Forbidden Kingdom

Saturday's GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby was billed mainly as a match-up of back-to-back Grade II winner Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah) and 15-length GIII Robert B. Lewis S. romper and 'TDN Rising Star' Messier (Empire Maker), but the former dropped out of it in the lane after setting the pace, and $1.7-million FTFMAR buy Taiba (Gun Runner) ran by fellow Tim Yakteen trainee Messier to post the 4-1 upset and stamp his ticket to the GI Kentucky Derby. Having earned 'Rising Star' status himself and a gaudy 103 Beyer Speed...

Barring something unforeseen, they are both headed to Louisville in a month's time, but Saturday's GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby will make either Messier (Empire Maker) or Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah) the left coast's best chance at GI Kentucky Derby glory when they go head-to-head for the second time Saturday afternoon. Named a 'TDN Rising Star' when graduating by a space at second asking over a six-furlong trip that was always bound to be sharp, Messier easily handled Forbidden Kingdom in Del Mar's GIII Bob Hope S. over seven furlongs...

Barring something unforeseen, they are both headed to Louisville in a month's time, but Saturday's GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby will make either Messier (Empire Maker) or Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah) the left coast's best chance at GI Kentucky Derby glory when they go head-to-head for the second time Saturday afternoon. Named a 'TDN Rising Star' when graduating by a space at second asking over a six-furlong trip that was always bound to be sharp, Messier easily handled Forbidden Kingdom in Del Mar's GIII Bob Hope S. over seven furlongs...

Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharaoh), one of the favorites in Saturday's GI Santa Anita Derby, stands to earn a $4-million stallion bonus for his connections if he wins. The "Future Stallion Bonus" is an incentive for selected MyRacehorse-owned horses to earn connections financial benefits if they win a Grade I event on the dirt in the U.S. "We selected a few really well-bred colts and attached a pre-payment of potential stallion value as a way of providing a more immediate financial return for winning a Grade I," said Michael Behrens, Founder...

Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah), an early GI Kentucky Derby favorite and a leading contender for the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby Apr. 9, missed a scheduled work Friday due to a minor temperature. "He had a slight temperature at the end of the morning yesterday," Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella said. "It's down today and his bloodwork is good, so we're hoping it passes quickly." Forbidden Kingdom was a front-running daylight winner of his last two starts--the GII San Vicente S. at seven furlongs Jan. 29 and the GII...

Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella looks to have a great chance of saddling his first GI Kentucky Derby starter since the mid-2000s with a major contender in GII San Felipe S. romper Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah), and Tuesday, Mandella sat down with the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland to talk about his electric speedster, the impending Hall of Fame induction of former trainee Beholder, his view on the state of California racing after its trials of the past few years and more. "Truly excited," Mandella, calling in via...

Fresh off an exciting weekend with Forbidden Kingdom's win in the GII San Felipe S., trainer Richard Mandella joins the TDN Writers' Room to discuss the Derby hopeful and his enthusiastic connections, Spendthrift Farm and MyRacehorse.

Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah), the dominant winner of this past Saturday's GII San Felipe S. owned by micro-share syndicate MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm, has been installed the 5-1 morning-line favorite in the fourth of five Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) pools. Wagering will be offered Friday through Sunday. The 24 betting interests are as follows (new interests denoted with an asterisk): #1 Barber Road (Race Day, 50-1); #2 Call Me Midnight (Midnight Lute, 50-1); #3 Charge It* (Tapit, 30-1); #4 Classic Causeway (Giant's Causeway, 15-1); #5 Cyberknife* (Gun Runner, 50-1);...

Flavien Prat is in the right place at the right time in Southern California. Young and gifted, he dominates the circuit in a way no jockey has in years. He picked up his 60th win of the meet Saturday, 25 more than runner-up Juan Hernandez. He won three stakes on the card, giving him 15 for the meet. And he rides for just about all the top barns on the circuit, most notably Bob Baffert. It's far, far from broke, but Prat is intent on fixing it. On Saturday, he...

MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm's Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah) ran off from his rivals at the start and never looked back, dominating Santa Anita's GII San Felipe S. Saturday while picking up 50 GI Kentucky Derby points. Last seen besting GISW and next-out Saudi Derby scorer Pinehurst (Twirling Candy) in the seven-furlong GII San Vicente S. here Jan. 29, the even-money faorite out-footed two foes into the first turn and zipped along through splits of :22.66 and :45.90 as Armagnac (Quality Road) gave chase a few lengths behind and very far...

Two for three in one-turn tests on the main track, MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm's Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah) tries a distance of ground as the narrow 8-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday's GII San Felipe S. at Santa Anita. A $300,000 graduate of the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase, the chestnut wired a field of Del Mar maidens on debut going 5 1/2 furlongs Aug. 21, but failed to transfer that form to the grass when third--albeit with some trouble--in the Oct. 1 Speakeasy S. at this venue. A pacesetting second...

Foaling season is already underway at Springhouse Farm, where breeder Gabriel "Spider" Duignan says they are expecting to see around 50 new foals on the ground this year. On Saturday, Duignan enjoyed a brief respite from his work on the farm to celebrate a successful day on the racetrack. Forbidden Kingdom, a son of American Pharoah bred by Springhouse Farm, stamped himself as one to watch on the Triple Crown trail after he upset a trio of Bob Baffert runners in the GII San Vicente S. at Santa Anita. Trained...