Trainer Michael McCarthy has a plan for Formidable Man that will hopefully take him to a victory in this year's Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) after a second in it last year. That plan involved the May 25 Shoemaker Mile (G1T) at Santa Anita Park, and Formidable Man followed through impressively.
Formidable Man was making his first start since running second to Notable Speech in the 2025 Breeders' Cup Mile. He faced seven rivals, all with more recent form and several coming out of the April 18 American Stakes (G3T).
With an impressive stack of stakes wins, Formidable Man went off as the 7-10 favorite under jockey Flavien Prat. Comfortable running midpack early in many of his previous races, Formidable Man used that strategy again in the Shoemaker. He raced in fourth behind Call Me Cory's fractions of :22.94 for a quarter-mile and :45.89 for a half-mile.
Prat waited until the second turn and then let Formidable Man move forward, putting his mount in a perfect position for the stretch run. Formidable Man took advantage of it, grabbing the lead past the eighth pole and defeating Almendares, who came from last early, by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:33.52. King of Gosford, like Almendares trained by Phil D'Amato, finished third.
"You always have a doubt going up against the caliber of horses running here today," McCarthy said. "Things set up nicely for him. He was able to sit a wonderful pocket trip. He's such a gritty horse—he knows where the finish line is."
Prat was riding Formidable Man for only the second time, following the horse's racing debut as a 2-year-old in 2023 at Del Mar. They won that day, making Prat a perfect 2-for-2 on him.
"I know the horse—I've ridden against him so many times," Prat said. "He's just a straightforward, very good horse."
McCarthy had to worry about whether Prat would get to the track in time after a 3 1/2-hour flight delay from New York. It wasn't as nerve-wracking as it was for Forged Steel's connections in the Hollywood Gold Cup (G2) a couple of hours earlier. But Prat arrived in time to win both races.
William Warren Jr. and Suzanne Warren of Tulsa, Okla., own Formidable Man, and McCarthy noted that they were unable to attend the race, saying hello to them when interviewed by FanDuel TV. Now a grade 1 winner at 3, 4, and 5, Formidable Man has given the Warrens many great moments, as he has now won seven stakes—two at Santa Anita and the others at Del Mar.
Following last year's Breeders' Cup, McCarthy sent Formidable Man out for a short break.
"He went to Bonnie Acres for 90 days, came back, and fortunately, he had no hiccups," McCarthy said. "If we had a hiccup along the way, we wouldn't have had a sixth work last weekend and wouldn't have made the race today."
McCarthy indicated that he would likely take Formidable Man to Del Mar for the summer, following a similar trajectory to the Breeders' Cup as he took last year. In 2025, Formidable Man won the Eddie Read Stakes (G2T) and Del Mar Mile (G2T).
McCarthy trained Formidable Man's sire, City of Light , for the Warrens, winning the 2018 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1). The conditioner selected Formidable Man out of the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $375,000 from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment. Town & Country Horse Farms bred Formidable Man in Kentucky from the graded stakes-winning Silent Name mare Fanticola, whose other foals include stakes-placed Cc Cola.
Formidable Man, Gran Yaco, Light Won Up, French Friction, and Bourbon Bash are 2026 stakes winners sired by City of Light. The stallion's earlier runners include champion Fierceness . City of Light is standing the 2026 season for $35,000 at Lane's End near Versailles, Ky.
