Rinaldi leads all the way in the Forbidden Apple

One horse undoubtedly happy to have Saratoga back open for the summer is Rinaldi, who registered a front-running victory Friday in the $150,000 Forbidden Apple S. (G3), his fourth win in five attempts at the historic Spa course.

Setting a sensible pace of :24.31, :48.83, and 1:12.70 under Luis Saez, Rinaldi was set down turning for home and opened up a two-length lead in mid-stretch. The margin was whittled down to a half-length at the finish as the Chad Brown-trained pair of Value Proposition and Delaware both turned in mild late bids.

"He loves this course. He's a good miler," owner-trainer James Bond said. "Two turns with a small horse, he kind of steals away on the turns. You don't realize it, but all of a sudden he's got a length on you. He's just that quick. You just hope he has something left when he hits the wire and he did today."

Narrowly favored in the win pool over Value Proposition, Rinaldi paid $6.70 after covering one mile on the firm inner turf in 1:35.20. Value Proposition edged Delaware by a neck, with another Brown trainee, Sacred Life, a length behind in fourth. Next came Therapist, Corelli, Logical Myth, Sanctuary City, and Made You Look.

Rinaldi now owns a record of 11-5-2-1, $429,990. The five-year-old gelding won two New York Stallion S. in the summer of 2019 before wining up that season with a fourth in the Saranac (G3), his only loss to date at Saratoga.

In a trio of stakes apperances in 2020, Rinaldi captured the West Point S. at Saratoga, finished a dull sixth in the Mohawk S. at Belmont, and then rebounded with a solid fourth against open company in the Artie Schiller S. at Aqueduct. In his 2021 season debut, on April 10, Rinaldi led most of the way before Delaware ran him down by three parts of a length in the Danger's Hour S. at Aqueduct.

Bred in New York by Barry Ostrager, Rinaldi is by Posse and out of Dynamite Cocktail, a daughter of Dynaformer who's also reared Canadian champion Hollinger.