, too, with Gary Stevens in the saddle.
Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas has Will Take Charge in the Classic, while the Irish father-son duo of trainer Aidan O’Brien and jockey Joseph O’Brien team up with 10-1 shot Declaration of War.
