Forged Steel routs Hollywood Gold Cup; Formidable Man, Thought Process star on turf

One year after Skippylongstocking shipped in to capture the Hollywood Gold Cup (G2), another Saffie Joseph Jr. invader, Forged Steel, ran away with Monday’s $200,000 renewal at Santa Anita. 

The special Memorial Day card featured a pair of Grade 1s on turf, both won by the favorites as the class of their respective fields. Odds-on Formidable Man came off the bench to land the $301,500 Shoemaker Mile (G1), and the 7-5 Thought Process employed textbook stalk-and-pounce tactics in the $301,500 Gamely (G1). 

Hollywood Gold Cup (G2)

Unlike the veteran Skippylongstocking, who was already a multimillionaire before his Gold Cup raid, Forged Steel found this a congenial spot to score his first stakes victory. The C2 Racing Stable and Mathis Stables runner was dispatched as the 3.10-1 third choice, but his tactical speed proved overwhelming.

Jockey Flavien Prat leveraged his rail post to secure the early lead. Although Forged Steel was prompted by the 9-5 favorite, Malarchuk, he was unfazed by the company. Indeed, Malarchuk was the one unable to maintain the pace after splits of :23.22, :46.73, and 1:11.25. 

Forged Steel spurted clear of the tiring Malarchuk by the mile mark in 1:35.66. If there were any stamina scruples about the Vekoma colt, he answered them by opening up at will down the stretch. 

His winning margin of 9 1/2 lengths set a new stakes record, surpassing Lava Man’s 8 3/4-length demolition job in the 2005 edition at its eponymous Hollywood Park. Yet Lava Man clocked his 1 1/4 miles in 1:59.63 at the old Hollywood, while Forged Steel crossed the wire in 2:01.58 in the race’s current incarnation.

Malarchuk salvaged second by a nose from McVay, with British Isles another half-length astern in fourth. Subsanador, the 2.70-1 second choice, never factored and eased home last of the quintet.

Forged Steel’s new career high advanced his resume to 18-5-3-3, $416,130. The gray had placed in a trio of stakes during his sophomore campaign in 2025, going close in the Cutler Bay S. and English Channel S. on the Gulfstream Park turf prior to a third in the Carry Back S. in the slop. 

Since sticking to the main track of late, Forged Steel has gone 3-for-4. His only loss in this span was a third in the 1 1/2-mile Temperence Hill S. at Oaklawn Park March 28, and he rebounded in a one-mile allowance at that venue May 2. 

Bred by Richard Wilson in Kentucky, Forged Steel is out of the Tale of the Cat mare Scorecard. The $190,000 OBS March juvenile hails from a productive Canadian family including two-time Sovereign Award champion Irish Mission. 

Shoemaker Mile (G1)

Prat made it a double aboard Formidable Man, who was bet down to 7-10 favoritism in the absence of his most logical rival, El Potente. Last seen finishing second to Godolphin’s Notable Speech in the Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1), the Michael McCarthy trainee lived up to his name – and his formlines – despite the layoff.

Formidable Man enjoyed an ideal ground-saving passage just off the pace. Up front, Call Me Cory sparred with longshot Genius Jimmy through an opening quarter in :22.94 on the firm course. Call Me Cory took sole command by the half in :45.89, but he lost the advantage to Mi Hermano Ramon passing six furlongs in 1:09.97.

By that point, Formidable Man angled out for clear sailing into the stretch. The son of City of Light took care of unfinished business from last year, when he was a belated fourth in the Shoemaker. This time, he was on the premises to stamp his authority in a 1 1/4-length decision in 1:33.52.

Almendares rallied for second, a neck up on fellow closer King of Gosford, last year’s hero who settled for third in his title defense. Seal Team was the same margin back in fourth, followed by Genius Jimmy, Mi Hermano Ramon, Twirling Point, and Call Me Cory. El Potente was scratched after spiking a fever.

Sporting the colors of William K. Warren Jr. and Suzanne Warren, Formidable Man has bankrolled $1,685,425 from his 17-9-3-0 mark. The bay first announced himself on this circuit by sweeping the 2024 Oceanside S., Del Mar Derby (G2), and Hollywood Derby (G1). 

Formidable Man enhanced his profile at four, adding the Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1) at this course and distance as well as the Eddie Read (G2) and Del Mar Mile (G2). Perfect over the Del Mar turf until the Breeders’ Cup, he fared best of the North Americans when deferring only to British-based Notable Speech in the Mile. 

The five-year-old was bred by Town & Country Horse Farms in Kentucky and sold as a Keeneland September yearling for $375,000 to his current connections – the same owner/trainer tandem associated with sire City of Light. Formidable Man’s dam, the Grade 2-winning Silent Name mare Fanticola, was runner-up by a neck in the 2015 Gamely.

Gamely (G1)

Third in last summer’s Del Mar Oaks (G1) in her only previous attempt at 1 1/8 miles, Thought Process proved her effectiveness over the distance here to extend her stellar record to 7-for-10. 

Pedigree was always in her corner, as a daughter of Collected and the Creative Cause mare Creative Thinking, who romped in the 1 1/2-mile Keertana S. at Churchill Downs in 2018. The challenge for Thought Process was whether she could relax enough early, and the four-year-old is internalizing the message.

With regular rider Hector Berrios aboard, the Phil D’Amato filly broke sharply, but she allowed Rashmi to roll past her into the front-running role. Thought Process stalked in second as Rashmi doled out splits of :23.80, :48.45, and 1:12.84. 

Turning for home, Thought Process crept closer, and Berrios unleashed her in midstretch. The favorite collared Rashmi in short order and drew off by 2 3/4 lengths in 1:47.51.

Runner-up Rashmi was 1 1/4 lengths clear of Take a Breath, who nipped Hang the Moon for third. Next came Vronti, Public Assembly, May Day Ready, and A Thousand Miles.

Campaigned by the Estate of her breeder, Brereton Jones, in partnership with Little Red Feather Racing and Madaket Stables, Thought Process was earning her fifth stakes laurel but first at the Grade 1 level. The chestnut won the 2024 Surfer Girl (G3) and Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf, last year’s San Clemente H. (G2), and the Feb. 28 Buena Vista (G2) in her latest. Her scorecard stands at 10-7-0-2, $680,200, with her lone unplaced effort coming in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).