Formidable Man

All of us involved in this game tend to be exposed to its ups and downs on a scale proportionate to our means. That being so, there have unsurprisingly been some pretty wild extremes--for better and worse--in the story of the most lavishly funded program in its history. Just think back, for instance, to the last days of April 2001. Sheikh Mohammed had sent Street Cry (Ire) back to the United States, where he had been skillfully developed as a juvenile by Eoin Harty, with the mission of winning the...

East Coast-based horses had won the GI Hollywood Derby in six of the last eight years and three of the last four, but it was a California 1-2 in Saturday's renewal at Del Mar, as William and Suzanne Warren's Formidable Man (City of Light) parlayed a perfect trip in the box seat into a clear-cut victory over King of Gosford (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}). 'TDN Rising Star' Donegal Momentum (Uncle Mo) broke best of all and led the Hollywood Derby field down the chute, but Rothschild (Uncle Mo)--also ridden positively by...

Formidable Man (City of Light), favored off a win in the Oceanside Stakes at Del Mar July 20, stormed to the lead and held off Stay Hot late to earn his first graded victory in the GII Del Mar Derby at the oceanside oval Sunday. The 6-5 favorite was away smartly before settling off the pace as longshot Sketchy (Uncle Mo) set a pedestrian pace. The tempo quickened noticeably on the far turn and Formidable Man rolled up three wide into the lane to hit the lead at midstretch. Stay...

You know how the quote reads directly from the handicapper's Bible, "Behold the pale horse with controlling speed." Heeding that warning arrives once again on Sunday. Halfway through the three-day holiday weekend of Thoroughbred racing, Saratoga and Del Mar card graded races. The Spa's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes, the penultimate 'Win and You're In' pass to the Breeders' Cup Classic, sets the tone with a myriad of intriguing storylines woven into this fleece as a half dozen entries will try to catch that aforementioned 'pale horse' Arthur's Ride...

California-based Umberto Rispoli was set to ride Amerman Racing's Endlessly (Oscar Performance) in the GI Kentucky Derby about three hours later, and he got the partnership off to a fortuitous beginning on the Derby undercard, guiding Trikari (Oscar Performance) to a massive upset of the $600,000 GII American Turf S. A whopping 47-1 while making his first foray into graded competition, the $27,500 OBS October yearling scratched down into the inside stall and immediately secured the box seat, as 24-1 Formidable Man (City of Light) came across from the four...

5th-Del Mar, $84,500, Msw, 9-10, 2yo, 1mT, 1:36.03, fm, 1/2 length. FORMIDABLE MAN (c, 2, City of Light--Fanticola {GSW & GISP, $561,986}, by Silent Name {Jpn}) was a 9-2 shot here at first asking and the bay colt wrangled the lead past the grandstand, settling on the front end into the first turn. The hooded Mike McCarthy trainee continued to set the fractions and arriving at the top of the lane, he fended off a challenge from fellow firster and favorite Ngannou (Mendelssohn) to win by half a length. The...