By Stefanie Grimm
The Repole Stable connections have heard it for nearly as long as their star has been racing, that 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) can be blazing hot when he gets his own way and ice cold when he doesn't. Their Eclipse-winning 2-year-old has spent much of his career in a win-loss pattern that left owner Mike Repole and trainer Todd Pletcher scratching their heads. But perhaps Saturday, Fierceness finally laid those demons to rest in exactly the spot he'll need to have them buried come November as he overcame what can kindly be described as an eventful trip to come out triumphant in the GI Pacific Classic and book his return ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Classic in two months time.
Ten months ago, Fierceness entered the Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar as the wagering favorite but wound up yielding his lead late to a charging Sierra Leone (Gun Runner). His 2025 campaign kicked off in promising fashion with a strong performance off the layoff to win the GII Alysheba on Kentucky Oaks day at Churchill May 2. Then came the trouble. A cutback to the mile on a sloppy Saratoga oval had him the beaten favorite in the Met Mile June 7 and, more troubling still, he failed to really fire at all when fifth (again as the favorite) in the Aug. 2 GI Whitney Stakes.
Owner Mike Repole opted to ship his star to California vs. staying in New York for Sunday's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and that trip paid immediate dividends Saturday with the announcement that 8-5 morning-line favorite 'Rising Star' Nysos (Nyquist) was a late scratch. That left Fierceness to deal largely with 3-year-old challenger Journalism (Curlin), a colt coming off a strong showing in this year's Triple Crown races and facing older rivals for the first time.
The wagering public swung towards youth, rewarding the Preakness winner with 2-5 favoritism as the gates opened at Del Mar. Rail-drawn Fierceness, with regular pilot John Velazquez also making the trip west, had a smooth first few jumps but, as the field crossed over from the chute onto the front stretch, things went quite sideways. The 8-5 second choice veered sharply inward towards the temporary rail, nearly unseating Velazquez and, while he straightened out and got on his way, now found himself behind a wall of horses with nearly the entire field ahead of him.
It was a much smoother break for the outside runners with 72-1 shot Tarantino (Pioneerof the Nile) leading the pack out side of Midnight Mammoth (Midnight Lute) as the pack hit the wire with one lap remaining. Notably, the top six runners stayed bunch up leaving Journalism a long ways back with a lot of work to do headed into the first turn. The two longshots got things rolling on the lead with Fierceness boxed in on the rail and completely covered up through the opening quarter in :22.99. The favorite had little choice but to rate patiently for Velazquez, taking dirt up the backstretch in fourth with Journalism back in touch but still trailing at the half in :45.84. Finally, as Ultimate Gamble (Medaglia d'Oro) shifted out a touch headed into the far turn, Fierceness got the gap he needed and offered an immediate response to the breathing room, shifting out a path to split the leaders and shoot clear with more than a quarter mile still to run. Loose by several lengths as he straightened away for home, the champion juvenile faced no real danger late even as Journalism tried to run him down in vain through the final sixteenth but came up plenty short.
“At the start, he attempted to duck into the temporary railing,” said Velazquez. “I got him out of there, but he overreacted by pulling in the other direction. I wanted to stay off his mouth, so I had to sit on him a little. But he got straightened out going into the first turn. I was able to save ground behind the leaders. On the back stretch, he was keen to go on, that's why I moved between horses going into the turn. I had to move as early as I did because he was so keen. Today I wanted to get him off the bridle a little and let him finish. I was very happy we got there.”
Pletcher's assistant Sophie Green added, “It (the start) had me a little bit worried there. He's had bad breaks before in the past when he was 2-years-old and I almost felt like that again, but Johnny (Velezquez) knew what to do and kept him going. He had him in a great position. We thought the two (Midnight Mammoth) might go to the lead and we wanted to be as close to that as we could.”
Pedigree Note:
Fierceness continues to be the flag bearer for Lane's End stallion City of Light who counts two Grade I winners to his credit (Formidable Man, Saturday's GIII Del Mar Mile winner, being the other). Repole Stable-owned Nonna Bella has produced three winners from three to race including another graded stakes winner in Fierceness's full-brother Mentee who took the GIII Futurity Stakes at Aqueduct last year. Nonna Bella, out of GISP Nonna Mia, is a half to GI Wood Memorial Stakes winner and sire Outwork (Uncle Mo). This is also the family of MGSW and sire Cairo Prince (Pioneerof the Nile). Fierceness has a yearling half-brother by the late Uncle Mo and a weanling Curlin half-sister. Nonna Bella went to Gun Runner for 2026.
FIERCENESS ($5.20) defeats Journalism in the $1 million Pacific Classic (G1) at @DelMarRacing! @ljlmvel was aboard the son of City Of Light (@LanesEndFarms) and gets the victory for @PletcherRacing and owners @RepoleStable, Derrick Smith, Michael Tabor, and Mrs. John Magnier. pic.twitter.com/tJUXFANQJu
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) August 31, 2025
Saturday, Del Mar
PACIFIC CLASSIC S.-GI, $1,001,000, Del Mar, 8-30, 3yo/up, 1 1/4m, 2:01.00, ft.
1–FIERCENESS, 124, c, 4, by City of Light
1st Dam: Nonna Bella, by Stay Thirsty
2nd Dam: Nonna Mia, by Empire Maker
3rd Dam: Holy Bubbette, by Holy Bull
'TDN Rising Star'. O-Smith, Derrick, Repole Stable, Tabor, Michael B. and Magnier, Mrs. John; B-Repole Stable, Inc. (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-John R. Velazquez. $600,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2-year-old colt, 13-7-2-1, $5,155,320. *Full to Mentee, GSW, $148,000. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Journalism, 118, c, 3, Curlin–Mopotism, by Uncle Mo.
($825,000 Ylg '23 FTSAUG). O-Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Elayne Stables 5 LLC, LaPenta, Robert V., Magnier-Lessee, Mrs. John, Smith-Lessee, Derrick and Tabor-Lessee, Michael B.; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy. $200,000.
3–Ultimate Gamble, 124, h, 5, Medaglia d'Oro–Eltimaas, by Ghostzapper. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($325,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $1,750,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-Red Baron's Barn LLC and Rancho Temescal LLC; B-Machmer Hall, Carrie & Craig Brogden (KY); T-Mark Glatt. $120,000.
Margins: 3 1/4, 6HF, 3. Odds: 1.60, 0.40, 71.10.
Also Ran: Indispensable, Lure Him In, Midnight Mammoth, Tarantino. Scratched: Nysos.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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