Victory Formation is continuing to live up to his name.
The Tapwrit colt won his third straight race to start his career, ringing in the new year with a no-doubt-about-it, gate-to-wire win in the mile, $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes for 3-year-olds at Oaklawn Park Jan. 1.
Victory Formation is also the first black-type winner for his sire.
Breaking from post 8, Victory Formation and jockey Flavien Prat wasted no time moving to the front. Rising just along the outside of longshot Western Ghent (30-1), Pratt crossed in front of the Cristian Torres-ridden Western Ghent to take the rail.
"I just wanted a good break and get myself into position," Prat told FanDuel TV. "He had really good gate speed and I got on the lead, but it didn't really matter (being first or second at the first turn) at that point."
Western Ghent hung tough, holding second until just before the stretch. Meanwhile, Angel of Empire , who had been as far back as six lengths after a quarter-mile, worked along the rail. Joseph Talamo worked to try to close the three-length gap Prat and Victory Formation had put between them. However, the winner was too strong.
A late rally from Dennington allowed him to get past Western Ghent by half a length.
Stopping the clock in 1:38.14 on a fast track, Victory Formation posted fractions of :23.20, :47.75, 1:12.36, and 1:25.21.
Victory Formation won a maiden special weight at Keeneland in October, followed by an allowance optional claiming race at Churchill Downs in November.
In addition to his perfect start, Victory Formation has earned $282,285. He was bred by Gainesway and is trained by Brad Cox.
Cox also trains Angle of Empire, who came in second. Dennington, Western Ghent, and How Did He Do That completed the top five in the eight-horse field. Victory Formation paid $3.20 for the win.
The top-five finishers earned points toward qualifying for the Kentucky Derby (G1) on a 10-4-3-2-1 basis. Following the Smarty Jones, Victory Formation's 10 points place him sixth in the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.
Out of the Smart Strike mare Smart N Soft, Victory Formation is one of her six foals. Of those six, half have started and won. The other two, Bellamore and Maker of an Empire, are both by Empire Maker. Victory Formation's sire, Tapwrit, stands at Gainesway for $10,000.
Victory Formation has been sold three times, most recently at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training for $340,000 by Spendthrift Farm and Frank Fletcher Racing out of the L.G. consignment. He was previously sold for $150,000 at the Fasig-Tipton 2021 Select Yearling Sale by Gina Fennell out of the Gainesway consignment and at the 2020 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale for $100,000 out of Gainesway's consignment by Black Cat Stable.
