Formidable Man Wins Del Mar Derby for Sire's Team

Owners William and Suzanne Warren and trainer Michael McCarthy must have a sense of déjà vu with Formidable Man. The three collaborated on his sire, City of Light, in winning the 2018 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) and 2019 Pegasus World Cup (G1), and now Formidable Man has become a graded stakes winner for them after taking the Sept. 1 Del Mar Derby (G2T). Formidable Man, winner of Del Mar's opening-day Oceanside Stakes at a mile, faced five rivals, including Stay Hot, who captured the 1 1/16-mile La Jolla Handicap Aug. 4 at the track. Bettors favored Formidable Man in the 1 1/8-mile Derby at 6-5, with Stay Hot the 9-5 second-choice. Sketchy took the early lead, with fractions of :25.01 and :50.19, and the race evolved into three sets of pairs. Sketchy and Gold Foot led, with Atitlan and Formidable Man in the middle, and Guy Named Joe and Stay Hot at the back. Jockey Umberto Rispoli placed Formidable Man outside of Atitlan, just waiting for the right moment to ask his colt. "I thought I was in a good spot, and at some point I had to make my move," Rispoli said. "I was obviously waiting for Stay Hot to come running. Stay Hot was my main concern." Rispoli and Formidable Man were able to get the jump on Stay Hot, racing three wide into the stretch and grabbing the lead approaching the sixteenth pole. Stay Hot closed well from outside, but Formidable Man held him off to score by a half-length in 1:49.87 on firm turf. Atitlan finished 1 1/4 lengths back in third, followed by Gold Foot, Sketchy, and Guy Named Joe. Rispoli now has three wins and a second in five races aboard Formidable Man. "He's improving race by race," the jockey said. McCarthy and Rispoli collaborated earlier on the Del Mar card with first-time starter Bullard. The 2-year-old son of Gun Runner captured a six-furlong maiden race by 1 1/4 lengths. Formidable Man won in his racing debut on the Del Mar turf last September. The colt has won all three off his starts on the course. In nine starts, Formidable Man has four wins and two seconds—one of those seconds in the May 4 American Turf Stakes (G2T) at Churchill Downs. "We probably rushed him a little bit after he broke his maiden here," McCarthy said. "We backed off of him, and things have just come along for him. With each and every race, he has just seemed to get a little bit better." McCarthy purchased Formidable Man for the Warrens at the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale for $375,000 from Taylor Made Sales Agency. Town & Country Horse Farms bred Formidable Man in Kentucky from the Silent Name (JPN) mare Fanticola. The mare did all of her running in Southern California, winning two stakes at Santa Anita Park, including the 2015 Royal Heroine Stakes (G2T) on the turf. She broke her maiden at Del Mar on the turf. Formidable Man, champion Fierceness, and Chop Chop are 2024 graded stakes winners sired by City of Light. An earner of $5,662,200 on the racetrack, City of Light stood for a 2024 stud fee of $35,000 at Lane's End near Versailles, Ky.