Hymn best in Forego

After being gelded this spring, Hymn turned his form completely around. He could not win an entry-level allowance race prior to the ultimate equipment change, losing nine consecutive races, but the surging four-year-old notched his fourth win in the last five starts by gamely taking Saturday’s $500,000 Forego (G1) at Saratoga.

Hymn benefited from the scratch of last year’s Forego winner and reigning champion male sprinter Book’em Danno, who was cast in his stall overnight. Trainer Derek Ryan said Book’em Danno emerged from the incident without serious injury and will likely point to the Sept. 26 Vosburgh (G2) at Belmont Park.

Trained by Ron Moquett and ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., Hymn registered his first graded stakes success and received a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at Keeneland on Oct. 31. He left the Forego starting gate as 4.70-1 third choice. 

"That was a wonderful effort,” Moquett said. “We had a plan, and in this game the plans don't always go as you draw them up, but how cool is it for a plan to actually come together? That's great."

Tip Top Thomas showed the way early, with Hymn an up-close second tracking the pacesetter. Santana asked for run nearing the completion of the far turn, and Hymn responded, advancing to take a one-length lead with a furlong remaining. And he determinedly held rivals safe by three-quarters of a length on the wire, completing seven furlongs in 1:22.48.

T Kraft advanced up the inside to loom a danger at 23-1, and 3-2 favorite Senior Officer was in with a chance in deep stretch, but they lacked the necessary finishing kick and dead-heated for second. Late-running Crazy Mason wound up about another length back in fourth and was followed by Tim Top Thomas and Bring the Smoke.

After reeling off allowance wins at Oaklawn Park and Churchill Downs this spring, Hymn earned his first stakes win when taking the six-furlong Frank J. DeFrancis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park in late June. The dark bay son of McKinzie entered the Forego off a runner-up finish to Built in his graded stakes debut, the A.G. Vanderbilt (G2) at Saratoga on July 26.

“I broke really sharp,” Santana said. “I broke actually on top of (Tip Top Thomas). His last work when I worked him, I told Moquett, 'this horse is a different horse. I think we’ve got more power this time.' You know, (the Vanderbilt) was the first time I rode him. Today, I got more confident in the horse. I was working with him. He broke so sharp, I didn’t even grab him. And turning for home, he gave me enough kick to win.”

Owned by breeder Fleur de Lis Stables, William Sparks, and Bret Jones, Hymn is the first stakes winner out of the stakes-placed Salt Bee, a daughter of Paynter.