Friday night’s $125,000 Forego Stakes for older sprinters, rescheduled from Jan. 28 due to the winter weather at Turfway Park, goes with a slightly larger field and a prominent newcomer. The Forego features many solid local performers with strong recent figures, including Multitask, who was not entered in the original renewal but is now the morning-line favorite.
Turfway opened a four-day race week on Wednesday night, with a jackpot pick six carryover of $498,746 surviving from last week.
Multitask, a Godolphin homebred trained by Eoin Harty, posted his career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 93, tied for the top last-out figure in this field, in his most recent outing. After running in a number of routes, he cut back to this 6 1/2-furlong distance for the first time and found the pace scenario favorable for a late run, finishing second in a Jan. 14 allowance. The winner was multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Arrest Me Red. Finishing behind Multitask were stakes winners Mischievous Rogue, Run Carson, and Best Actor.
Runnin’ Rocket faced similar company in his most recent outing, also earning a 93 Beyer, and perhaps offers value on the morning line compared to Multitask. The gelding made his first start since moving to Joe Sharp’s barn in December at Turfway, and he responded with an allowance win, defeating a field that included multiple graded stakes winner and 2023 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint victor Nobals, Mischievous Rogue, and Run Carson, along with stakes winner Coming in Hot.
G T Five Hundred and Script also have shown affinity for this track. G T Five Hundred is coming off back-to-back allowance-level wins at Turfway and has won 4 of 5 lifetime starts at the track. Script has never been worse than third on this track, including a third in the Holiday Cheer in December behind strong stakes competitors Joe Shiesty and Howard Wolowitz. Prior to that, he ran Beyers in the 90s on the Keeneland turf in the fall, including a second to the globe-trotting Group 1 winner Khaadem in the Grade 2 Woodford.
Playmea Tune, the defending winner of the Forego, and Okiro, winner of the 2024 Animal Kingdom, are both local stakes winners, and both were graded stakes-placed at Woodbine last year. Playmea Tune won an allowance two starts back at Woodbine with a 94 Beyer, then was fifth in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector on dirt to the exciting Knightsbridge.
Its Bourbon Thirty also has posted figures that are competitive with this group, coming off a local victory, his first start at Turfway, with a 91 Beyer.
Prince of Power, third in the 2025 Dust Commander at Turfway, is coming off a front-running allowance win at Turfway. The gelding, an initial entrant in the Forego two weeks ago, is now cross-entered in Saturday night’s renewal of the Dust Commander at the 1 1/16-mile distance of his recent allowance win. His race decision will affect the pace scenario for the Forego as he is a front runner, while Runnin’ Rocket and G T Five Hundred are pace-pressing types. Those two eyeing one another early would suit Multitask, who prefers a target.
Built, Grade 3-placed on dirt last year and who has never started on synthetic, is cross-entered in Saturday’s Colonel Power Stakes on turf at Fair Grounds, where he is based.
◗ Turfway has published 40 nominations for next Saturday’s $175,000 John Battaglia Memorial, its first Kentucky Derby points race of the season (20-10-6-4-2), and 39 nominations for the $175,000 Cincinnati Trophy, awarding Kentucky Oaks points on the same scale the night before. The Battaglia is the local prep toward the Grade 3, $777,000 Jeff Ruby, a major points prep, on March 21, with the Cincinnati Oaks leading to the $300,000 Bourbonette Oaks on the same card. The Cincinnati Trophy card will be drawn on Friday, while the Battaglia card will be drawn on Saturday.
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