Kentucky Derby Preps; Forte Romps, Raise Cain, 'Move' Also Win

Sporting the green-and-white silks of Vinnie Viola’s St. Elias Stable, FORTE, the Eclipse Award champion two-year-old of 2022 also owned by Mike Repole, made easy work of his rivals in the $400,000 Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park in Florida on March 4.

The dark bay, light-framed colt by Violence is trained by Todd Pletcher and was ridden by Irad Ortiz in what was the sophomore’s first race since his big Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) win last fall at Keeneland.

The Fountain of Youth was one of three major stepping-stone races for the 149th KENTUCKY DERBY (G1) held on Saturday. Coincidentally, another son of Violence, RAISE CAIN, upset the Gotham Stakes (g3) at Aqueduct while PRACTICAL MOVE enjoyed a dream trip on his way to a victory in the San Felipe Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita.

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Forte: His Specialty is Winning

The 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth Stakes is a key prep for the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) on April 1, as well as a designated prep for the Kentucky Derby (G1). Forte earned 50 points for his tour de force performance, further cementing his status as favourite for this year’s first jewel of the Triple Crown with a total of 140 points.

Forte was sent to post as the 1-2 favorite in the Fountain of Youth field, which was not a strong group. Holy Bull Stakes winner Rocket Can and Blazing Sevens, fourth behind Forte in the Breeders’ Cup, were mild contenders but the race never unfolded that way.

Forte experienced light bumping leaving the gate but quickly recovered to get to the rail heading into the first turf, tracking pacesetter Cyclone Mischief, Dangerous Ride, Rocket Can and Mage. Jockey Irad Ortiz eased Forte off the rail along the backstretch as Cyclone Mischief continued to show the way while putting up fractions of 24.05 and 47.65 seconds for the first half-mile. On the turn into the homestretch, Rocket Can, the Holy Bull (G3) winner ridden by Junior Alvarado, began to put heavy pressure on Cyclone Mischief with Mage hanging in there to their outside, as Ortiz swung Forte four-wide for the drive. The champion quickly asserted his superiority and drew clear to a comfortable victory.

Making his first start since capturing the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland, Forte ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43:12 for a 98 Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form.

“We kind of carefully laid it out and put him in a program that would put him in the condition to be ready to run and still having room for improvement and room to continue to develop,” Pletcher said. “I think we were able to accomplish that.”

Forte won four of five starts during his championship juvenile season that he launched with a 7 ¾-length victory at Belmont Park last May. After finishing fourth in the six-furlong Sanford (G2), he rallied from off the pace to win the seven-furlong Hopeful (G1) at Saratoga. He polished off a stellar campaign with a pair of off-the-pace scores around two turns in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1).

Rocket Can, trained by Bill Mott, held second, 1 ¼ lengths ahead of Cyclone Mischief, to pick up 20 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, virtually assuring the Holy Bull winner a spot in the Kentucky Derby field with 60 total points.

Forte was a $110,000 yearling purchase by Repole and Viola from the 2021 Keeneland September yearling sale. Violence, by Medaglia D’Oro, stands at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms in Kentucky for a $50,000 fee. He has six crops to race and this year alone has had half a dozen stakes winners.

Forte’s dam is Queen Caroline, by Blame, a tough stakes winning Virginia-bred who won 6 races, all on grass including the Ta Wee Stakes and Indiana Grand Stakes.

Queen Caroline is a half-sister to four winners, two stakes-placed horses. Forte’s fourth dam is graded stakes winning sprinter Jeano.

Raise Cain is trouble for Gotham runners

Raise Cain rallied at long odds to win the Gotham Stakes (G3) in the Aqueduct mud, collecting Derby points in the process. (NYRA PHOTO)

On a muddy track that favoured outside closers throughout the card at Aqueduct, RAISE CAIN (Violence – Lemon Belle by Lemon Drop Kid) charged down the centre of the track to win the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes by 7 1/2 lengths for owners Andrew and Rania Warren, trainer Ben Colebrook and jockey Jose Lezcano.

The bay colt ran the one-turn, one-mile distance in 1:38.09 for a 90 Beyer Fogure.

This was the 6th career start for Raise Cain, who was bred in Kentucky by Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds. It was also the 5th different track the colt has raced at. He won his maiden second time out at Keeneland after a modest debut outing at Churchill Downs, was third in the Bowman Mill Stakes at Keeneland, and then third in the Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds. Raise Cain was coming off a fifth place finish in his first try on Tapeta in the Leonatus Stakes at Turfway Park.

A $160,000 Keeneland September yearling, Raise Cain was bought back last year from the Ocala June sale for $65,000 as hip no. 20 after working one furlong in 10.20.

His dam is winner Lemon Belle, who has three other winners. Second dam Queenie Belle won over $600,000 and was a Grade 2 stakes winner. Queenie Belle is the dam of Unrivaled belle, who won the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic (Distaff) and $1.8 million and is a graded stakes producer.

Andrew Warren, son of formidable horse owner William Warren (Saint Liam, City of Light, etc.), also races horses at Woodbine with trainer Barbara Minshall.

Nice Move

In a performance that clearly stamps him a Kentucky Derby A-List hopeful, the Tim Yakteen-trained PRACTICAL MOVE saved ground throughout and came away through the stretch to score by an emphatic 2 ½ lengths in Saturday’s Grade II, $400,000 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita. Ridden by Ramon Vazquez, Practical Move got a mile and one-sixteenth in 1:42.01

With the victory, Practical Move earns 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, while 20-15-10 and 5 points will be awarded to the remaining top five finishers.

Attentive to pace but well within himself early, Practical Move was on the brakes turning up the backside and tracked eventual runner-up Geaux Rocket Ride to the far turn. When “Geaux Rocket” drifted out turning for home, Vazquez took advantage and was never threatened the final three sixteenths of a mile.

A 3 ¼ length winner of the Grade II Los Alamitos Futurity at 10-1 on Dec. 17, Practical Move was off at 4-1 among a field of nine sophomores in the San Felipe and paid $10.40, $5.20 and $3.20.

A Kentucky-bred colt by Practical Joke out of the Afleet Alex mare Ack Naughty, a New York-bred deep closing mare who won over $310,000, Practical Move was bred by trainer Chad Brown and Head of Plains Partners and is owned by Quarter Horse owners Leslie Amestoy, Jean Pierre Amestoy and Roger Beasley who purchased him for $230,000 out of an Ocala, FL, 2-year-old in training sale last April.

With today’s win, Practical Joke picked up $240,000, increasing his earnings to $434,200 from an overall race record of 6-3-1-2.

In only his second start and his first around two turns, the Richard Mandella-trained Geaux Rocket Ride pressed the early pace set by Yakteen’s Hajazi and checked in second, 1 ¼ lengths in front of Skinner. Off as the 5-2 favorite with Flavien Prat, Geaux Rocket Ride paid $5.00 and $3.20.

Trained by John Shirreffs and ridden by Victor Espinoza, Skinner loomed into contention while wide-out around the far turn, but ran lugged in straightening for home in a solid third place performance. The second choice at 5-2, Skinner paid $2.80 to show while finishing a half length in front of Hejazi.

Fractions on the race were 23.14, 47.12, 1:11.08 and 1:35.67.