Mandella giving Forbidden Kingdom opportunity to succeed in San Felipe

ARCADIA, Calif. – Richard Mandella has never been one to try and put a square peg into a round hole. Mandella, a Hall of Fame trainer, wasn’t going to try Forbidden Kingdom around two turns until he was good and ready. It took four starts for Forbidden Kingdom to get that chance, but it finally arrives Saturday at Santa Anita and will determine his path ahead.

Speed is not the issue with Forbidden Kingdom. He’s got plenty. Learning to ration it is the task. He saw out seven furlongs with a front-running score Jan. 25 in the Grade 2 San Vicente, and now tries 1 1/16 miles in the Grade 2, $400,000 San Felipe Stakes, a points-scoring race toward the May 7 Kentucky Derby.

Seven entered the San Felipe, which, as race 6, comes midway through the 11-race card. There are 85 points on the line, including 50 to the winner, but two of the entrants – Armagnac and Doppelganger – are ineligible to earn points owing to Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s current status with Churchill Downs. And those two colts appear to be the main rivals to Forbidden Kingdom.

Forbidden Kingdom has won twice in four starts, and never has finished out of the money. He’s led at the opening quarter of every one of his races, and figures to try and make a similar run for it in the San Felipe under regular rider Juan Hernandez.

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Mandella has been trying to get Forbidden Kingdom to settle, working him most recently behind stablemate Micro Share, a maiden, in a seven-furlong drill Feb. 24 in which he was clocked in 1:25. On the video available on XBTV, Forbidden Kingdom broke off well behind, was on even terms in upper stretch, but never went by. It’s fair to wonder if he will get the trip, but with a 3-year-old in the spring, you have to find out.

“He’s as good as we can get him. It’s just a matter of whether he can do it or not,” Mandella said. “He’s improved in his training. He’s grown up. I think he’s settled down a little bit. He’s never been bad. It’s just that he’s got a lot of speed, and he likes to use it.”

Doppelganger, favored in the San Vicente, disappointed, finishing fourth, but has turned in three straight bullet works for this, his two-turn debut. Doppelganger and Armagnac, a maiden winner going 1 1/16 miles Jan. 21 in his second start, worked in tandem Feb. 25, six furlongs in 1:12.40.

“They worked really well,” Baffert said.

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Cabo Spirit was a distant second Feb. 6 to Messier in the Grade 3 Robert Lewis. Drawn just outside Forbidden Kingdom in post 7, he figures to stalk and hope the leader can’t stay the trip.

Trainer Doug O’Neill sends out Happy Jack, who was last in the Lewis, and the California-bred Worse Read Sanchez, who is making his first start in a stakes and against open company.

Beautiful Art beat maiden-claimers in his second and most recent start.