Stephen Foster Picture Sharpens as Forged Steel, Navajo Warrior Exit the Scene
The highly anticipated Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs was already shaping up as one of the most compelling races of the summer. Now, with the expected withdrawals of Forged Steel and Navajo Warrior, the spotlight shines even brighter on a quartet of proven Grade 1 performers set to square off beneath the Twin Spires.
Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. had entered three runners in the $2 million Stephen Foster, but plans have shifted as both Forged Steel and Navajo Warrior are expected to come out of the race, leaving stable star White Abarrio to carry the banner for the South Florida conditioner.
While the scratches reduce the field size, they do nothing to diminish the quality at the top of the lineup.
The race remains anchored by a heavyweight showdown featuring reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty, Dubai World Cup winner Magnitude, Pennsylvania Derby hero Baeza, and veteran standout White Abarrio. Those four alone would be enough to make this one of the strongest editions of the Stephen Foster in recent memory.
Forged Steel exits the race off the best performance of his career, a dominant victory in the Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita. The son of Vekoma stamped himself as a horse on the rise with that effort and figures to remain a major player in the older-horse division as the season unfolds.
Navajo Warrior also leaves the Foster picture in excellent form. The hard-knocking gelding captured the Pimlico Special in his most recent start, adding another significant stakes victory to an already productive campaign.
Their absence, however, creates a more concentrated spotlight on White Abarrio, who enters the Foster following his impressive Oaklawn Handicap victory over Sovereignty. The seven-year-old continues to perform at the highest level and arrives at Churchill Downs seeking another Grade 1 triumph for owners C2 Racing Stable, Gary Barber, and La Milagrosa Stable.
Sovereignty, meanwhile, returns to the track where he launched his championship campaign with last year’s Kentucky Derby victory. Bill Mott’s star was making his first start in eight months when runner-up in the Oaklawn Handicap and is expected to move forward significantly in his second outing of the season.
Magnitude adds further intrigue. Steve Asmussen’s colt comes into the Foster off his breakthrough victory in the Dubai World Cup and has established himself among the elite older horses in training.
Then there’s Baeza, another Mott trainee, whose credentials include a Grade 1 victory in the Pennsylvania Derby and a strong effort in his first start for his new barn.
Even with two accomplished runners stepping aside, the Stephen Foster remains exactly what racing fans hoped it would be: a midsummer collision between some of the best dirt horses in America. And with a Breeders’ Cup Classic berth awaiting the winner, the stakes extend far beyond Saturday afternoon in Louisville.
