October, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Forte Retired from Racing, Will Stand at Spendthrift

Forte (Violence–Queen Caroline, by Blame), the 2022 champion 2-year-old colt and GI Breeders Cup Juvenile winner, has been retired from racing and will stand the 2024 season at Spendthrift Farm, according to co-owner Mike Repole.

“According to Todd Pletcher,” said Repole Thursday afternoon, “he grabbed his quarter in the Travers and that turned into a quarter crack in his left front foot. We sent him to [farrier] Ian McKinlay to patch it up and he was galloping. Today, Todd sent him out for a gallop at Keeneland. He said he would need more time to make the Breeders' Cup so we simply ran out of time.

“He had five races as a 2-year-old and broke his maiden in May. We won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in November. We had five races this year. So we got two years, 10 starts, seven wins, $3 million in earnings and a championship. That's pretty cool.”

Repole said consideration was given to racing Forte next year, but it was ultimately decided to send him to Spendthrift.

“The deal with Spendthrift included an option that we could have raced him next year. Everybody wants to talk about how incredible it was to have a horse like this. But there's a lot of stress and anxiety that comes along with owning a horse like this. We have a love for these horses and a love for the sport. Between races, [co-owner] Vinnie [Viola of St. Elias] and I are thinking, 'how did he gallop today, how did he work today, how did he eat today?' He's done as much as he can. We have some other really good horses who will be coming back next year. Bright Future, Dreamlike, some other good older horses. This horse did a lot.

“As far as a horse who put two really good years together back to back, he could be the best one I've ever owned. Just look at the races he won. He won Grade Is both years and had two great seasons. It's hard to retire these horses, but sometimes you have to look at the big picture and make some really tough, emotional decisions.”

Bred by South Gate Farm in Kentucky, Forte was acquired by Repole Stables and St. Elias for $110,0000 at the 2021 Keeneland September sale before being sent to Hall of Famer Pletcher. Named a 'TDN Rising Star' on debut, he closed out his 2-year-old season with three straight Grade I victories, including the Hopeful S. and Claiborne Breeders' Futurity.

Forte's 3-year-old season was fraught with ups and downs. He captured the GII Fountain of Youth S. and GI Florida Derby, the latter over subsequent GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic), but was scratched as the favorite the morning of the Kentucky Derby due to a bruised hoof. Two days later, it was announced he would be ineligible to run in the GI Preakness S. as the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) had placed him on a mandatory 14-day vet's list. Just a few days after that, it was learned he would be disqualified from his Hopeful victory of the year before due to a medication violation.

The colt did make the GI Belmont S., finishing second to Arcangelo (Arrogate), and came back to win the July 29 GII Jim Dandy S. in a nose thriller after an inquiry. After last seen finishing fourth in the GI Travers S. Aug. 26, he was treated for the quarter cracks mentioned by Repole. Despite not breezing, his team indicated as recently as Oct. 1 he was still being pointed to the GI Breeders' Cup Classic.

When asked if Forte was unlucky this year, Repole said, “If winning the Fountain of Youth, the Florida Derby and the Jim Dandy with a horse is bad luck I wish I had more bad luck like that. He was also second in the Belmont. He won races that I dreamed about winning when I was kid. This horse did nothing but give Vinnie Viola and I two full great seasons of racing. Take away Arcangelo, give me a 3-year-old that had better year than he did.

“Was he the Derby favorite and was he scratched? Of course he was. Did the horse he beat two times win the Derby? Yes. But you can't look back. Were there highs and lows? Yes. This game is all about highs and lows. But 99% of the people just get the lows and not the highs. Vinnie and I were congratulating each other today and we reminisced. This horse gave us a lot of thrills.”

Forte retires with a record of 10-7-1-0 and earnings of $3,029,830.

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Champion Forte Retired From Racing, Will Stand At Spendthrift Farm

Co-owner Mike Repole announced Thursday that champion Forte has been retired from racing, the Daily Racing Form's David Grening reports.

BloodHorse reports the 3-year-old son of Violence will stand at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky., for the 2024 breeding season.

Forte had been dealing with quarter crack issues earlier this month, which trainer Todd Pletcher expressed confidence at the time could be addressed in time for a start in the Breeders' Cup Classic, but the decision was made to retire the colt following a morning gallop on Thursday at Keeneland.

Forte retires with seven wins in 10 starts for earnings of $3,029,830, racing for Repole and St. Elias Stable. He earned the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old in 2022, with victories in the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes and G1 Breeders' Futurity culminating in a 1 1/2-length victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

He then established himself as a top contender in the Kentucky Derby with victories in the G2 Fountain of Youth Stakes and the G1 Florida Derby. Forte was set as the morning line favorite in the Derby, but but he was scratched by state veterinarians the morning of the race due to a bruise in his right-front foot.

Forte came back to finish second in the Belmont Stakes, then he won the G2 Jim Dandy Stakes. He finished fourth in the G1 Travers Stakes in what would be his final career start.

This story will be updated.

Toronado Colt Leads Third Session at Arqana

DEAUVILLE, France–One last six-figure yearling was added to the list on Thursday when trainer Joel Boisnard went to €130,000 for a Toronado (Ire) colt from Haras de l'Hotellerie to top the third session of Arqana's October Yearling Sale.

A half-brother to two black-type performers, lot 434 is a son of the Prix de Diane place-getter Diyakalanie (Fr) (Ashkalani {Ire}) and was bred by Haras de Sainte Gauburge. Boisnard already trains two of his half-siblings, including Diyashal (Fr) (Shalaa {Ire}), who was won over fences and hurdles since the catalogue was printed.

Beyond that highlight, trade remained solid through the middle tier with the highest clearance rate of the week so far at 90%. Though Part 2 of the October Sale has been conducted alphabetically over the last two days and is not graded, the figures across other sectors took a dip from the first of these two sessions and was the first this week to be down from the previous year as well. Turnover dropped by 10% to €4,216,500 and the average was down to €26,687 (-21%). The consistency of the trade was evident in the median being not too far below that at €22,000.

For the sale as a whole so far, figures are holding up pretty well, with the overall clearance rate of 86% being particularly noteworthy, while trade is roughly in keeping with last year.

Several of this year's freshman sires in France are heftily represented in the sale. The Haras d'Etreham duo of Persian King (Ire) and Hello Youmzain (Fr) have had 33 and 27 yearlings through the ring respectively across the three days, with Persian King's average being €48,515 and Hello Youmzain's at €54,650. The former French-trained Arc winner Sottsass (Fr), who now resides in Ireland at Coolmore, has had nine sold for an average of €56,222.

Nicolas de Watrigant of Mandore International, who bought Wednesday's top lot, a daughter of Without Parole (GB), to race for Madaket Group, has now signed for eight yearlings for the American-based owners.

The sale returns to action from 2pm on Friday, with one final session starting at 11am on Saturday.

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HIWU: Efforts to Harmonize Laboratory “Testing Sensitivity” Underway

In a statement Thursday, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU)–the enforcement arm of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA)–said that an internal review of the six accredited laboratories used by the agency had unearthed different limits of detection in blood for metformin, a banned substance at all times under HISA.

“Following this review, which was conducted in collaboration with the laboratories, it was determined that not all applied the same Limit of Detection in analyzing samples for the presence of Metformin. HIWU has since met with all six laboratories to establish an updated, uniform Limit of Detection,” according to the HIWU statement.

Furthermore, “there are efforts to harmonize testing sensitivity across the laboratories through an external quality assurance program that includes single- and double-blind quality assurance samples and a passed sample exchange program,” according to the HIWU statement.

“Additionally, substances will continue to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to ensure that all laboratories contracted by HIWU report uniform results for the same substances present at the same levels in different samples,” the statement reads.

All HIWU-contracted laboratories contracted are accredited by the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium.

According to HIWU, HISA's Equine Analytical Laboratory Accreditation standards are currently in development, and HIWU expects the process to continue through 2024.

Because of this flaw in testing uniformity, HIWU has lifted the provisional suspensions it had initially imposed on trainers Guadalupe Munoz Elizondo and Javier Morzan for metformin positives.

The agency wrote that it will also be withdrawing the Equine Anti-Doping Charge letters against Elizondo and Morzan “due to their Covered Horses testing positive for Metformin at levels in blood that would not have been reported as Adverse Analytical Findings under the updated Limit of Detection.”

Elizondo trainee, Quinton's Charmer (Quinton's Gold), tested positive for metformin, a common type 2 diabetes drug in humans, in a sample taken June 11 this year.

The Morzan-trained Lady Liv (Bal A Bali) tested positive for metformin after finishing third at Delaware Park June 24.

Elizondo and Morzan were two of five trainers this past week who have seen their provisional suspensions lifted by HIWU. Besides the metformin cases, two were for cocaine positives, and one was for the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide.

On Tuesday, Michelle Pujals, HIWU general counsel, sent Elizondo a letter explaining the decision behind lifting the provisional suspension.

In the letter, Pujals wrote that “HIWU has determined that there was variability across laboratories with respect to Limit of Detection for this Banned Substance, and, in order to eliminate inconsistency in enforcement based on interlaboratory capabilities, HIWU is determining whether this finding will be pursued as an Adverse Analytical Finding.”

On Wednesday, TDN submitted to HIWU a list of questions about the contents of the letter, including further explanations on what was meant by “variability across laboratories,” and “inconsistency in enforcement based on interlaboratory capabilities.”

TDN will follow-up with HIWU about the remaining questions unanswered by Thursday's statement.

There remain three trainers with pending hearings for metformin positives whose provisional suspensions have not been lifted by HIWU. They are Jonathan Wong, Angel Sanchez and Michael Lauer.

In Thursday's statement, HIWU wrote that the review of and update to the metformin limit of detection in blood represents “progress from previous state-based regulatory structures in which laboratories historically operated independently of each other, resulting in substances being controlled differently depending on the laboratory conducting the testing.”

The statement adds that “HISA's national structure enables HIWU to oversee all testing across the country and facilitate uniform enforcement of the ADMC rules. HIWU is committed to the harmonization of its laboratories and continues to work with them to reach this goal.”

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