Forte

Keeneland's $1-million GI Toyota Blue Grass Apr. 8 has attracted 141 nominees led by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's champion Forte (Violence) and recent GII Risen Star S. winner Angel of Empire (Classic Empire). Click here for the list of the Toyota Blue Grass nominees; click here for their past performances. "As Keeneland's signature race, the Toyota Blue Grass is the crown jewel in our Spring Meet stakes program," Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said. "It's exciting to see so many of the nation's top sophomores and...

Saturday's running of the GII Risen Star S. at Fair Grounds seems unlikely to produce a colt of the caliber of the race's namesake. In 1988, Risen Star captivated New Orleans as the hometown horse owned by charismatic connections, parlaying a win in the then-GIII Louisiana Derby to Grade I scores in both the Preakness S. and Belmont S. before being voted 3-year-old champion colt at year's end. But $29.40 upset winner Angel of Empire (Classic Empire) at least fits the bill as a hard-trying underdog you can root for....

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...

The pari-mutuel field of "All Other 3-Year-olds" closed as the 2-1 favorite in Pool 4 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager while champion 2-year-old Forte (Violence) was the 8-1 second choice. Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief), the lone filly in the individual betting interests, closed as the 11-1 third choice. Other horses who attracted interest from the bettors were: Tapit Trice (Tapit) (15-1); GII Kentucky Jockey Club and GIII Lecomte winner Instant Coffee (Bolt d'Oro) (22-1); Smarty Jones winner Victory Formation (Tapwrit) (23-1); and Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}) (25-1)....

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's divisional champion and 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence) leads a total of 369 3-year-olds eligible to compete in this year's Triple Crown series after the early nomination phase closed Saturday, Jan. 28. Each of the 369 sophomores, which are comprised of 367 colts and two fillies (Hoosier Philly [Into Mischief] and Julia Shining [Curlin]), were made eligible through a $600 payment and may compete in any leg of the Triple Crown series, pending other eligibility requirements. The early nominations included 57 more horses (18.2%)...

Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 4 is set to open Friday and champion Forte (Violence) has been tabbed as the 8-1 individual betting favorite among the 39 individual betting interests plus the popular No. 40 option of "All Other 3-Year-Olds" who were not listed. Pool 4, which features $2 win and exacta wagering, opens Friday at noon EST and closes Sunday at 6 p.m. In total, there are 13 new betting interests in Pool 4: Determinedly (Cairo Prince), Eyeing Clover (Lookin at Lucky), First Defender (Quality Road), Frosted Departure (Frosted),...

Several contenders at the top of this week's rankings solidified their status, but one new shooter debuted at No. 4 to add some intrigue as we edge past the 90-day mark to the GI Kentucky Derby. 1) ARABIAN KNIGHT (c, Uncle Mo--Borealis Night, by Astrology) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.; B-Corser Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $250,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $2,300,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $544.275 Last start: 1st GIII Southwest S. at Oaklawn Park, Jan. 28. KY Derby Points: 0. Arabian Knight's thorough...

Flightline was clearly the star among stars at the Eclipse Awards ceremonies held Jan. 26 in Palm Beach, Florida, but a trio of stallions that call the rustic environs of John Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa home stole the show from a sires' perspective, accounting for half of the evening's 10 winners among the Flat divisions. Success at the Eclipse Awards is obviously directly correlated with horse racing on its biggest stages, and the results from the first weekend of November, not far away from Xalapa at Keeneland Race...

Having just last week been crowned the Longines World's Best Racehorse in London, 'TDN Rising Star' Flightline (Tapit) was named America's no-doubt-about-it Horse of the Year and champion dirt male at the Eclipse Awards, held Thursday evening at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida. Bred in Kentucky by Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Equine, Flightline was a $1-million purchase out of the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, didn't start as a juvenile and didn't get to a starting gate until April of his 3-year-old season. The negatives end right about there. In...

Breeders' Cup Juvenile races produced both the 2-year-old filly and colt champions, with Wonder Wheel taking the filly statue and Forte leading the colts. WONDER WHEEL Each spring, as most trainers get their promising 2-year-olds ready to begin their careers, invariably one or two (or maybe more, depending on the conditioner) of these youngsters stand out. And just as invariably, these trainers hold their breath and cross everything they can cross to help ensure everything goes right enough that the end result--a Breeders' Cup win--produces the ultimate result--the Eclipse Award....

Alex Solis II and Jason Litt, who operate the Solis/Litt bloodstock agency, have joined forces with owner Mike Repole, who has continued to add to his team as both his stable and his goals have grown in recent years. Repole, who owns many horses in partnership with Vinnie Viola, has about 300 horses and has been very active in recent years at the yearling sales. "I am all about family and friends," Repole said. "Over the last couple of years they've been helping me out with some yearlings and colts...

In just over a week, Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte (Violence), bred by South Gate Farm and trained by Todd Pletcher, will be crowned the champion 2-year-old male of 2022. He traces in tail-female to the imported La Troienne (Fr), one of the most influential mares in the Stud Book. So many champions and high-class racehorses trace to her that it would be futile to try to list them all here. La Troienne was foaled in 1926 and bred by Marcel Boussac. Her sire, Teddy (Fr), had a...