A six-time winner of the race in its days at Hollywood Park, including with future GI Kentucky Derby hero Real Quiet (Quiet American) in 1997, trainer Bob Baffert took the first seven runnings of the GII Los Alamitos Futurity after the relocation to Ocean County in 2014 and ran his overall total to 14 when Wnystock (Solomini) caused a 13-1 upset last year.
Just five juvenile males have taken up the challenge this term, three of whom are trained by Baffert, and Gaming (Game Winner) is an all-the-way candidate at the Cypress oval. The $40,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $250,000 OBS March breezer broke his maiden in front-running style on Del Mar debut Aug. 11, then came from a bit off the speed to take the GI Del Mar Futurity four weeks later. A 6-1 chance when making his first start around two turns in the Nov. 2 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, he chased stablemate Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) every step of the way, but was forced to settle for second.
Owner Mike Pegram has won the Futurity a record four times, twice on his own with Real Quiet and Captain Steve (1999) and twice in partnership with Karl Watson and Paul Weitman (Lookin At Lucky, 2009; McKinzie, 2017).
Getaway Car (Curlin) validated the debut 'TDN Rising Star' tag with a popular success in the GIII Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar Aug. 11. Beaten at short odds in the Futurity and when behind the commonly owner Citizen Bull in the GI American Pharoah Stakes, the $700,000 KEESEP grad was a longshot fourth in the Juvenile.
The third of the Baffert trio, Mellencamp (Constitution), is the longest-priced of them and enters the Futurity as a two-start maiden. Just beaten on Santa Anita sprint debut Oct. 27, the $775,000 KEESEP acquisition retreated to fourth behind $825,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad Journalism (Curlin) and Rank (Honor A. P.) when tried over a mile at Del Mar Nov. 17.
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