The three-year-old colt Forte is making waves in the horse racing world as the early favorite for the 2023 Kentucky Derby. The pre-race favorite has Irad Ortiz Jr. as the rider, and is trained by Todd Fletcher. Given that this isn’t the Puerto Rican jockey’s first time riding the Derby favorite, he is a well-known personality in the equestrian community. However, he has great expectations for the horse this year since they have developed a strong relationship through the races and training. There are just a few weeks until the Derby, and the rider has some big news for himself and the horse’s supporters.

On Friday morning, The Crunch Zone reported the first public exercise for race favorite Forte at Churchill Downs. The fact that Forte’s rider, Irad Ortiz Jr., picked up on a significant component during this session speaks for his rapport with the horse.

The positive news ahead of the Kentucky Derby

Since last year, Forte has been one of the most talked-about horses around. Six of the seven races he’s entered, he’s won, making him a media darling and fan favorite. During his most recent race, the Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa (Gr. 1), conducted on April 1 at Gulfstream Park, Forte once again showed his superiority at the head of the pack. The horse has been seen at Churchill Downs with his rider roughly a week before the Derby. Bright Future, Angel of Empire, Hit Show, Tapit Trice, and Verifying were all present at the same training session.

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In the report by The Crunch Zone, Ortiz talks about the workout session, saying, “It was a normal work from him, which is exactly what you want to see.” Ortiz did detail how, until receiving instructions from his rider, the horse maintained command. He also points at how Forte took off at a gallop after receiving orders from Ortiz. The Puerto Rican jockey thinks this is great news in the lead-up to the Derby since the horse has shown improvement since last year when they first started working together. Forte has improved physically, and he also seems to be communicating better with his rider, which is encouraging with just two weeks till the Derby.

Fans of the pre-race favorite, who had been hoping Forte would win this year’s Derby, will be pleased with this information.

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