Formidable Man

She was claimed for $5,000 out of a race in which she bled badly. Yet here we are, 75 years later, celebrating Iltis (War Relic) as founder of a dynasty freshly decorated, coast to coast, on consecutive weekends. The moment of alchemy for Iltis was the transfer early in her breeding career to Ocala Stud, where a remarkable stallion, Rough'n Tumble, and the still more remarkable O'Farrell family were together putting Florida in the Thoroughbred map. A first date between Iltis and Rough'n Tumble produced My Dear Girl, as leading...

Journalism (Curlin), who finished third in the GII Oaklawn Handicap in his 4-year-old debut April 18 in Hot Springs, returned to the work tab Saturday at Santa Anita for trainer Michael McCarthy. Also working for McCarthy was MGISW Formidable Man (City of Light), who has been off since finishing second in the Breeders' Cup Mile on Nov. 1. Journalism worked four furlongs in :48.40. In the 1 1/8-mile Oaklawn Handicap, Journalism finished two lengths back of winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief), his rival from last year's Triple Crown run. McCarthy has...

The World Championships concluded Saturday with sterling efforts and drama abound, and the connections of the newly crowned took Sunday morning to provide updates on their charges as they look ahead. Trainer Michael McCarthy reported that all six of his Breeders' Cup horses came out of their races in good order, and plans for MGISW Journalism (Curlin)--whether to continue racing or retirement--will be finalized in the coming week. The colt finished fourth in the Classic under new rider Jose Ortiz. "This is more or less what we've seen from him...

Some 90 minutes after Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) finished a brave second in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf, Godolphin's Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) came running at the fence with time ticking away and was along in time to prevail in the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar. It was a fourth win in five years for Godolphin, jockey William Buick, trainer Charlie Appleby and the legendary Dubawi and came 12 months after Notable Speech finished a valiant third in a bid to run the Mile winning...

DEL MAR, CA - A swing through the course of American Thoroughbred history yields the widely-accepted conclusion that dirt plays the king in these parts, while turf is the patient understudy offstage left--turns are configured in that direction over here. It was not all that long ago that droves of U.S. tracks debated whether putting in a bladed surface and acquiring something called a going stick made any sense. Progressive places like Del Mar's Thoroughbred Club damned the salt in the marine layer and forged ahead with its first course...

Grade I winners Journalism (Curlin) and Baeza (McKinzie), each among the leading 3-year-old colts of 2025 with GI Breeders' Cup Classic aspirations, drilled Friday morning at Santa Anita in advance of their joint Nov. 1 target. Journalism, who is campaigned by the partnership of Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Elayne Stables 5 LLC, Robert V. LaPenta, Mrs. John Magnier-Lessee, Derrick Smith-Lessee, and Michael B. Tabor-Lessee, went a half mile in :49. The Michael McCarthy trainee was last seen finishing second to Fierceness (City of Light) in the...

Formidable Man continues to be a formidable horse when it comes to his turf at the seaside oval. With his win in the GII Del Mar Mile on Saturday, the 4-year-old is now perfect in all six of his attempts over the local course. The bay burst on the graded scene when he finished as the runner-up as a 3-year-old 24-1 shot in the GII American Turf Stakes on the Derby undercard at Churchill Downs. Coming back to Del Mar last summer--the site of his juvenile maiden-breaking debut--Formidable Man rattled...

When 'TDN Rising Star' Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo) went wire-to-wire to take out the 2023 GI Pacific Classic, it made trainer Bob Baffert the winningest trainer in the relatively short history of the event with seven winners, surpassing the late Bobby Frankel. The Hall of Fame conditioner will have every chance to extend that record when he sends out fellow 'Rising Star' Nysos (Nyquist) in a compelling renewal of the 10-furlong feature Saturday afternoon, with an all-expenses-paid trip to the GI Breeders' Cup Classic over the same course and distance...

Heavily favored Formidable Man found clear sailing along the rail in the lane and bound to the lead before drawing clear to a one-length victory in the GII Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar Sunday night. The 4-year-old is now five-for-five at the seaside oval which will host Breeders' Cup championship weekend in November. Sent off at 4-5, Formidable Man sat just off pacesetting Cabo Spirit in third while saving ground behind fractions of :24.97 and :49.00. He bided his time with nowhere to run on the far turn, but...

After striking gold beyond the boundaries of the Golden State with Journalism (Curlin) in the GI Preakness Stakes a little more than a week ago, jockey Umberto Rispoli and trainer Michael McCarthy are liable to find themselves front and center on the special Memorial Day program at Santa Anita with Formidable Man (City of Light) in the GI Shoemaker Mile Stakes. And if statistics are anything to go by, they should prove tough to handle, as the duo has combined to win at something around 27% at the Great Race...

Trainer Tom Morley reports that 'TDN Rising Star' SW & GISP Donegal Momentum (Uncle Mo) has exited his Mar. 6 seasonal bow at Fair Grounds in good form and that the connections have started mapping out a potential path through his 2025 campaign. Listing off plans which include a start in Keeneland's GI Maker's Mark Mile, the GIII Poker Stakes at the Spa, and the GI Fourstardave Stakes over the summer, Morely says it is not out of the wheelhouse that his charge might be running in a seven-furlong graded...

9th-Fair Grounds, $55,000, Alw (NW3$X)/Opt. Clm ($80,000), 3-6, 4yo/up, 1mT, 1:39.39, fm, 1/2 length. DONEGAL MOMENTUM (c, 4, Uncle Mo--Moon Dash {SP}, by Malibu Moon) was named a 'TDN Rising Star' at the beginning of a 3-year-old campaign which saw him win the Gio Ponti Stakes in October and finish out his season with a third, just one length off winner Formidable Man (City of Light) who took last week's GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile, in the GI Hollywood Derby at Del Mar Nov. 30. Cutting back to the mile...