Kentucky-bred Formidable Man became a Grade 1 winner with an impressive score in the Hollywood Derby (G1) at Del Mar on Saturday, Nov. 30. Owned by William and Suzanne Warren and trained by Michael McCarthy, Formidable Man defeated King of Gosford (GB) by three-quarters of a length in the 1 1/8-mile turf test at the seaside oval.
The 3-year-old son of City of Light had demonstrated a fondness for Del Mar’s turf course over the summer, sweeping the Oceanside Stakes and the Del Mar Derby (G2). Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, Formidable Man stalked the pace from the inside early. He tipped out into the lane and took over at the sixteenth pole, edging away late for the score. Formidable Man covered the distance in 1:48.40.
“He had a fantastic trip,” McCarthy said. “I wasn’t sure what to make of the pace. On paper, it didn’t look like there was going to be a ton. Glad to see we were sitting where we were just behind the speed. He always looked like he was threatening to run a big one. A hole opened up, and he exploded.”
Formidable Man a Grade 1 winner
The $180,000 winner’s share of the purse increased his bankroll to $637.425. It was the fifth win in 10 starts and first Grade 1 score for Formidable Man, who was bred in Kentucky by Town and Country Horse Farms LLC.
“This horse has been working lights out for weeks,” noted Rispoli. “It is always a tough race at the end of the year. We have a few horses coming from back east, so we had to respect everybody, and the horses from California. But look, I am pleased.”
The stakes win was the second of the meet for Rispoli and for McCarthy and their first in the Hollywood Derby. Rispoli has 34 career stakes wins at Del Mar, and McCarthy has 14.
“He’s a horse I’ve had a tremendous amount of faith in,” McCarthy shared. “It seems like he’s getting better all the time.”