Win Win Win Makes Late Run to Score Forego Stakes

He came into the race after 19 months without running a seven-furlong sprint on the dirt.

"A one-turn seven-eighths race was something I wanted to revisit at the right time," trainer Michael Trombetta said.

The race was forced to run five minutes before its official time due to a storm that rolled in. Win Win Win broke through the gate and ran in the mud, coming from last in the field of 11 to beat Complexity by a half-length in the Aug. 29 event.

"I couldn't see him until the quarter pole," Trombetta said. "I thought it was absolutely hopeless, to be honest. When I looked across the infield, I could see nothing. He was completely off the screen. Then all of a sudden, I figured out who was who and it was nice to see him running so hard."

The 4-year-old son of Hat Trick took his first graded stakes to win in a sprint stakes. He finished unplaced in the 2019 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1). 

His last dirt win came in the January 2019 Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. In that outing, he set a seven-furlong track record of 1:20.89.

The runner provides to be versatil with his runner-up finish in last year's Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) and victory in a July 2 allowance optional claiming race. That later was his second start at age four, and it was what was responsible for convincing Trombetta to run him in the Forego.

"We threw around all our options," he said. "After his last race, it looked like he was rounding into form at the right time and we all like that third race after the layoff situation. We targeted this one and we've been working all summer to get here."

The Forego was his fifth win in 12 starts. The foal out of Smarty Jones mare Miss Smarty Pants has career earnings of $$601,600. 

He kicked off his 2020 campaign with a 10th-place finish in the June 7 First Defence Stakes. The seven-furlong turf stakes at Belmont Park brought him off an 11-month break. 

In the Forego, the early lead was fought for by Complexity and Calumet Farm's True Timber through fractions of :22.28 and 44:63. They looked to be all alone before Win Win Win went nine paths wide in the stretch, positioning himself in sixth with a furlong to go. 

Laravich Stable's Complexity opened up a length lead at the eighth pole, but it wasn't enough to stop Win Win Win and jockey Javier Castellano. 

Win Win Win moved up late and passed the 9-2 Complexity to cross first in 1:21.71.

"What an amazing horse," Castellano said. "I was a little concerned at the eighth pole. I didn't have any contact with the field. I was way too far back. I felt like I wasn't going to get there, but the horse put in a lot of effort from the quarter pole to the wire. He made me look good."

Complexity is a son of Maclean's Music trained by Chad Brown. He finished second by three-quarters of a length over True Timber. 

"It was a very tough beat," said Complexity's jockey Jose Ortiz.

The 3-1 favorite Funny Guy took fourth.

True Timber finished back in third, Lexitonian in fifth, and Everfast in sixth. The rest followed with Whitmore in seventh, Mind Control in eighth, and Firenze Fire in 11th.