Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte (Violence) breezed five furlongs in 1:01.58 Saturday morning at Palm Beach Downs in preparation for a planned start in the GII Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 4 at Gulfstream Park.
“He finished up very strongly and galloped out great. We're very, very happy with him,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said.
Saturday's breeze was the fifth in a series of workouts following Forte's Eclipse Award-clinching victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland. Irad Ortiz Jr., the only race rider Forte has known, was aboard for Saturday's Fountain of Youth tune-up.
“So far, everything's gone just as we hoped it would as we scheduled it out,” Pletcher said. “He spent some time at Stonestreet in Ocala with Ian Brennan. They did a great job freshening him up and doing some light work with him before he came in. So, far everything has gone smoothly. This was his second five-furlong move this morning. We let him finish up a little bit and he galloped out strongly. I'm very pleased with his fitness level and the way he's been training.”
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