Forza Di Oro impressively romps to first stakes win in Discovery

After missing much of his 3-year-old season after emerging from last year's Remsen (G2) with what has been described as "a little problem," Forza Di Oro is rapidly making up for missed opportunities. On Saturday, the Speightstown colt followed up on a recent allowance victory with a dominating score in the $97,000 Discovery Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct.

Forza Di Oro was a ground-saving third most of the way as the favored Monday Morning Qb attempted to steal the race on the front end, but motored past that rival inside the furlong pole and drew off to score by 3 3/4 lengths. Junior Alvarado, who also won a pair of stakes at the Big A on Thursday, was aboard the winner.

"He broke nicely today and after that he put me in the spot where we wanted to be," Alvarado said. "I was a passenger the whole way around. He was just waiting for me to give him the green light when we turned for home."

A homebred racing for Don Alberto Stable and trained by Bill Mott, Forza Di Oro covered 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:50.03. He paid $8.30 as the fourth choice in a field of five 3-year-olds. Monday Morning Qb held second by 1 1/2 lengths over multiple Grade 3 winner Shared Sense, with Attachment Rate and Ralston completing the order of finish.

Second best in his debut last September, Forza Di Oro rebounded to graduate over the same track the following month over 1 1/16 miles. In the 9-furlong Remsen in early December, Forza Di Oro rated several lengths off the lead before fading badly to eighth, more than 24 lengths behind the winning Shotski.

Off 10 months, the chestnut reappeared in the aforementioned Oct. 9 allowance at Belmont over 1 1/16 miles, which he won by a neck at odds of 10-1. He's now earned $148,875.

"He had to stop with some issues he had, but he came back very strong this year," Alvarado said. "Mentally, he still hasn't caught up with his body. He's a big guy with a nice, long stride but I think mentally, he still has to put it together."

Bred in Kentucky, Forza Di Oro is a half-brother to multiple Grade 3 winner Silver Dust, both of whom were produced by the stakes-winning Hard Spun mare Filare l'Oro. Also hailing from this female family are the Grade 1-winning Stop Traffic, the dam of Whitney H. (G1) winner Cross Traffic.