ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — Forbidden Kingdom romped to a 5 3/4-length victory in the $400,000 San Felipe Stakes on Saturday, beating a pair of 3-year-old colts from the barn of embattled trainer Bob Baffert.
Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Forbidden Kingdom ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.98 on a showery, 55-degree day at Santa Anita.
Trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, Forbidden Kingdom took the lead out of the gate on the way to his third win in five career starts. He’s a son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, who was trained by Baffert.
“He was just unbelievable. He’s just so fast and he kept going faster,” Baffert said about Forbidden Kingdom. “(Flavien) Prat said he thought at the quarter-pole that he was going to get him, but he took off again. I said his dad did the same thing. It’s a great day for Pharoah. He’ll always be dear to my heart.”
It was Forbidden Kingdom’s first try going two turns.
“I was very anxious. You just don’t know if a horse like this will get two turns, but hell, he looked better,” Mandella said.
In four of his wins, the colt has led all the way.
“He’s really fast,” Hernandez said “A couple jumps after we break, he was in front already and I just let him run. I threw him loose on the lead and he never stopped. He showed how good he is.”
Sent off as the even-money favorite in the field of seven, Forbidden Kingdom paid $4, $2.40 and $2.20. The chestnut colt earned 50 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby on May 7.
It’s been 18 years since Mandella had a starter in the Kentucky Derby, where he’s 0 for 6. His last trip to Louisville ended in heartbreak when morning-line favorite Omaha Beach was scratched days before the 2019 race because of a throat issue.
“Omaha was a great horse. This guy is turning that way,” Mandella said. “We just hope we keep him as good as he is today.”
Trained by Baffert, Doppelganger returned $2.60 and $2.40 in bouncing back from a fourth-place finish in his last start in the San Vicente. He was beaten by Forbidden Kingdom in that race on Jan. 25.
“He’s still learning how to run and he was chasing a really fast horse,” Baffert said. “I think he’ll move forward off of that.”
Baffert’s other entry, 9-2 shot Armagnac, finished sixth.
Happy Jack was another 4 3/4 lengths back in third and paid $5 to show.
Baffert’s day at Santa Anita began promisingly enough. He finished 1-2 in the second race on the card and won the $200,000 San Carlos Stakes with 3-5 favorite Cezanne.
He also saddled 1-5 favorite As Time Goes By to a 2 1/4-length victory in the $500,000 Beholder Mile for fillies and mares. His other entry, Varda, was third.
At New York’s Aqueduct, Baffert’s entry, Rockefeller, finished last in the 10-horse field for the Gotham Stakes. The $300,000 race awarded Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top four finishers, with Morello the winner.
“When he stumbled and fell back, I didn’t like that because I wanted him up near the lead,” Baffert said. “Once he stumbled, he never got into it. I’m going to ship him to Kentucky and give him a little break.”
Baffert was allowed to run in New York while he awaits a final ruling in the New York Racing Association’s case to ban him from its tracks.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission denied Baffert’s request for a stay of his 90-day suspension on Friday. His suspension came after a ruling last month by Kentucky stewards that disqualified the late Medina Spirit from his victory in the 2021 Kentucky Derby after he failed a postrace drug test.
“We’re fighting for that horse,” Baffert said. “To me, I still think he shouldn’t have been disqualified.”
The suspension was originally scheduled to begin on Tuesday. Instead, a Kentucky judge will hear the case on March 17 to decide if a stay should be issued.
“It’s a long process. It’s been tough, but we’re going to deal with it, fight the good fight,” Baffert said. “We have the truth and the facts on our side. You’re just hoping for cooler heads to prevail.”
In a separate issue, Baffert has been banned by Churchill Downs for two years as a result of Medina Spirit’s failed test. The trainer filed a federal lawsuit this week to try and reverse that ban and force the track to allow his horses to earn qualifying points for the Derby. As a result, Doppelganger didn’t receive the 20 points available for finishing second in the San Felipe.
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