This afternoon Mike Forte became a made man.

Forte drove 9-5 favorite Velvety Smooth to victory in the Godfather Pace at Monticello Raceway.

Forte left with Velvety Smooth from the rail and immediately yielded to Lei Day (8-1). But pocket sitting was not Forte’s forte today, as he moved for the lead approaching the quarter.

Velvety Smooth maintained a 1 ½ -length advantage until the final turn when Forte asked the Betsy Phillips-trained mare for her best and they paced away from the field, eventually scoring a 7 ¾-length victory in 1:58 2/5.

It was a tight photo for second with four horses within a length of each other, but True Gritty (3-1) got up by a neck over Shezaflamintower (5-2).

The Godfather Pace, featuring drivers of Italian descent, is part of Monticello’s year-long Heritage Drivers Series. Forte will join the winners of the other legs to compete one more time in the All America Cup.