Owners William and Suzanne Warren and trainer Michael McCarthy should feel right at home with The formidable man .
The three worked together to raise their father, City of Light by winning the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) and the 2019 Pegasus World Cup (G1), and now Formidable Man has become their first graded tournament winner after winning the Del Mar Derby (G2T) on September 1.
The formidable man, the winner Del MarThe opening day of the Oceanside Stakes at one mile, faced five opponents, including Keep warm who won the 1 1/16-mile La Jolla Handicap on August 4 at the track. Bettors backed Formidable Man in the 1 1/8-mile Derby at odds of 6-5, with Stay Hot the second choice at odds of 9-5.
sketch took an early lead, with fractions of :25.01 and :50.19, and the race developed into three groups of pairs. Sketch and Golden foot lead, with Atitlan and the Abominable Man in the middle, and The guy named Joe and Keep warm in the back.
Rider Umberto Rispoli took Formidable Man out of Atitlan, just waiting for the right moment to ask his foal.
“I think I’m in a good position, and at some point I have to make a move,” Rispoli said. “Obviously I’m waiting for Stay Hot to come. Stay Hot is my main concern.”
Rispoli and Formidable Man were able to get ahead of Stay Hot, running three wide into the final stretch and gaining the lead by the sixteenth post. Stay Hot closed well on the outside, but Formidable Man held him off to score by half a length in 1:49.87 on the hard 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 one runner-up finish in five races aboard Formidable Man.
“It’s improving with every race,” said the rider.
McCarthy and Rispoli previously teamed on the Del Mar card with the first-time starter Bull . 2 year old son Gunman won his first race six furlongs by 1 1/4 lengths.
Formidable Man won his racing debut at Del Mar last September. The colt has won all three of his starts at the track. In nine starts, Formidable Man has four wins and two runner-up finishes—one of those runner-ups coming in the American Turf Stakes (G2T) on May 4 at Churchill Downs.
“We probably pushed him a little bit after he broke his record here,” McCarthy said. “We backed off and things just clicked for him. Every race he seemed to get a little better.”
McCarthy purchased Formidable Man for the Warrens at the 2022 Keeneland September foal sale for $375,000 from Taylor Made Sales Agency. Town & Country Horse Farms has bred Formidable Man in Kentucky since Silent Name mare Fantasy. The mare has been running at full speed in Southern California, winning two awards at Santa Anita Parkincluding the 2015 Royal Heroine Stakes (G2T) on turf. She broke her own record at Del Mar on turf.
The formidable man, the champion Aggression And Tight Tight are the 2024 Graded Series winners bred by City of Light. A horse that has earned $5,662,200 on the track, City of Light earned a 2024 stud fee of $35,000 at Lane’s End near Versailles, Ky.
Video: Caesars Del Mar Derby Sportsbook (G2T)
