City of Light’s Formidable Man Makes it 5-for-5 at Del Mar with Eddie Read Victory

[Wandering Eyes]

Heavily favored Formidable Man found clear sailing along the rail in the lane and bound to the lead before drawing clear to a one-length victory in the GII Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar Sunday night. The 4-year-old is now five-for-five at the seaside oval which will host Breeders' Cup championship weekend in November.

Sent off at 4-5, Formidable Man sat just off pacesetting Cabo Spirit in third while saving ground behind fractions of :24.97 and :49.00. He bided his time with nowhere to run on the far turn, but had a seam to run through along the rail when Cabo Spirit drifted out slightly at the top of the lane. The favorite seized the opportunity, powering to the lead and striding home an authoritative winner.

“Yes, there was an anxious moment or two,” admitted winning trainer Michael McCarthy. “I was hoping the leader was going to come off the fence a little bit. Umberto [Rispoli] was able to sneak up inside there and once he was able to find his stride he leveled off nicely.”

“He loves Del Mar,” McCarthy continued, while adding races like the Aug. 30 GII Del Mar Mile would be considered for the two-time Grade I winner. “We will play it by ear.”

A debut winner at Del Mar in September of 2023, Formidable Man returned to the track to win the Oceanside Stakes last July before concluding the season with a win in the Nov. 30 GI Hollywood Derby. He faded to last after setting the pace in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes at Gulfstream in January before returning to the West Coast to capture the Mar. 1 GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita. The bay was closing late when fourth in the May 26 GI Shoemaker Mile Stakes last time out.

“He has made a huge improvement from [being a] two to [now] a 4-year-old,” Rispoli said. “He has become a really solid soldier. He's a two-time Grade I winner. He loves this place. It's just enjoyable to ride a horse like him.”

Pedigree Notes:

Formidable Man joins Fierceness as top-level winners for City of Light, who has been represented by six graded winners to date.

Graded stakes winner Fanticola has a 2-year-old filly by Knicks Go, a yearling filly by Jack Christopher and a weanling filly by Star Guitar. She was bred back to City of Light this year. The mare was purchased by Clear Creek Stud for $60,000 at the 2021 Keeneland November sale.

 

#4 FORMIDABLE MAN ($3.60) adds a fourth graded win to his resume with a victory in the $250,000 Eddie Read Stakes (G2) at @DelMarRacing! The four-year-old City of Light (@LanesEndFarms) colt was piloted by @umbyrispoli for trainer @mwmracing. pic.twitter.com/KDmVCqZTXK

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) July 28, 2025

Sunday, Del Mar
EDDIE READ S.-GII, $250,500, Del Mar, 7-27, 3yo/up, 1 1/8mT, 1:48.55, fm.
1–FORMIDABLE MAN, 125, c, 4, by City of Light
                1st Dam: Fanticola (GSW & GISP, $561,986),
                                by Silent Name (Jpn)
                2nd Dam: Catalina Cat, by Tabasco Cat
                3rd Dam: Irish Dear, by Irish River (Fr)
($375,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-William K Warren, Jr. & Suzanne
Warren; B-Town & Country Horse Farms, LLC (KY); T-Michael McCarthy; J-Umberto Rispoli. $150,000.
Lifetime Record: MGISW, 14-7-2-0, $985,425. Werk Nick Rating: D+. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free
Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Cabo Spirit, 121, g, 6, Pioneerof the Nile–Fancy Day (Ire), by
Shamardal. ($145,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP; $575,000 2yo '21
OBSAPR). O-Kretz Racing LLC; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY);
T-George Papaprodromou. $50,000.
3–Stay Hot, 121, r, 4, Summer Front–Etsu, by Smart Strike.
($130,000 Ylg '22 FTKJUL). O-Burns Racing LLC, Exline-Border
Racing LLC, Estate of Brereton C. Jones and Hudock, William
Dan; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Peter Eurton. $30,000.
Margins: 1, 1 3/4, HD. Odds: 0.80, 6.00, 1.90.
Also Ran: Balnikhov (Ire), Dicey Mo Chara (GB), Balladeer. Scratched: Atitlan, Gold Phoenix (Ire).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

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