[3] Forte began his career on May 27 at Belmont Park in a Maiden Special Weight event for two-year-olds over a distance of five furlongs in a field of 5, of which four were first-starters.
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. moved Forte inside into the two path early on the turn, then angled four wide at the five-sixteenths marker.
He settled off the pace, was roused three wide on the turn and into upper stretch under a drive by Irad Ortiz Jr., lacked the needed response, and finished fourth to Mo Strike, beaten by nearly six lengths.
On a rainy day that created a sloppy track, Forte started as the 13/2 fourth choice and was unhurried early as Gulfport and Mo Strike pushed the lead.
[11] In the Breeders' Futurity, Forte was again unhurried in the early stages, settling in seventh place in a field of fourteen behind the 3/2 favorite, Loggins.
Both runners made contact down the stretch, with the winner placing the runner-up in tight quarters with about a sixteenth of a mile remaining.
Forte solidified his place in the Road to the Kentucky Derby with an additional 50 qualification points and confirmed his early favoritism for the main event.
Entering the final turn five wide, Forte closed and passed eventual Kentucky Derby winner Mage in deep stretch to win by one length.
[16] Forte galloped around the Churchill Downs track two days after the Derby was run, with Todd Pletcher indicating that the colt appeared to have recovered from the foot bruise.
[18] On the same day that Forte was placed on the KHRC vet's list, The New York Times reported that the horse failed a post-race drug test following his victory in the 2022 Hopeful Stakes.
[20] According to a spokesperson for the New York State Gaming Commission, the hearing was delayed repeatedly at the request of counsel representing trainer Todd Pletcher and because of difficulties obtaining split-sample drug test results.
[20] On May 11, Pletcher's legal team told media outlets, including Daily Racing Form, that New York stewards had disqualified Forte from his win in the Hopeful for the post-race presence of meloxicam.
The connections of Forte have appealed the ruling, with Pletcher's legal team disputing statements made by the State Gaming Commission about the delays in the proceedings.
It was disclosed that he was recovering from a quarter crack in his left front foot, which was patched up prior to galloping at Churchill Downs on October 1.
[30] The first foal by Forte, a bay filly out of the Collected mare's Gravy, was born on January 8 at Darby Dan Farm near Lexington, Kentucky.