Kentucky Derby Horse Profile: Forbidden Kingdom

Mar 08, 2022 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm’s Forbidden Kingdom picked up 50 points on the 2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series after posting a superb 5 3/4-length tally in the $401,000 San Felipe S. (G2) at Santa Anita on March 5.

Trained by Richard Mandella, the sophomore endured 1 1/16 miles on the fast dirt surface in 1:43.98 under the guidance of Juan Hernandez.

'He's really fast. A couple of jumps after we broke, he was in front already. I let him run because if you fight with him he tries to go faster,' Hernandez stated.

'I let him have fun. I turned him loose and he never stopped, he kept going the whole race. He proved how good he is today.'

Forbidden Kingdom earned his second consecutive graded stakes victory in the San Felipe and now sports a lifetime line that reads 5-3-1-1, $434,000.

The son of American Pharoah debuted in a maiden special weight dash at Del Mar on August 21 and was a winner at first asking while going 5 1/2 furlongs. He returned on October 1 to contest the grassy Speakeasy S. and finished third.

The colt capped his juvenile campaign with a runner-up performance in the Bob Hope S. (G3) at Del Mar, and the chestnut kicked off 2022 with a wire-to-wire score in the San Vicente S. (G2) at Santa Anita.

Forbidden Kingdom was bred in Kentucky by Springhouse Farm and fetched a final bid of $300,000 as a yearling at the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase in his birth state in 2020. He is the first black-type performer out of the stakes-winning Five Star Day mare Just Louise, who captured the 2010 Debutante S. (G3) at Churchill Downs. Just Louise counts herself as a half-sister to three-time graded stakes heroine Sara Louise.

Forbidden Kingdom is a three-year-old on the rise and boasts Brisnet Speed figures of 90-79-88-95-102 from his five career tries to date. The brilliantly swift youngster is still a question mark going classic distances, but he aced his route test with aplomb last time out and can’t be dismissed as he progresses on the Triple Crown Trail this season.

He is being pointed towards a start in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby (G2) on April 9.