SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Book’em Danno will attempt to complete a sweep of the three graded sprint races for older horses this year at Saratoga in the $500,000 Forego on Saturday when taking on last year’s winner Mullikin and nine others. The Grade 1 fixture will be decided at seven furlongs and is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series race offering the winner a free berth into the Dirt Mile.
Trained by Derek Ryan, Book’em Danno has won three of four starts in 2025, including the Grade 3 True North at 6 1/2 furlongs and the Grade 2 Alfred Vanderbilt on the turnback to six panels within a six-week span here. Both victories came at the direct expense of Mullikin. Book’em Danno also captured the Grade 1 Woody Stephens and finished third in the Grade 1 Allen Jerkens over this course as a 3-year-old in 2024.
Book’em Danno has teamed up for each of his three victories this year with jockey Paco Lopez, who worked out nearly identical trips from just off the pace to capture the True North and Alfred Vanderbilt by 1 1/4 and 2 1/2 lengths, respectively. Book’em Danno earned a career best Beyer Speed Figure of 106 in the True North before shattering that mark by earning a 111 for his performance in the Vanderbilt.
“I feel the Vanderbilt was definitely his best race so far,” Ryan said. “He just keeps getting bigger and stronger as the year has gone on, and Paco really knows the way on him.”
Ryan said Book’em Danno has done well since his last start, with a couple of what he called maintenance works at Monmouth Park, including an easy five furlongs in 1:00.60 on Aug. 9 with Lopez aboard.
“He’s good to go, the distance is not a problem. Anywhere from six to seven furlongs is fine for him as long as he gets off the rail and sits the right trip,” Ryan noted.
Although his horse is currently rated among the top sprinters in the country, a potential start in the Breeders’ Cup is a topic Ryan really doesn’t care to talk about at the present time.
“I’m not really interested in the Breeders’ Cup right now,” Ryan emphasized. “He’s already had three hard races this year. If it was at Keeneland, it might be under consideration. But that track at Del Mar has a very short stretch and is very speed-favoring, although I guess if he gets a free berth by winning this race, it’s something we’d at least think about.”
Mullikin contested the pace and held the lead with less than a quarter-mile to run in both the True North and Vanderbilt before proving no match for Book’em Danno through the final furlong. Mullikin led at every call before drawing away to an eye-catching 5 1/2-length victory in the 2024 Forego but hasn’t won in five subsequent starts, which include a third-place finish in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar.
Trainer Rodolphe Brisset shipped Mullikin to Saratoga from his Keeneland base for his previous two starts but left him locally after the Vanderbilt. He is hoping that strategy might be a difference-maker in Saturday’s rematch with Book’em Danno.
“You can’t keep making excuses every week. But maybe keeping him here for this race will make the difference,” said Brisset. “I love what I’m seeing from him in his workouts for this race and I also love the seven-eighths. Maybe Book’em Danno is just a better horse. And if he is, then that’s fine.”
Although Book’em Danno and Mullikin are the clear-cut favorites in the Forego, there are plenty of other options to choose from up and down the large and accomplished lineup.
Trainer Brad Cox will send out the up-and-coming duo of Most Wanted and Bishops Bay, who will break from posts 1 and 2, respectively, while turning back to seven furlongs off a steady diet of longer races.
Most Wanted has put together a string of three consecutive triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures, including second-place finishes in both the Grade 2 Alysheba and Grade 3 Challenger in his first two starts of the year. Both efforts came at 1 1/16 miles. The Forego will be his first try at seven furlongs since winning his career debut 14 months ago at Churchill Downs.
Bishops Bay won his last four starts and has yet to finish worse than second in 10 lifetime outings. He will step up to the Grade 1 level for the first time off Grade 3 victories in the one-mile Westchester at Aqueduct and Monmouth Park’s Salvator Mile after surviving early pace duels.
“Both horses have nice race records, so I’m going to give them an opportunity against Grade 1 company,” said Cox. “Obviously it’s a deep race. The first two choices are Grade 1 winners and proven at that level. These two have to step up.”
Four other members of the field – Full Moon Madness, Over and Ollie, Hold My Bourbon, and the New York-bred Doc Sullivan – come into the race off victories at last asking .
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