Kentucky Derby Horse Profile: Victory Formation

Feb 06, 2023 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

Spendthrift Farm and Frank Fletcher Racing’s Victory Formation put himself into contention in the 2023 Road to the Kentucky Derby Challenge series following his three-length tally in the $250,000 Smarty Jones S. at Oaklawn Park on Jan. 1. The sophomore clocked one mile on the fast main surface in 1:38.14 under the guidance of Flavien Prat.

His pilot stated after the race, “He broke really well. I didn’t have much of a game plan before the race. I was just hoping to get him into the race and get a good spot. When he broke so well, he got us into the lead and from that point I was just cruising all the way around. He responded really well when I asked him to make a little move.”

Victory Formation was bred in the Bluegrass State by Gainesway
Thoroughbreds and passed through the sales ring on a trio of occasions.
The colt fetched a bid of $100,000 as a weanling at 2020 Keeneland
November, then brought the gavel down at $150,000 at Fasig-Tipton
Kentucky in 2021 as a yearling. He was ultimately purchased for
$340,000 by his current connections at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic
Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

The three-year-old is the first black-type winner produced from the
winning Smart Strike mare Smart N Soft, making him a half-brother to
the Grade-1 placed Bellamore. His second dam is Grade 2 heroine Softly.

Trained by Brad Cox, Victory Formation was unbeaten after his first three starts. The son of Tapwrit debuted at Keeneland on Oct. 21 in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden and led at every call en route to a 4 3/4-length score. On Nov. 26 at Churchill Downs, the bay topped allowance foes beneath the Twin Spires.