Barn Tour: Forbidden Kingdom has Mandella on the Derby path

In 2019, Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella was stabled at Churchill Downs ahead of the Kentucky Derby with morning-line favorite Omaha Beach.

It had been 15 years since Mandella started a horse in the classic. Perhaps a void in the Hall of Fame resume, a Kentucky Derby victory, would be sealed. 

Alas, it was not meant to be. Three days before the race, things turned sideways when Omaha Beach was diagnosed with an entrapped epiglottis. He was scratched. Mandella’s date with a first Kentucky Derby win would have to wait.

It now has been 38 years since his first Derby entrant, Bedouin, finished 15th in the 1984 run for the roses. The decades-long wait includes only six Derby starters and none since 2004 for a trainer seemingly with a lifetime booster shot from the potentially ruinous "Derby Fever."

But with the emergence of Forbidden Kingdom in this year's 3-year-old crop, if things break right, Mandella could be seven weeks away from a first Triple Crown win.

Forbidden Kingdom, owned by My Racehorse and Spendthrift Farm, is 2-for-2 this year with wins in the seven-furlong San Vicente (G2) on Jan. 29 and the San Felipe (G2) on March 5 when trying two turns for the first time.

With those victories, Forbidden Kingdom is the current Kentucky Derby futures favorite in Nevada, best priced at 10-1. He also closed last weekend’s pari-mutuel Kentucky Derby Future Wager as the 7-1 second choice among individual betting interests. Only Smile Happy was shorter, at 6-1.

Horse Racing Nation caught up with Mandella Wednesday for the latest on Forbidden Kingdom, emerging Kentucky Oaks contender Micro Share, a trio of graded-stakes winners from last year that are nearing returns and more for this latest Barn Tour.

Forbidden Kingdom. Ahead of the San Felipe, Mandella had openly questioned whether the speedy colt could handle two turns. In each of his three previous starts on dirt, all sprinting, Forbidden Kingdom had made the lead while setting sharp fractions.

In the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe, Forbidden Kingdom shot to the front as expected and quickly opened a three-length lead through splits of 23.24 and 45.90 seconds for the opening half mile. He was up by seven lengths after reaching six furlongs in 1:10.46 and then coasted through the stretch to win by 5 3/4 lengths in a final time of 1:43.98.

Mandella said Forbidden Kingdom exited the San Felipe “in great shape” and is set to work this weekend at Santa Anita with “a little half-mile breeze, and then we’ll go further.” 

He next will try to carry his speed even further when going 1 1/8 miles in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 9. In that key Kentucky Derby prep, he is expected to square off with top 3-year-old Messier for Bob Baffert.

Forbidden Kingdom might have passed his two-turn test in the San Felipe, but the question remains of how far he really wants to go. Particularly the Kentucky Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles. Yes, he’s by Triple Crown winner in American  Pharoah. But pedigree-wise, glaring off the page is his broodmare sire, Five Star Day, who was a pure sprinter at the turn of the millennium and as fast as they come when at his best.

Ahead of the San Felipe, Mandella tightened the screws on Forbidden Kingdom with six- and seven-furlongs breezes while in company with strong gallop-outs. The trainer said “we’ll take it day by day” with regard to how to prepare for the added distance of the Santa Anita Derby.

“Now that I’ve gotten him to this level (of fitness), I’ll probably not be as strong with his workouts, but we’ll see how he is doing and then go from there,” Mandella said.

Micro Share. If all goes as planned, joining Forbidden Kingdom under the Twin Spires the first week in May will be this promising filly, who is also owned by My Racehorse and Spendthrift Farm. An impressive maiden winner last Friday going a flat mile at Santa Anita, the daughter of Upstart will join the Kentucky Oaks trail in the $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks (G2) on April 9.

“She’s doing great,” Mandella said. “We’re nominated to the Oaks, and that’s what we’ll look at.”

Before breaking her maiden, Micro Share was no match for Baffert’s budding star Adare Manor when beaten 12 lengths by that rival going a flat mile on Jan. 7. Adare Manor, also expected for the Santa Anita Oaks, came back to win the Feb. 6 Las Flores (G3) by 13 lengths.

Micro Share was a $450,000 auction purchase at last year’s OBS April 2-year-olds in training sale.

Subconscious. This emerging turf talent was a troubled second to Count Again after stumbling at the break in the Thunder Road (G3) in February, then was beaten just two heads by that rival once again in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1) at Santa Anita after having to steady early.

Mandella infrequently ships out of California, but the 4-year-old Tapit gelding could do just that for his next start. Subconscious is a candidate for both the $600,000 Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) at Keeneland on April 15 or the $225,000 Charles Whittingham (G2) going 1 1/4 miles at Santa Anita on April 30.

“He’s doing very good, and I’m going to look at the Maker’s Mark, I think it’s called. Or the Whittingham, though I’m not sure he wants a mile-and-a-quarter,” Mandella said. “Anyway, I’m shopping. But I’ll have him eligible for both.”

Last year, Subconscious graduated in August at Del Mar, beat allowance at Santa Anita on Oct. 2, then on Halloween took down the Twilight Derby (G2) for owner-breeder LNJ Foxwoods. He closed out the campaign with a fifth in the Hollywood Derby (G1).

Royal Ship. A Grade 2 winner on dirt last year, the 6-year-old gelding has not started since an off-the-board finish in the Aug. 21 Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar. He returned to Mandella’s barn earlier this year and has worked four times since Feb. 21, with the most recent being a bullet four-furlong drill in 46.6 seconds last Friday.

“He’s starting to shape up real well,” Mandella said. He said Royal Ship could use the $75,000 John Shear Mile Stakes going a flat mile on April 10 at Santa Anita as a springboard to his campaign.

“I’m hoping I can get him ready for that, but it’s a little sooner than I’d like.”

Last year for co-owners Fox Hill Farms and Siena Farm, the son of Midshipman won the Californian (G2) in April at Santa Anita. He went on to be second to Country Grammer in the Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) in late May and third in the San Diego Handicap (G2) before the Pacific Classic.

United. The multiple graded-stakes winner and two-time participant in the Breeders’ Cup Turf is slated to have a 7-year-old campaign for LNJ Foxwoods.

A gelded son of Giant’s Causeway, United has been off since winning the John Henry Turf Championship (G2) last Oct. 2. He was entered for a third try at the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar, but swelling in a suspensory ligament forced him to be scratched the week of the race.

United remains on break at the farm with the plan to return for the second half of the season.

“He’s getting more time off, and it will be towards the end of the season that you see him,” Mandella said. “It looks good, but you’re talking about a suspensory ligament so we’re not going to be in any hurry. We’ll bring him up as it feels good.”

United has compiled a record of 22: 10-4-1 with earnings of $1,813,549 in four seasons of racing. He has won seven graded stakes and helped fill the superfecta in seven other, including the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Turf when second by a head to champion Bricks and Mortar at 51-1.