City of Light

She was the lightest raced in the field, and had started her 2026 campaign last month, but Marjoram (Quality Road) showed her heart to steal the GIII Senorita Stakes in the shadow of the wire in the Santa Anita nightcap. Unveiled at Churchill Downs Nov. 22 on a sloppy main track, she made her move from sixth coming off the bend and had just enough left late to win by three-quarters of a length over a persistent challenger. She went onto the sidelines before being moved west to this venue,...

Amy Moore, who owns and operates South Gate Farm in Virginia's northern Shenandoah Valley, went to $300,000 on Tuesday afternoon to acquire Neom Beach (Omaha Beach) (hip 1) as the topper out of the Fasig-Tipton February Digital sale. The breeder said she is always looking to add to her broodmare band and went online to see what she could unearth. It worked out by the time the 'shot clock' wound down. "Fasig-Tipton has a great platform, especially for broodmares and broodmare prospects," said Moore. "You're not trying to evaluate whether...

Still undefeated now in two starts, French Friction showed her six-length maiden score was no fluke as she wired the field in Saturday's Dixie Belle Stakes at Oaklawn Park. A proven winner over course and distance in that Dec. 27 debut, the daughter of City of Light stepped into stakes company in her second start amidst a downpour for trainer Mark Casse and owner DJ Stable, the same powerhouse duo behind freshly-crowned champion filly Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro). Breaking from the rail under Cristian Torres, French Friction was outrun in the...

The air is getting thinner now, as we explore those stallions standing between $30,000 and $59,999, but this penultimate instalment of our series does open access to genuine elite quality. Several in this range have a proven ability to sire horses who go on, in turn, to take a lucrative place at stud; and a number, within that group, have reached a stage in their careers where their fees have been cut temptingly within reach. Take MACLEAN'S MUSIC. Doubling his fee to $50,000 for 2022--after two sons contested the finish...

In her second trip to post, PASHMINA (f, 2, Constitution--Panthera Onca {MSP}, by Super Saver) graduated from the maiden condition in a big way. The daughter of Constitution was elevated to fifth on debut Oct.18 at Keeneland after a disqualification occurred in front of her after the mile turf maiden concluded. Running with first-time Lasix here, and sent off as the 9-5 favorite for the swap over to the main track, she opted to watch the race unfold from third as the frontrunner posted a pressured pace of :23.29 and...

Coolmore America has assigned stud fees for its three newest additions following last weekend's Breeders' Cup Championships at Del Mar. 2025 GI Breeders' Cup Classic runner up and 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner--Heavenly Love, by Malibu Moon) tops the list at $75,000. "We are honored to announce three new Eclipse Award winners as part of our 2026 stallion roster here at Ashford Stud," said Charlie O'Connor, Director of Sales at Coolmore America. "Sierra Leone, Fierceness and Citizen Bull all arrived safely at their new home...

Yes, it's purely hypothetical, but imagine a GI Breeders' Cup Classic without the rabbit, Contrary Thinking (Into Mischief). That's a race Fierceness (City of Light) probably would have won. Yes, he got free in the stretch and had every chance to run down Forever Young (Jpn) (Reel Steel {Jpn}) and Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) but he couldn't get the job done, finishing third, losing by 1 1/2 lengths. But too much had gone wrong for him at that point, and he could not recover. Unlike what happened in the GI...

DEL MAR, Calif. - That's why they're called the World Championships. The globe-trotting Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}), third in the 2024 GI Breeders' Cup Classic, reversed form with last year's top two to bring home the $7-million centerpiece to Japan before a crowd of 35,173 at sunsplashed Del Mar Saturday. Off as the narrow second choice at 7-2, the Susumu Fujita colorbearer raced on top of a fast early pace and held last year's winner and 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) safe by...

'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Fierceness (City of Light--Nonna Bella, by Stay Thirsty), the Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old male of 2023 and a four-time Grade I winner, will begin his stud career at Coolmore's Kentucky base at Ashford Stud following his final start in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 1. An imperious 11 1/4-length debut winner at Saratoga in August 2023, earning no-brainer 'Rising Star' in a similar fashion to owner Mike Repole's fellow champion and late Ashford stallion Uncle Mo, Fierceness romped by 6...

With multiple Grade I winner and second choice Mindframe (Constitution) wiped out at the break, it was Centennial Farms' longshot Antiquarian (Preservationist) holding favored Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) at bay late to win the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga Sunday, earning an automatic berth in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic in November. Just a day after Fierceness (City of Light) overcame an adventurous beginning of his own making to win the GI Pacific Classic at Del Mar, stablemate Mindframe was less lucky at Saratoga, catching the worst of...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Earlier this week, owner Mike Repole took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to ask for help. He wanted to know what he should do with the two of the best older horses in the country, both, coincidentally, that he owns. Mindframe (Constitution) and Fierceness (City of Light). What to do with them next weekend? The options are simple enough. The $1 million GI Pacific Classic is being run at Del Mar in California next Saturday. The $1 million GI Jockey Club Gold Cup is being...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Jockey Junior Alvarado, the race day partner of Sovereignty (Into Mischief), the leading 3-year-old in the country, knows how everyone feels now. That's because he saw up close just how powerful Sovereignty is. Sovereignty had his final work before next weekend's $1.25 million GI Travers Stakes Saturday morning at the Oklahoma Training Track. As usual, he was being ridden by Neil Poznansky, the assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Alvarado, helping the barn out, climbed aboard Fort Nelson (Bernardini), who was Sovereignty's workmate for...