Santa Anita: Forbidden Kingdom rules in Joe Hernandez

Considered a top-tier Kentucky Derby prospect early last year but winless in his last six starts, Forbidden Kingdom came back running following a nearly six month freshening to take Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Joe Hernandez Stakes by a half length.

The Hernandez, originally scheduled at about 6 ½ furlongs down Santa Anita’s hillside turf course, was moved off the hill due to nearly half an inch of early morning rain.

Trained by Richard Mandella and ridden for the first time by Flavien Prat, Forbidden Kingdom, who was trying turf for the second time, showed an abundance of natural speed out of the gate and had a half length advantage on eventual runner-up Dancing Buck with three furlongs to run.

Turning for home, Forbidden Kingdom, running at the rail, raced head and head with Dancing Buck to the sixteenth pole, where Forbidden Kingdom was able to establish a half length edge, which held to the wire. Final time over the good track 1:14.92. 

A winner of the San Felipe Stakes (G2) on March 5, 2022 and subsequently a well beaten sixth as the even-money favorite in the Santa Anita Derby (G1), Forbidden Kingdom had been idle since finishing fourth in the Triple Bend Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita on May 27.

Off at 4-1 in a field of 12 three-year-olds and up, Forbidden Kingdom paid $10.60, $6.40 and $5.80.

A 4-year-old colt by American Pharoah out of the Five Star Day mare Just Louise, Forbidden Kingdom, who is owned by Spendthrift Farm and MyRacehorse, notched his third career Grade 2 victory and improved his overall race record to 12: 4-3-2. With the winner’s share of $120,000, he increased his earnings to $679,500.

Mandella said he was unsure how Forbidden Kingdom would handle the grass after a disappointing first try on the surface early in his racing career.

 “I always thought that he would like the grass but when I ran him as a 2-year-old on it, he didn’t do that good," he said. "He didn’t know what he was doing back then. We’ve also been on kind of a losing streak with him a while, so my confidence level was not great. He’s always trained like a really good horse and he is a really good horse. He fought an intestinal problem a year ago and it took I’m a while to get over it. I think now we are back in the game."

Ridden by Edwin Maldonado for Richard Dutrow, Dancing Buck, who broke from post position 12, ran too good to lose as he pressed the winner throughout, never threw in the towel and was easily second best, finishing 1 3/4 lengths in front of Turn On The Jets.

Off at 13-1, Dancing Buck paid $13.20 and $9.60.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez for Phil D’Amato, Ireland-bred Turn On The Jets, who was attentive to the pace, was off at 6-1 and paid $5.80 to show while holding off Daniel’s Magic by a neck.

Fractions on the race were 23.99 and 48.19 seconds and 1:09.16.