Santa Anita

Shoemaker Mile (Grade 1)

Gamely Stakes (Grade 1)

MEMORIAL Day in the US saw a Grade 1 card at Santa Anita and the star performance came from Formidable Man in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile.

The son of City Of Light had last been seen when a length and half second to the Lockinge Stakes winner Notable Speech in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar.

Trainer Michael McCarthy has a plan for victory in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile and Formidable Man followed it through impressively.

The five-year-old faced seven rivals, all with more recent form, but Formidable Man, with two previous Grade 1 wins to his name, went off favourite under Flavien Prat.

Running midpack early, Formidable Man raced in fourth behind Call Me Cory to 45.89secs for a half-mile.

Prat waited until the second turn to let Formidable Man move forward for the stretch run. Formidable Man took advantage, grabbing the lead past the furlong pole and going on to beat two horses trained by Phil d’Amato who began their careers in Ireland, Almendares, by Andy Slattery, who came from last early to finish a length and a quarter second, and King Of Gosford, by Andy Oliver, who finished third.

McCarthy said: “Things set up nicely for him. He was able to sit a wonderful pocket trip. He’s such a gritty horse - he knows where the finish line is.” Prat said. “He’s just a straightforward, very good horse.”

William Warren Jr. and Suzanne Warren own Formidable Man, who is now a Grade 1 winner at three, four and five.

McCarthy indicated that he would likely take Formidable Man to Del Mar for the summer, following the same path to the Breeders’ Cup he took last year, when Formidable Man won the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes and Del Mar Mile.

Gamely impressively

The other Grade 1 on the card was the Gamely Stakes over nine furlongs for fillies on the turf. It saw Phil D’Amato’s Thought Process, a four-year-old by Collected, bred by Brereton C. Jones and racing for his estate, Little Red Feather Racing and Madaket Stables LLC, come home two and three-quarter lengths clear of Augustin Stable‘s Rashmi.

Already a multiple graded stakes winner, it was Thought Process’s first win in a Grade 1, though she was third in last year’s Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks. The Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Keeneland in November is her aim.

The Hollywood Gold Cup is now a Grade 2 and it had the most impressive winner of the day in the grey Forged Steel, trained by Saffie Joseph and also ridden by Flavien Prat.

The four-year-old son of Vekoma shot out of the gate from the rail and went to the front and stayed clear to win the mile and a quarter contest by nine and a half lengths from Malarchuk.

It was the widest margin in the Gold Cup since it was moved from Hollywood Park to Santa Anita 12 years ago.