Formidable Man delivers at odds-on in Shoemaker Mile
Any concern trainer Michael McCarthy may have had over a nearly seven-month layoff for Formidable Man entering Monday’s Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile proved unwarranted.
Sent off the 3-5 favorite under Flavien Prat, Formidable Man surged to the lead in mid-stretch of the $301,500 turf race and won comfortably by 1 1/4 lengths for his third top-level victory.
Click here for Santa Anita entries and results.
“He’s just a genuine racehorse,” McCarthy said. “I said earlier if he was ever going to be vulnerable, it was going to be today with the layoff. But he’s just been touting himself here for the last couple of days. I’m glad we were able to get six works into him.”
Formidable Man made his first start since finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Nov. 1 at Del Mar. Breaking from the inside post, Formidable Man settled in mid-pack along the rail and saved ground as Genius Jimmy (20-1) and Call Me Cory (5-1) battled on the lead. Call Me Cory ultimately got the better of the duel up front and ran the opening half-mile in 45.89 seconds.
On the second turn Call Me Cory was overtaken for the lead by Mi Hermano Ramón (22-1) as Formidable Man was just beginning to launch his bid. Mi Hermano Ramón, ridden by Antonio Fresu, led to the eighth pole when Formidable Man stormed passed him on the outside and won going away at a final time of 1:33.52.
As Mi Hermano Ramón weakened to the wire, Almendares (7-1) rallied to finish second by a neck over King of Gosford (11-1), last year’s Shoemaker Mile winner.
Prat, who rode King of Gosford to victory in last year’s Shoemaker Mile, never had been aboard Formidable Man before Monday.
“We had a very good trip, and it all worked out,” Prat said. “We were outside Mi Hermano Ramón, and he went on from there. They really did a good job in getting this horse back to the races. I looked at a lot of replays of his races, but I know the horse. I’ve ridden against him so many times. He’s just a straight-forward, very good horse.”
Formidable Man paid $3.40, $2.40 and $2.10. Almendares, trained by Phil D’Amato, returned $4.40 and $2.80. King of Gosford, also trained by D’Amato and ridden by Kazushi Kimura, paid $4.00.
Earlier on the card Prat won the Hollywood Gold Cup (G2) with Florida shipper Forged Steel for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.
Formidable Man is a 5-year-old horse by City of Light. Owned by William and Suzanne Warren, he improved to 17: 9-3-0 with $1,685,425 in earnings. In 2024, Formidable Man won the Hollywood Derby (G1) at Del Mar and last year added a win in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1) at Santa Anita.
“Everything just came to plan,” said McCarthy, who won the 2021 Shoemaker Mile with Smooth Like Strait. “I can’t thank my guys enough for having this horse ready. And he takes care of us, this horse.”