Game Winner leads prospective Los Alamitos Derby field

Game Winner, the champion 2-year-old of 2018, heads nominees to Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000-guaranteed Los Alamitos Derby.

Run at 1 1/8 miles, the race will be contested for the sixth time at Los Alamitos Saturday, July 13.

Owned by Gary and Mary West and trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Game Winner has won four of seven and earned $1,936,000. He has been idle since finishing fifth – via disqualification – after an extremely wide trip in the Kentucky Derby.

As of Sunday, Baffert relayed via text message he's "not sure yet" whether he'll enter Game Winner in what would amount to a prep for the Travers Stakes (G1) later this summer at Saratoga. Last week, he said training up to the Travers remains an option.

The 3-year-old Candy Ride colt was perfect in four 2018 races and clinched his Eclipse Award with a decisive score in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last Nov. 2 at Churchill Downs.

This season, Game Winner is still looking for his first victory. The colt tuned up Saturday with a six-furlong move in company at Santa Anita. He clocked in at 1:13 with Cal-bred stakes winner Cruel Intention, getting the best of his workmate.

Baffert could have a second contender in the race in Kingly, the full brother of Mohaymen who three starts back won Golden Gate Fields' California Derby on synthetic.

A third Baffert nominee on the list of six, Mucho Gusto, is more likely to go to Monmouth Park for the July 20 Haskell Invitational (G1).

The non-Baffert trio includes Feeling Strong, Real Master, a French bred who has been idle since winning over a synthetic track at Deauville Jan. 5, and Vantastic.

Entries for the Los Alamitos Derby will taken Wednesday.