El Potente in the Thunder Road, Benoit Photo
Santa Anita Press Release
ARCADIA, CA —Breeders’ Cup Mile runner-up Formidable Man, last year’s winner King of Gosford and graded stakes winners El Potente and Almendares lead a competitive nine-horse field set for the Grade I, $300,000 Shoemaker Mile on Memorial Day Monday at Santa Anita. Also on a 10-race holiday program is the Grade I Gamely Stakes for fillies and mares on turf and Grade II Hollywood Gold Cup. First post is 1 p.m. PT.
It was 6 ½ months ago that Formidable Man finished second at 18-1 to international star Notable Speech in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar on Nov. 1. Prior to that effort, the 5-year-old horse by City of Light won both the GII Del Mar Mile and GII Eddie Read at Del Mar. Trained by Michael McCarthy for owners William K. Warren Jr. and Suzanne Warren, Formidable Man has won half of his 16 starts and banked $1,505,425. Flavien Prat, winner of the last two Eclipse Awards as North America’s outstanding jockey, will ride Formidable Man for the first time since his debut win in September 2023.
King of Gosford won last year’s Shoemaker Mile by a neck over Mi Hermano Ramon, who also returns in this year’s edition of the Shoemaker. Trained by Phil D’Amato, King of Gosford most recently returned from a 7 ½-month layoff and finished fourth in the GIII American Mile won by stablemate Almendares on April 18. The 5-year-old English-bred horse by Zoustar races for Benowitz Family Trust, CYBT, Saul Gevertz, Michael Nentwig and Jeremy Peskoff. Jockey Kazushi Kimura rides King of Gosford for the first time.
El Potente, trained by Dan Blacker, won the GIII Thunder Road going one mile on turf at Santa Anita in February. Subsequently sent off the favorite in the GII Frank E. Kilroe Mile on March 7, El Potente finished second by a half length behind Final Boss, who has since been retired. A 7-year-old horse by Temple City, El Potente is 16: 7-3-3 with $384,786 in earnings. He is owned by My Way Racing. Regular rider Hector Berrios again has the call on El Potente.
Almendares won the American on April by a neck over Genius Jimmy, who also returns in the Shoemaker. It was the first graded stakes win for Almendares after numerous board hits. D’Amato trains the 5-year-old English-bred gelding by Havana Grey for owners CYBT, McLean Racing Stables, Ray Pagano, Gevertz and Nentwig. Jockey Antonio Fresu, who was aboard for the American win, will again be in the irons.
THE GRADE I SHOEMAKER MILE WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 8 of 10 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT
- El Potente—Hector Berrios—122
- Formidable Man—Flavien Prat—124
- King of Gosford—Kazushi Kimura—124
- Genius Jimmy—Juan Hernandez—122
- Almendares—Antonio Fresu—122
- Mi Hermano Ramon—Emisael Jaramillo—122
- Seal Team—Joel Rosario—122
- Call Me Cory—Mike Smith—122
- Twirling Point—Ricky Gonzalez—122
First post Monday is 1 p.m. PT.
