Formidable Man pulls away mid stretch to win the Shoemaker Mile easily, Benoit Photo
Santa Anita Park Press
ARCADIA, CA —Any concern trainer Michael McCarthy may have had over a nearly seven-month layoff for Formidable Man entering Monday’s Grade I Shoemaker Mile proved unwarranted. Sent off the 3-5 favorite under Flavien Prat, Formidable Man surged to the lead of the $300,000 turf race in mid-stretch and won comfortably by 1 ¼ lengths for his third top-level victory.
“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 was making his first start since finishing runner-up 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 saving ground as longshot Genius Jimmy (20-1) and Call Me Cory (5-1) battled on the lead. Call Me Cory ultimately won the duel up front and ran the opening half mile in a sharp 45.89 seconds.
On the second turn, Call Me Cory was overtaken for the lead by Mi Hermano Ramon (22-1) as Formidable Man was just beginning to launch his bid. Mi Hermano Ramon, ridden by Antonio Fresu, led to the eighth pole when Formidable Man then stormed passed him on the outside and won going away in a final time of 1:33.52. As Mi Hermano Ramon weakened to the wire, Almedares (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, had never been aboard Formidable Man prior to Monday
“We had a very good trip and it all worked out,” Prat said. “We were outside Mi Hermano Ramon 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.”
Earlier on the card, Prat also won the GII Hollywood Gold Cup 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 K. Warren Jr. and Suzanne Warren, he improved to 17:9-3-0 with more than $1.68 million in earnings. In 2024, Formidable Man won the GI Hollywood Derby at Del Mar and last year added a Grade I win in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita.
“Everything just came to plan,” said McCarthy, who also won the 2021 Shoemaker Milewith Smooth Like Strait. “I can’t thank my guys enough for having this horse ready. And he takes care of us, this 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.
Live racing resumes Friday at Santa Anita with a nine-race card starting at 1 p.m.
GRADE I, $300,000 SHOEMAKER MILE QUOTES
JOCKEY QUOTES
FLAVIEN PRAT, FORMIDABLE MAN, WINNER: “We had a very good trip and it all worked out. We were outside Mi Herman Ramon 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 (before riding him for the first time), but I know the horse. I’ve ridden against him so many times. He’s just a straight-forward, very good horse.”
TRAINER QUOTES
MICHAEL MCCARTHY, FORMIDABLE MAN, WINNER: “He’s just such a genuine racehorse. 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. Everything just came into plan. I can’t thank my guys enough for having this horse ready. And he takes care of us this horse.
“We’ll play it by ear. We will get with the Warrens, unfortunately they aren’t here with us today.”
NOTES: The winning owners are William K. Warren Jr. & Suzanne Warren.
