Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah) upset the highly touted Bob Baffert trio to register a front-running victory in Santa Anita's GII San Vicente S. Saturday. Longshot What in Blazes (Straight Fire) burst from the outside post in this five-horse affair with the rest of the field breaking in tandem to his inside. Forbidden Kingdom sprinted up the fence to take command with Grade I winner Pinehurst (Twirling Candy) and his stablemate McLaren Vale (Gun Runner) tracking from about a half-length back through a :21.86 opening quarter. 'TDN Rising Star' Doppelganger (Into Mischief) shadowed his two Baffert barnmates and What in Blazes watched from last after his sharp start. Carving out a half-mile in :44.49, Forbidden Kingdom showed the way into the lane and continued strongly to the wire for a good-looking 2 1/4-length victory. The rest of the field maintained their positions to the finish.
“He's as quick as they come,” said Richard Mandella, who indicated his colt would make his next start Mar. 5 in the GII San Felipe S. “In his last race, he tore a piece of his foot off [after stumbling at the start] and then we had a quarter crack. We had to fix it up and it is good and we hope it stays good. We'll have to try two turns down the road here. He's gotten better about everything. He was so professional today, everything went well. He used to get a little antsy in the gate. He's stumbled a few times.”
Forbidden Kingdom went wire-to-wire in his 5 1/2-panel unveiling at Del Mar Aug. 21. Third next out in the turf sprint Speakeasy S. at Santa Anita Oct. 1, he led every step of the way of Del Mar's seven-panel GIII Bob Hope S. Nov. 14, only to be run down by the Baffert-trained 'TDN Rising Star' Messier (Empire Maker) and forced to settle for second, beaten 3 1/2 lengths.
Pedigree Notes:
Forbidden Kingdom is the 13th graded winner and 24th black-type victory for Triple Crown hero American Pharoah. He is out of GSW Just Louise, who is a half-sister to MGSW Sara Louise (Malibu Moon). The 14-year-old mare is also the dam of a juvenile colt by Bolt d'Oro, who summoned $275,000 from Vekoma Holdings at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, and a 2021 filly by Not This Time. She is currently in foal to Tiz the Law.
Saturday, Santa Anita
SAN VICENTE S.-GII, $200,000, Santa Anita, 1-29, 3yo, 7f, 1:22.75, ft.
1–FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, 120, c, 3, by American Pharoah
1st Dam: Just Louise (GSW), by Five Star Day
2nd Dam: Kings Lynn, by Mt. Livermore
3rd Dam: Til Forbid, by Temperence Hill
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($300,000
Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-MyRacehorse & Spendthrift Farm LLC;
B-Springhouse Farm (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella; J-Juan J.
Hernandez. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-1, $194,000.
Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Pinehurst, 124, c, 3, Twirling Candy–Giant Win, by Giant's
Causeway. ($180,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $385,000 Ylg '20
KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables
LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay A.
Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC, Donovan, Catherine,
Golconda Stable, Siena Farm LLC; B-Fred W. Hertrich III & John
Fielding (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $40,000.
3–McLaren Vale, 120, c, 3, Gun Runner–Magical Weekend, by
Any Given Saturday. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK
TYPE. ($325,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $625,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP).
O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert
Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay A. Schoenfarber,
Waves Edge Capital LLC, Donovan, Catherine, Golconda Stable,
Siena Farm LLC; B-Austramore Pty.Ltd (KY); T-Bob Baffert.
$24,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, NK, NK. Odds: 3.90, 1.90, 8.40.
Also Ran: Doppelganger, What in Blazes.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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