Forbidden Kingdom, Simplification, Morello win Kentucky Derby preps
Forbidden Kingdom stamped himself a prime Kentucky Derby contender Saturday with a front-running, 5 ¾-length victory in the $400,000, Grade 2 San Felipe at Santa Anita Park.
Trained by Richard Mandella and ridden by Juan Hernandez, Forbidden Kingdom covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.98 and paid $4 as the even-money favorite.
“I was anxious to see this race and see if he would get two turns,” said Mandella, who notched his third San Felipe win. “He looked even better. I was a little nervous when I saw the 45 (45.90) on the board for the first half. He just did what he likes to do. … This guy is turning the corner, and he’s grown up.”
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Forbidden Kingdom earned 50 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, virtually assuring a spot in the May 7 Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs.
Forbidden Kingdom led from the start, setting fractions of 22.66 seconds for the quarter-mile, 45.90 seconds for the half-mile and 1:10.46 for three-quarters.
“Mr. Mandella had the horse ready,” Hernandez said. “He’s really fast. A couple of jumps after we broke, he was in front already. I let him run because if you fight with him he tries to go faster. I let him have fun. I turned him loose, and he never stopped. … He proved how good he is today."
Doppelganger, trained by Bob Baffert, finished second and was followed by Happy Jack and Beautiful Art.
Forbidden Kingdom is a son of American Pharoah and entered off a victory in the Grade 2 San Vicente on Jan. 29 at Santa Anita. He’s 3-1-1 in five career starts.
Mandella said Forbidden Kingdom will return for the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 9.
Simplification rallies in Fountain of Youth
Simplification rallied from off the pace to record a 3 1/2-length victory over In Due Time in the $400,000, Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park.
Trained by Antonio Sano and ridden by Jose Ortiz, Simplification covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:49.04 and paid $7 as the 5-2 favorite.
“I knew he was going to be tough today," Ortiz said. "I worked him last week, and Antonio had a lot of confidence in him. He broke well. He pulled me into the race. He put me there. At the three-eighths pole, I decided to go wide and follow Emmanuel and he was there for me.”
Simplification earned 50 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby.
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In Due Time was second, a length in front of long shot O Captain. Emmanuel, the second betting choice and trained by Todd Pletcher, finished fourth.
Simplification, a Florida-bred son of Not This Time, improved to 3-1-1 in six career starts. He entered off a runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Holy Bull on Feb. 5 at Gulfstream.
Simplification likely will return for the Grade 1 Florida Derby on April 2 at Gulfstream.
Morello rolls in Gotham
Morello overcame a bump out of the gate, stalked pace-setter Dean’s List and then cruised past him down the stretch to win the $300,000, Grade 3 Gotham at Aqueduct by 4 1/2 lengths.
Morello, trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by Jose Lezcano, covered the mile in 1:39.28 and paid $4 as the even-money favorite.
Morello earned 50 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby.
“He’s a very nice horse who has been doing everything right,” Lezcano said. “He’s one of the nicer horses I’ve ridden in the last three years. I never even touched him with the whip. You ask him a little bit and he takes off. It’s a good thing. I’ve ridden some good horses, and he’s showed me he’s one of those.”
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Dean’s List, who set fractions of 23.47 seconds for the quarter-mile, 47.77 seconds for the half-mile and 1:13.04 for three-quarters, held on for second and was followed by Golden Code and Life Is Great.
Morello, a son of Classic Empire, is undefeated in three career races and entered off a victory in the Jimmy Winkfield Stakes on Feb. 6 at Aqueduct.
Morello could return for the Grade 2 Wood Memorial on April 9 at Aqueduct.
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @KentuckyDerbyCJ.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Derby preps results: Winners of San Felipe, Fountain of Youth
