Forged Steel runs away from the field in the stretch to take the Hollywood Gold Cup, Benoit Photo
Santa Anita Park Press
ARCADIA, CA —A year after winning the Grade II Hollywood Gold Cup with Florida shipper Skippylongstocking, trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. did it again on Monday at Santa Anita. This time with Forged Steel. Sent off the 3-1 third choice, Forged Steel and jockey Flavien Prat grabbed the lead first time past the finish line and were never challenged on their way to a dominant 9 ½-length victory.
Forged Steel, a 4-year-old gray colt by Vekoma, set fractions of 23.22, 46.73 and 1:11.25 for six furlongs while being pressed by 9-5 favorite Malarchuk. At the quarter pole, reached in 1:35.66, Forged Steel edged away from Malarchuk and then poured it on in the stretch to win in a final time of 2:01.58. Malarchuk, ridden by Juan Hernandez for trainer Michael McCarthy, held second by a nose over Mc Vay (8-1).
For Prat, the win came after an adventurous trip to Santa Anita that forced him to miss his scheduled mount one race earlier.
“We got delayed for three and a half hours, it was a very long trip,” Prat said. “We stayed probably seven or eight hours on the plane. I’m just glad to be here.
“The horse ran a good race. It was my first time aboard him. He had a good run in his past races and he showed another good run here today.”
This was Prat’s second time winning the Hollywood Gold Cup. He also won in 2021 with Country Grammer for trainer Bob Baffert.
Forged Steel is owned by C2 Racing Stable and Mathis Stable. This was his first stakes win. Forged Steel entered the Gold Cup following a win in a second-level allowance going one mile at Oaklawn Park on May 2. He improved to 18: 5-3-1 with nearly $420,000 in earnings.
Forged Steel paid $8.20, $5.60 and $3.40. Malarchuk returned $3.60 and $2.60. Mc Vay, ridden by Hector Berrios for trainer Peter Eurton, paid $3.40.
JOCKEY QUOTES
FLAVIEN PRAT, FORGED STEEL, WINNER: “We got delayed for three and a half hours. It was a very long trip, we stayed probably seven or eight hours on the plane. I’m just glad to be here. The horse ran a good race. It was my first time aboard him. He had a good run in his past races and he showed another good run here today.”
NOTES: The winning trainer is Saffie Joseph, Jr. The winning owners are C2 Racing Stable, LLC and Mathis Stables, LLC.
