Pletcher: Forte, Two Other Derby Entrants 'On Course'

One day before the May 6 Kentucky Derby (G1), Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher expressed satisfaction with the training and condition of his three entrants—Forte , Tapit Trice  and Kingsbarns .

Forte and Tapit Trice are the morning-line favorites in the $3 million, 1 1/4-mile classic at respective morning-line odds of 3-1 and 5-1, and Kingsbarns is a mid-priced 12-1 shot.

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte, last year's champion juvenile male who is 2-for-2 this year, galloped smoothly passing the media backstretch viewing area May 5 and appeared well leaving the wash rack following his morning bath. The other Pletcher trainees also trained and cooled out without incident.

On May 4, video captured on the TwinSpires Morning Works Show showed Forte stumbling briefly in the midst of his gallop before he completed training over the Churchill oval.

"It's not something you see very often," the two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer said of the stumble. "He just kind of took a little bit of a bobble step and recovered right away.

"As you could see this morning, he's out there changing leads at every spot beautifully and, getting over the ground well. So that was a one-off. I don't know what that was about, to be honest."

Asked about the safety process of a horse being examined after such an incident, Pletcher replied that Kentucky Horse Racing Commission veterinarians examined his horses Thursday and would continue to do so in the lead-up to Saturday's race.

It is standard procedure for all horses participating in major races like the Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup to be closely tracked as an equine safety measure. Veterinarians will sometimes advise scratches of those that show unsoundness or at deemed to be at increased risk.

Both Forte and Kingsbarn are on the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission Veterinarian's List until Saturday, as are some other Kentucky Derby entrants. A Veterinarian's List names horses ineligible to compete for a period of time, based on an undisclosed variety of reasons, among them, certain equine treatments that must be completed well before competition. 

Pletcher did not describe why they were on the KHRC Veteriarnian's List but called their placement on the list for the period of April 22 until Saturday "standard protocol for Kentucky Horse Racing Commission."

Forte appeared to train smoothly Friday, as he has for much of the lead-up to the Kentucky Derby.

Forte #kyderby pic.twitter.com/p6QQ9aDqE1

— Byron King (@BH_BKing) May 5, 2023

On May 2, the colt playfully bucked for a couple of strides in his gallop, leading co-owner Mike Repole, watching trackside, to exclaim, "Look at this guy feeling good."

Repole was not in attendance Friday, but Pletcher quipped that the outspoken owner "was on the phone with everyone. So it was almost just like he was here."

Following the scratches of Practical Move , Lord Miles , Continuar  and Skinner  leading up to Saturday's Derby, which allowed also-eligibles Cyclone Mischief , Mandarin Hero , and King Russell  to draw into the race, Pletcher expressed no regret in electing to enter Spendthrift Farm's Major Dude  in Saturday's $500,000 American Turf Stakes (G2T) as opposed to being a Kentucky Derby alternate. Pletcher and Spendthrift Farm representatives needed to make the decision by entry day, May 1.

"We kind of weighed the pros and cons," he said. "Had we had the choice of entering in both races, we would have, but with an accomplished turf horse and a race like the American turf with a significant purse, we felt like the best thing was to focus on that," Pletcher said.