Forte relishes a sloppy track in the Hopeful
Forte won the $300,000 Hopeful on Monday's Closing Day of the 40-day summer meet at Saratoga Race Course. He was trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher and piloted by the Spa's leading rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. Forte came back from a distant fourth place finish in the six-furlong Grade 3 Sanford won by returning rival Mo Strike on July 16 here. Flavien Prat-piloted Gulfport won with a nine-length victory. It was the 15th stakes win overall and 10th graded win of summer for Ortiz Jr., led by Grade 1 scores with Nest (Coaching Club American Oaks, Alabama), Life Is Good (Whitney) and Goodnight Olive (Ballerina Handicap).
