Fipke Doubles Down on Winning Belmont

Chuck Fipke made his living traveling the world looking for diamond mines, and his fortune when he finally discovered a treasure trove at the Ekati site in the northern reaches of Canada. Along the way he survived poisonous jellyfish, malaria, lions, gorillas, helicopter crashes, and freezing sub-Arctic temperatures after his supply plane crashed.

Don’t expect him to be intimidated by the June 11 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets (gr. I), in which he starts homebreds Seeking the Soul and Forever d'Oro despite the fact each are coming off maiden victories just two weeks ago.

It doesn’t hurt that Fipke has enjoyed success in recent years with horses of similar experience. In 2013 his homebred Golden Soul finished second in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) behind Orb   at odds of 34-1. He had won a maiden race at 2, but nothing else. And last year Fipke homebred Tale of Verve ran second to American Pharoah   in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) at odds of 28-1. He, too, had just a maiden victory at 2 to his credit. The common thread is trainer Dallas Stewart, who trained all four of the horses mentioned.

“The other horses you can look back on, but you have to live for today and see what kind of horses you’ve got and see if they fit,” Stewart said. “Nobody’s been a mile and a half yet, so their pedigrees should get them some degree of it. They’re healthy, coming off wins, one has won over the track, and the other ran a very fast race at Churchill Downs.”

Forever d’Oro boasts the kind of pedigree you’d want to see from a Belmont contender. He is out of Fipke’s Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner Lemons Forever, who is a son of Belmont winner Lemon Drop Kid  . In just his second start, Stewart sent him nine furlongs on May 7, Derby Day at Churchill Downs.

“He was buried on the fence in a bad situation that day,” said Stewart. “He came back and worked in :59 and looked great, so we sent him over to Belmont and it worked out. He didn’t break clean but came flying to win and ran a great race.”

Seeking the Soul stayed in Kentucky and ran a mile in breaking his maiden May 29, the same day as Forever d’Oro’s victory.

“He ran a mile in 1:34 1/5 and is a tough horse,” said the trainer. “He’d probably be OK running every week. And he’s from the family of Personal Ensign.”

Forever d’Oro is a half brother to grade I winners Forever Unbridled and Unbridled Forever, adding to his pedigree appeal. When training as a 2-year-old at the farm of J.B. and Kevin McKathen in Florida, he was considered the best horse on the farm. That was one year after American Pharoah had been the standout coming off the facility.

“He’s a good horse, a beautiful horse,” noted Fipke. “He got off to a slow start in his career, which was disappointing. But his family is tremendous, and Dallas has had incredible success for me and other people running maiden winners in the Derby and Preakness. So you can’t discount that. He’s got a pretty good knack for it.”

Fipke acknowledges his runners lack experience and the Belmont will provide stiff competition, but he’s game to fire his two shots with diamonds in the rough.

“It’s one of the best races in North America,” said the native of British Columbia. “I’ve always thought I’d rather win the Belmont than the Kentucky Derby because it takes more stamina and being a longer-distance race, it’s more of a challenge."