Kentucky Derby favorite: Forte runs off, wins Fountain of Youth

Hallandale Beach, Fla.

Even with the best of 2-year-old colts, there always is the question of how they will transition to 3.

The 2022 juvenile male champion Forte, making his sophomore debut, provided an emphatic answer to that question when he controlled the Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes by 4 1/2 lengths on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

It was the fifth victory in six starts for the dark bay son of Violence. He had closed a spectacular 2-year-old campaign by rattling off three successive Grade 1 victories, culminating in the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. With his rousing return for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., he surely enhanced his standing as the one to beat in Kentucky Derby 2023.

Click here for Gulfstream Park entries and results.

“I wouldn’t want to trade places with anybody in the world right now,” said Mike Repole, who co-owns Forte with Vinnie Viola’s St. Elias Stable. “This was the best 2-year-old. But you know what? There is no debate. After today this is the best 3-year-old.”

There still is a long way to May 6, but no one could argue that point. In Las Vegas, Forte is listed at 9-2 by Circa Sports to win the Kentucky Derby and 7-2 by Caesars Sportsbook to bring home the roses.

Pletcher, who does not typically beat the drum for his horses, had said before the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth that the youngster was training better than he ever had. He was not at all surprised by how easily Forte dispatched runner-up Rocket Can, who backed up his Feb. 4 Holy Bull (G3) win at Gulfstream with a solid effort for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

“We said before the race that he was doing exceptionally well,” Pletcher noted. “This is the kind of performance we were hoping for and kind of expecting.”

It was music to Pletcher’s ears when Ortiz assured him that there was plenty left in the tank.

“We thought we had a program that would put him in position to be ready to run and still have room for improvement,” the trainer said. “I think we were able to accomplish that.”

Forte paid $3.00, $2.40 and $2.10 across the board. He completed the distance in 1:43.12 and was as handy as he could be for his rider after being jostled at the start. That did not keep them from securing a comfortable mid-pack position behind front-running Cyclone Mischief, who weakened to third.

The promising Mage, making only his second start, ran evenly to be fourth. The field was reduced to nine when Swale winner General Jim was scratched because of illness.

Cyclone Mischief, rebounding from a disappointing seventh-place effort in the Holy Bull, took the field through a comfortable opening quarter in 24.05 seconds. The half went in 47.65 seconds and the opening three-quarters in 1:11.84.

Ortiz was merely biding his time. He asked his mount to quicken as they began the run into the far turn. He blew past Cyclone Mischief at the top of the stretch and was ridden out, the easiest of winners.

The next step, the last step before the Kentucky Derby, almost surely will be the April 1 Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream.

“I would say off the strength of this race today and the way he handled everything, the Florida Derby would be most likely,” Pletcher said.

Mott was fairly content with Rocket Can’s performance.

“He was a little more wound up than I actually like to see him,” the trainer said. “I was hoping he wouldn’t get too excited, but it still looked like he ran his race. He looked like he held on well.”

Repole knows firsthand how treacherous it can be when a 2-year-old champion turns 3. He had a brilliant juvenile when Uncle Mo swept all three of his starts to win the Eclipse Award in 2010. But the brilliant Uncle Mo never quite made it to the Kentucky Derby. He was scratched the day before because of a rare liver ailment and never regained his brilliance. But for one sunny afternoon at Gulfstream, that felt like ancient history amid the buzz surrounding Forte.

“It looks like he has a lot of upside,” Pletcher said of a youngster who already has shown so much.