Gulfstream

Forte 'Looks Very Well' Following Gutsy Florida Derby Win

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte (Violence), winner of Saturday's GI Curlin Florida Derby, will remain in South Florida for now to await his next assignment in the GI Kentucky Derby. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher reported Sunday that the champion 2-year-old colt emerged from his one-length victory over Mage (Good Magic) in good order and left Gulfstream Park early Sunday morning to return to Pletcher's winter base at Palm Beach Downs "He's good. He shipped back early this morning and he looks very well," Pletcher said. "We'll...

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Wide Draw and All, Forte an Overwhelming Presence in Florida Derby

Big Brown (Boundary) took no prisoners from post 12 with a powerful, wire-to-wire performance in the GI Curlin Florida Derby before capturing the first two legs of the Triple Crown in 2008. It's champion Forte (Violence)'s turn now. Last term's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, an eye-catching winner while kicking off his sophomore campaign in the GII Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 4, towers over his 11 rivals on paper in Saturday's Florida Derby. But with a well-documented short run to the first turn going 1 1/8 miles at Gulfstream...

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Forte Breezes for Curlin Florida Derby

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte (Violence) returned to the worktab at Palm Beach Downs Friday in preparation for a scheduled start in the $1-million GI Curlin Florida Derby Apr. 1 at Gulfstream Park. The Todd Pletcher-trained 2022 Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old male breezed for the first time since his tour-de-force 2023 debut in the GII Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 4 at Gulfstream Park. He breezed a half-mile in :50.72 under regular jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. "I thought it was super. The horse is doing extremely well. He came...

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Preliminary Pounces To 'Stardom' For Klaravich Stables

Forced to break from the far outside gate, Preliminary (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) rewarded her backers at 3-1 with a 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy trip to break her maiden on debut at Gulfstream Thursday. Caught five wide into the first turn, the 250,000gns Tattersalls yearling purchase raced in the back-third of the field as Conseillante (Quality Road) set the tempo up front through opening fractions of :22.49 and :46.10. Allowed to tip in towards the rail to save ground up the backstretch, Preliminary held that position before advancing three wide...

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Juddmonte's Accede A Winner On Debut At Gulfstream

7th-Gulfstream, $71,400, Msw, 3-16, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:10.67, ft, 1 1/2 lengths. ACCEDE (f, 3, Into Mischief--Jibboom {MGSW & GISP, $487,600}, by Mizzen Mast), the 7-5 favorite for her career bow, broke with the front flight but was outsprinted for the lead by Snow Princess (Quality Road). Two wide between rivals into the far turn, she was able to tip inside as the field swung past the quarter pole and make a sustained run against the rail to clear off with a furlong to run. Maerdama (Girvin), another first-time starter,...

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Friday Insights: Well-Bred Firsters Tackle Gulfstream Turf

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 1st-GP, $84K, Msw, 3yo, 1mT, 12:40 p.m. Just a $100,000 Keeneland September purchase, ODE TO WAR (War Front) is a son of MG1SW Odeliz (Ire) (Falco), Italy's high-weighted older mare who RNA'd for $1.5m at the 2015 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Already the dam of a pair of winners, Odeliz is a half to SW Pamplemousse (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) and traces back to MGSP Uncoiled (Fr) (Giant's Causeway) and MGISW Amorama (Fr) (Sri Pekan). Trainer George Arnold has tagged Luca Panici for the ride. The...

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English Channel's Far Bridge Earns 'Rising Star' Nod at Gulfstream

Calumet Farm's unbeaten homebred Far Bridge (c, 3, English Channel--Fitpitcher, by Kitten's Joy) kicked home impressively for 'TDN Rising Star' honors in a grassy optional claimer at Gulfstream Park Saturday. The bay was a head better than the promising Carl Spackler (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) over the same course and distance on debut Jan. 21. Carl Spackler returned to earn a 'Rising Star' tag of his own with a smashing, 8 3/4-length maiden victory here Feb. 25. Hammered down to 1-2 here, Far Bridge raced under cover passing the...

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Sunday Insights: Maidens Heating Up In South Florida

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 9th-TAM, $27K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1mT, 4:40 p.m. A homebred for Florida's Bridlewood Farm, JUSTDOITALREADY (Justify) debuts Sunday for trainer Eoin Harty. The dark bay filly, a daughter of $2,000,000 2014 Fasig-Tipton November Sale purchase Concinnous, is a half-sister to MGISW Iotapa (Afleet Alex), herself a $2.8m pick up by China Horse Club out of the 2014 Keeneland November Sale. Concinnous has also produced SW & GSP Saintly Joan (Northern Afleet). Justdoitalready fired a bullet two works back (five furlongs in 1:02) and jockey Jesus...

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Seven-Figure Justify Colt Debuts on FOY Undercard

Insights, sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 4th-GP, $84K, Msw, 3yo, 7f, post time: 12:27 p.m. ET Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg and Gandharvi LLC's ILLUSTRATED (Justify) was led out unsold when bidding stalled out at $290,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. The blaze-faced bay made the decision to retain him look that much better when selling for $1.1 million at last year's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale after breezing an eighth of a mile in :10 flat despite jumping the shadows of the sixteenth pole and of floodlights...

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Forte Named 7-5 Morning-Line Favorite For Fountain Of Youth

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte (Violence) completed his preparation for his 2023 debut in next Saturday's GII Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park after breezing five furlongs in 1:01.99 Saturday morning at Palm Beach Downs. "Last week was the work we wanted to make sure that we were on target," trainer Todd Pletcher said. "We got a good strong work into him. We got a good work today, but after last week, we weren't looking for him to do too much. We're right on schedule and think...

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Champion Forte Works 'Strongly' for Fountain of Youth

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...

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Weekly Stewards And Commissions Rulings, Feb. 7-13

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) having gone into effect on July 1, the TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant HISA-related rulings from the same week. California Track: Santa Anita Date: 02/10/2023 Licensee: Lorenzo Ruiz, trainer Penalty:...

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