Fortitudine, Half-Brother to Rebel's Romance, Won by 21 Lengths on Debut
- Turf Diario
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It took place this Wednesday at Kempton, where the son of Dubawi put on a superlative display, giving reason to start dreaming big...
SURREY, England (Special for Turf Diario).— There are debuts that catch the eye, and then there are those that demand immediate attention. Fortitudine made his official racetrack debut this Wednesday with a thoroughly crushing performance, drawing off to a 21-length victory in his inaugural appearance and leaving the impression that Godolphinmay have uncovered another genuine gem.
The son of Dubawi, sent straight to the front from the break by James Doyle, dominated wire-to-wire without giving his rivals a single opening, crossing the wire with a margin of victory rarely seen from a first-time starter.
Dispatched as the 7-2 second choice, the colt displayed remarkable professionalism from the start, quickly seizing command and, far from fading in the stretch, continued to widen his advantage until sealing a victory as breathtaking as it was unexpected.
"I think we were all a bit surprised, to be honest," Doyle admitted. "I was told he was just going through the motions in his morning gallops, but today on the track he showed something completely different."
The jockey also highlighted the colt's attitude throughout the running: "He broke very fast and was exceptionally professional. He just drifted out slightly when the rail ran out, but I gave him a light flick and he locked back in straight away," he explained.
Doyle offered a preliminary assessment regarding the colt's future: "He was learning on the job, and it's not every day you see a horse win like this on debut. Hopefully, he has a bright campaign ahead of him. He feels like a galloper with a sustained build-up of speed rather than a sudden turn of foot, and I think this trip suits him very well," he noted.
Beyond the sheer magnitude of the victory, the buzz surrounding Fortitudine was well established long before his debut thanks to a truly phenomenal pedigree.
He is a full brother to Rebel's Romance, one of Godolphin's global stars, who recently retired after building an extraordinary career that featured victories in two Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T), the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1T), the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1), four G1 events in Germany, the Champions & Chater Cup (G1) in Hong Kong, and three G2 contests in Great Britain, including the Hardwicke Stakes (G2).
His dam, Minidress (Street Cry), also produced multiple G1 winner Measured Time (Frankel), victorious in the Manhattan Stakes (G1T) in the United States and the Jebel Hatta (G1) in Dubai.
The maternal line further features Short Skirt (Diktat), winner of the Musidora Stakes (G3) and placed in both the Oaks (G1) and the Yorkshire Oaks (G1), while tracing back to Japanese champion Victoire Pisa (Neo Universe), winner of the Dubai World Cup (G1).
With such a pedigree and a debut that exceeded every expectation, Fortitudine launched his career in the finest way possible. A long road lies ahead, but the sheer dominance of his first start, backed by an extraordinary family tree, suggests that the name of Rebel's Romance's younger brother will soon be featuring prominently on Europe's biggest racing days.
