Heavily favored and on his way. That pretty much sums up the performance tendered by Mo Forza in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 City of Hope Mile at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as the 4-year-old son of Uncle Mo rallied from off the pace to win by 1 3/4 lengths while in-hand under Flavien Prat. Trained by Peter Miller, Mo Forza got a mile on turf in 1:32.09 and he and his connections now eye an engagement in the G1 Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland on Nov. 7.
Breaking alertly from the outside in a field of seven, Mo Forza rated kindly and settled into a fluid rhythm down the backside, about five lengths off pacesetting Blitzkrieg with a half mile to run. Three-deep turning for home, he was hand ridden while lugging in a bit through the lane and won with consummate ease over multiple graded stakes winner Sharp Samurai.
“He pretty much had the same trip as he did in the Del Mar Mile (G2, Aug. 23),” said Prat. “I think he's getting more professional, which is great. Today he showed up again. We can probably go further, but as of right now, he's running pretty well, so I wouldn't change anything.”
A 4 1/4-length winner of the Del Mar Mile Handicap on turf, Mo Forza was off as the 3-5 favorite and paid $3.20, $2.20 and $2.10.
“That's him,” said Ruben Alvarado, assistant to Miller. “He relaxes early and then you saw the way he finished up. He ran today just like he did at Del Mar. We're very happy and we're looking forward to the Breeders' Cup.
Bred in Kentucky by former trainer Barry Abrams' Bardy Farm and owned by Bardy Farm and OG Boss, Mo Forza, who is out of the Unusual Heat mare Inflamed, notched his fifth graded stakes win and he has now won five out of his last six races with four of them over the Santa Anita turf. With six wins from 12 overall starts, he's four for five at one mile on grass and with the winner's share of $120,000, has earnings of $734,460.
Sharp Samurai, who sat a close third behind Blitzkrieg and eventual third-place finisher Bob and Jackie, kept to his task to finish second by 1 1/4 lengths and paid $3.00 and $2.60 as the 7-2 second choice with Juan Hernandez up.
Off at 24-1 with Heriberto Figueroa, Bob and Jackie prevailed by a head over Blitzkrieg and paid $5.60 to show.
Fractions on the race were 22.58, 45.61, 1:08.76 and 1:20.53.
Kentucky Derby (Grade 1) winner Authentic and five other horses running in Saturday's Preakness (G1) arrived at Pimlico Race Course at approximately 7 p.m. Tuesday evening after a flight from Louisville, Kentucky.
Authentic, the favorite in Saturday's 145th running of the Preakness, was joined by the 3-year-old filly Swiss Skydiver, Blue Grass (G2) winner Art Collector, Haskell (G1) runner-up Ny Traffic, Mr. Big News, third in the Kentucky Derby, and Thousand Words, a late scratch from the Derby.
Trainer Bob Baffert, trainer of Authentic and Thousand Words, joined his horses on the flight to Baltimore and the van to Pimlico.
“They actually traveled really well. I came on the horse plane and hadn't done that for 18, 19 years,” Baffert said. “Thousand Words was fine. Authentic was pretty ramped up because he worked yesterday so he had an off day and he was pretty wild. He looks at everything. He was dragging me around here when he got off the van, He's definitely not tired. He's a good feeling horse. He sees things before you do so you have to be on your toes at all times.”
Authentic and Art Collector are expected to head to the track at approximately 8:30 Wednesday morning.
Swiss Skydiver will attempt to become only the sixth filly to win the Preakness, the first since Rachel Alexandra in 2009.
Mighty Heart made it look mighty easy winning the Prince of Wales Stakes. The one-eyed three-year-old now holds the first two jewels in the OLG Canadian Triple Crown, and if all goes well has his eye set on the Breeder's Stakes in October. The last Canadian Triple Crown winner was Wando in 2003.
Mighty Heart and Clayton were sitting fourth and fifth going into the last turn, with Clayton on the outside. Jockey Daisuke Fukumoto was intently tracking Clayton's steps, and as Clayton made a run for the front four-wide in the final turn, Mighty Heart came to call on the outside and easily took the lead with no urging. Mighty Heart beat Clayton by two and a half lengths. Dotted Line battled throughout and persisted for third, and Bold Victory made a late run for fourth.
“A couple horses went to the lead so I let them go and sat behind them. He can take a little air so I changed up the tactic, and when I asked him at the quarter pole he went on again,” said Fukumoto after the race. “Last time he won very easily, and he did it again today.”
Trainer Josie Carroll said she's excited about the possibility of running Mighty Heart in the Breeders' Stakes. “We always wait to see how the horse comes out, that's the key. He's a wonderful little horse and he gets better every time.”
Owner Lawrence Cordes called Mighty Heart a gift.
”He was handicapped from day one and his future looked bleak because of his injury, but we had faith in him from the day he stepped on the track. We have to see how he comes out of this race, but we would like to compete for the Triple Crown.”
Mighty Heart paid $3.70 to win as the 4-5 favorite, $2.60 to place, and $2.20 to show. Clayton paid $3.40 to place and $2.40 to show. Dotted Line paid $3.20 to show.
Despite being closed to the public and the loss of on-track wagering, Tuesday's Prince of Wales Stakes produced a record handle of $3,028,600, topping the previous record handle under Fort Erie Live Race Consortium's management of $2,188,171 from 2016 when Amis Gizmo won for Josie Carroll.
Tuesday's final race of the day featured a mandatory payout on the .20 jackpot Hi-5, with a carryover of $178,381.93. $701,151.21 in new money was wagered in the pool, with a payout of $7,657.83 on a .20 cent ticket.
The $400,000 Breeders' Stakes is the third and final jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown, scheduled for Saturday, October 24. The event is one and a half miles on Woodbine's E.P. Taylor Turf Course.
The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association has launched a digital campaign promoting the successful history of Florida-breds born and raised in the Sunshine State.
The series titled “Florida Thoroughbred History Moment” features an opening and closing image of an old-timey newsreel much like those featured in movie theaters in the 1940s. Along with the sound of the whir of the newsreel, each video is narrated by the distinctive voice of Robert Clotworthy giving an even more nostalgic feel. Clotworthy is the narrator for the History Channel series Ancient Aliens and The Curse of Oak Island and he lends his voice perfectly to the series.
Each 'Florida Thoroughbred History Moment' vignette highlights a significant achievement in Florida-bred history focusing on the people, the horses and the farms that have contributed to its success since the industry kicked off in earnest after Needles' 1956 Kentucky Derby win.
The first history moment on Needles launched the series with the signature line given in Clotworthy's deepest voice, “And now a Florida Thoroughbred History Moment… “
Needles put the state on the map as the first horse born in Florida to win the Kentucky Derby and he later set another milestone winning the first Belmont Stakes. His acclaim led many to visit Central Florida to see for themselves the Thoroughbreds raised on limestone rich soil and drinking from the spring fed aquifers. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, local lore has it that more people bought real estate in Marion County thanks to Needles' fame more than any realtor's effort.
The second video in the series focuses upon the O'Farrells' Ocala Stud, the oldest active stud farm in the state. Still using their original stud barn and training barn, which is the oldest wooden horse barn in the state, Ocala Stud's 1960's slogan 'If you want a runner look to Ocala Stud' is featured prominently.
In 1968, Dr. Fager became the world's fastest miler and still holds the record today. The swift horse is featured in the series with a reminiscence photo of him coming home to Ocala greeted by school children holding signs saying, “Dr. Fager is No. 1” and “Welcome Home Champion.” Also, as part of that welcome back, local police pulled over the trailer with the horse inside on Highway 200. Dr. Fager was issued a speeding ticket for 'reckless speed' for his stellar performance ontrack, and the ticket noted his make and style as 'horse' and 'fast'. Additionally, he was inducted into the local Chamber of Commerce.
The next video in the series features Unbridled and the great television moment between trainer Carl Nafzger and owner Mrs. Francis Genter. The poignant moment was captured by NBC during the horse's legendary Kentucky Derby run. His legacy as a sire of champions for more than four decades is also highlighted.
Winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, Silver Charm showcased the talent coming out of the Ocala Breeders' Sales and gave rising stars Bob Baffert and the McKathan Brothers the limelight. The gray gained international fame winning the Dubai World Cup, then later joining the stallion ranks in Japan. The vignette also points out Michael Blowen's love for the horse which led to the creation of Old Friends farm and the moment Blowen's dream came true when Silver Charm came back to the states and retired there.
Of course, no Florida series would be complete without Affirmed, the state's Triple Crown winner and longest title holder at 37 years. His hard fought wins in the classics over Alydar are some of the greatest moments in sports rivalry history.
The videos also feature the FTBOA logo and the Discover Florida Horses logo developed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The campaign is an example of the global promotions of thoroughbreds and the thoroughbred industry in state of Florida. The video series is available for use by farms and businesses promoting Florida Thoroughbreds and is also aired regularly on Horse Capital Television.
The series is also part of a newly launching campaign on social media focusing on Facebook groups that have an interest in Thoroughbred history and the sport of horse racing. The series can also be seen on the FTBOA YouTube channel.
The goal is to expand the series into 'Florida Thoroughbred History Profiles' over coming years to include the oral history handed down from horseman to horseman. The first two profiles aired in September and featured 2017 Godolphin award honoree Lugusta “Gus” Gray who has worked more than 50 years on farms, first for Fred Hooper and now Donald Dizney's Double Diamond Farm.
FTBOA's Associate Vice President-Membership Services and Events, Tammy A. Gantt scripts and produces each segment. The series was a brainchild of hers thanks to her love of the history of the sport and her more than 25 years in the Florida industry.
Lonny Powell, CEO of FTBOA said, “The goal of our video series and social media campaign is to showcase the history of success of Florida horses, horsemen and farms. We began this program more than two years ago and have added to the series, expanded it and now rolled it into other platforms like social media which we've seen significantly grow since the pandemic began earlier this year.”
He added, “The series can continue for quite some time as we've had 52 national champions, six Kentucky Derby champions, seven Preakness winners, six Belmonts, 28 Breeders' Cup wins, 66 Eclipse Awards and more than 170 Florida-bred millionaires and growing.”
