2025 Forego Stakes Entries at Saratoga

Forego offers a "Win and You're In" berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile

Book'em Danno has gotten the better of Mullikin in their last two outings here and the familiar foes will square off once more in the Grade 1, $500,000 Forego Stakes, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses, at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, August 23.

The Forego offers a "Win and You're In" berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar.

The Forego is slated as Race 12 on Saturday's 14-race card, which is headlined by the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes in Race 13.

The stacked program offers three other top-level $500,000 events with the nine-furlong Personal Ensign in Race 9, the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial in Race 10, and the Ballerina Stakes in Race 11. The program is supported by the Grade 2 Lake Placid in Race 7.

First post is 11:10 a.m. Eastern with gate opening the public at 9 a.m

Atlantic Six Racing's Book'em Danno, New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year in 2023-24, utilized stalk-and-pounce tactics under regular rider Paco Lopez to best the more prominent Mullikin in both the Grade 3 True North over 6 1/2-furlongs of a sloppy and sealed main track and the six-furlong Grade 2 Alfred G. Vanderbilt on July 19 over fast footing. The Vanderbilt victory earned a career and field-best 111 Beyer Speed Figure.

Trainer Derek Ryan said he was impressed that Book'em Danno was able to reel in his rival traveling three-quarters last out after a slight bobble at the start.

"He's bigger than last year, stronger and more professional," Ryan said. "I was surprised we got him going six [furlongs] - seven is a good distance for him, but he's very versatile."

Ryan said Book'em Danno [post 4, Paco Lopez, 124 pounds] had a sharp blowout August 16 at Monmouth Park to prepare for the Forego.

"We blew him out three-eighths out of the gate to sharpen him up. He's good to go," Ryan said.

Book'em Danno's impressive record at the Spa includes a win in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun and a troubled third in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial here last year.

"He doesn't go up there just to look at the place," said Ryan, with a laugh. "He likes the distance; he likes the track. He'd been training awfully good, and he seems to run for Paco. He's 3-for-4 at Saratoga now. I just want them to get position and go from there."

The 4-year-old Bucchero gelding, who kicked off the campaign with a restricted handicap score in March at Colonial Downs, has won three of his four starts this year, the only miss being a neck fourth to the victorious Mindframe in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Churchill Downs over sloppy and sealed footing in May.

The seven-time stakes winner is out of the unraced Ghostzapper mare Adorabella, who also produced dual stakes-winner Girl Trouble. He has banked in excess of $1.5 million via a 15-9-3-1 ledger and is named after the catchphrase from the television show Hawaii Five-O.

Mullikin (WinStar Farms) [post 7, Flavien Prat, 124 pounds] sports a couple of changes from his last-out effort in the Vanderbilt with Flavien Prat returning to the saddle along with a shorter commute to the starting gate.

Trained by Rodolphe Brisset, the 5-year-old Violence horse shipped in from Kentucky for the Vanderbilt and was piloted by Jose Ortiz as Prat was at Monmouth Park to ride the NYRA Bets Haskell Day card.

Brisset is hopeful that an extended stay at the Spa has benefited Mullikin.

"Could that be the answer where he has a little extra energy the last eighth of a mile? I don't know," Brisset said. "Maybe Book'em Danno is just a better horse, but staying in the stall is not going to give us any answers. Even if we are second choice, there's nothing wrong with being second choice in a Grade 1. We'll see what happens Saturday."

Mullikin, who had the lead at the stretch call in the True North, scrambled to find his footing out of the gate in the Vanderbilt but recovered to press Damon's Mound down the backstretch. Mullikin took over from Damon's Mound late in the turn as a ground-saving Book'em Danno angled off the rail and overtook Mullikin with a furlong to run.

"Jose did a very good job first time getting on him and we were where we needed to be turning for home," Brisset said of the Vanderbilt effort that earned a 106 Beyer. "Obviously, Paco was where he needed to be too, and he went by us. All around, we cannot be disappointed with a career-best Beyer. Hopefully we come back and run even faster."

Mullikin put together a four-race win streak last year that included wins in the Grade 2 John A. Nerud in July at Belmont at the Big A and a 5 3/4-length romp in the Forego last August here.

Prat was in the irons as Mullikin worked a half-mile in 49.03 August 16 over the Oklahoma dirt training track in his third local work as the dark bay looks to return to the winner's circle for the first time in six starts since his Forego win.

"You can hope they would all be like him. He's easy to be around and a good racehorse, too. Very professional. He does his work and doesn't get bothered by anything," Brisset said.

Mullikin is out of the graded stakes-placed Congrats mare Tulira's Star, a half-sister to Grade 3-winner Mountain General.

Tristar Farm's New York-bred Doc Sullivan [post 11, Joel Rosario, 120 pounds] returned from a more than four-month layoff to capture the state-bred John Morrissey here on July 31 traveling seven furlongs over a muddy and sealed track.

The 4-year-old Solomini dark bay, who was trained through his first 14 starts by Mike Miceli, enjoyed a freshening in Kentucky after a fourth-place finish in an open optional-claimer in March at Aqueduct Racetrack.

He trained with the John Ortiz stable in Kentucky and relished the wet going in the Morrissey under Hall of Famer Joel Rosario, overtaking Grade 1-placed The Wine Steward to post a head victory in a final time of 1:22.69. The winning effort registered a career-best 98 Beyer.

"I think he ran an incredible race," Ortiz said. "His figures came back to be career-bests, pretty much all of them. We were happy that he not only did that but came out of the race sound. He's bigger, happier and stronger. He's glowing right now; he has dapples on top of dapples. You take all of these signs and with nowhere else to go, why not go for a Grade 1."

Ortiz credited Rosario with a strong ride on the 15-start veteran, who took the state-bred Mike Lee here last summer by four lengths over a sloppy and sealed track.

"I think he loves the slop. I'm going to be doing the rain dance for Saturday," Ortiz said, with a laugh. "I told Joel, the only thing to know about this horse is that he's a grinder. He got moving on him early enough and timed it right. There were some heavy-hitters in that race, and we are just happy to have come out on top."

Bred by Seamus Coughlan, Doc Sullivan is out of the Giant's Causeway mare Queen Frostine and was a $59,000 purchase at the 2023 OBS June Sale of 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age. He has banked $497,090 via a 15-5-5-2 record.

Dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox sends out dual Grade 3-winner Bishops Bay [post 2, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 122 pounds] and Grade 3-winner Most Wanted [post 1, Florent Geroux, 120 pounds] in search of his first win in this event.

Bishops Bay brings a four-race win streak dating to an optional-claiming score in January at Oaklawn Park that was followed by a neck score over next-out winner Bendoog in the restricted American Pharoah in March at the Arkansas oval.

The 5-year-old Uncle Mo bay's last two outings have come in Grade 3 events traveling one-mile over wet tracks, taking the one-turn Westchester over muddy and sealed footing in May at Belmont at the Big A and the two-turn Salvator Mile over sloppy and sealed going on June 14 at Monmouth Park.

"He's put together a nice win streak and we've pointed for this since the Monmouth race. We're trying to take a swing at a Grade 1," Cox said.

Cox recalled Bishop Bay's effort in the 2023 Grade 3 Peter Pan at Belmont Park when he lost a thrilling stretch duel by a head to Arcangelo, who went on to win the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets and the Spa's Grade 1 Travers.

"He's a very good horse and he's had a couple setbacks throughout his career...I'd say it to this day, he let Arcangelo get in front of him there at the wire in the Peter Pan and after the wire he came back on," Cox said. "He's a tremendous talent. I do think he's best around one-turn - I'd love for this to be a one-turn mile - but it's seven-eighths. Still, I think he's going to run big."

Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, Bishops Bay is campaigned by Spendthrift Farm, Steve Landers, Martin Schwartz, Michael Dubb, Ten Strike Racing, Jim Bakke, Titletown Racing, Kueber Racing, Big Easy Racing, Rick Kanter, Michael J. Caruso and WinStar Farm. A $450,000 purchase at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, he is out of the dual graded stakes-placed Pioneerof the Nile mare Catch my Drift and is a half-brother to the Cox-trained Grade 2-winning millionaire Catching Freedom.

Gary and Mary West's Most Wanted, a 4-year-old Candy Ride colt, has posted triple-digit Beyers in each of his last three outings. He was second traveling 1 1/16-miles in both the Grade 3 Challenger [102] in March at Tampa Bay Downs and Grade 2 Alysheba [105] in May at Churchill Downs before taking a one-mile optional-claimer [101] at the Louisville oval on June 1 after scratching out of the nine-furlong Grade 3 Blame one day earlier.

"We turned him back to a mile last time. We were entered in the Blame going a mile and an eighth and decided to scratch and run in that spot to see how he handled the turn back. He handled it really well," Cox said. "He ran really big in the Challenger off the layoff and again in the Alysheba. I think if he can get a good trip, he'll be a big factor. He's super consistent and an honest horse with a big pedigree."

Most Wanted, out of the Distorted Humor mare Beach Walk, is a half-brother to multiple Grade 1-winning multimillionaire Life Is Good, who captured the 2022 Grade 1 Whitney at the Spa.

A talented field includes Crazy Mason [post 6, Manny Franco, 122 pounds], winner of the Grade 2 Carter presented by NYRA Bets in April at Aqueduct Racetrack for trainer Gregg Sacco; Grade 3-winners Extra Anejo [post 5, Ben Curtis, 122 pounds] for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and Full Moon Madness [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche, 122 pounds] for conditioner Michelle Nevin; Grade 3-placed Scotland [post 8, Junior Alvarado, 120 pounds] for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott; stakes-placed Over and Ollie [post 9, Jose Ortiz, 120 pounds] for trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr.; and allowance winner Hold My Bourbon [post 10, Luis Saez, 120 pounds] for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr.

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