City of Light

Repole Stable's homebred 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) returned to the worktab Thursday for the first time since his determined one-length victory in the GII Jim Dandy July 27, posting a half-mile in company with graded stakes winner Surprisingly (Mastery) in :49.59 (89/172) over the Saratoga Race Course main track. "Perfect," Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said of the work. "We originally scheduled it for tomorrow, but that [the weather] looked dicey, so we went today. He did really good and seems very happy. He went with...

Modernist (Uncle Mo) will shuttle to Chile and stand at Haras Dadinco for the Southern Hemisphere 2024 season, it was announced via presser Friday. The winner of the GII Risen Star Stakes and the GIII Excelsior Stakes with on-the-board finishes in three other graded contests, he'd retired to Darby Dan in 2022 and bred 280 mares in his first three years at stud. Modernist hails from the female line of Broodmare of the Year Sweet Life (Kris S.), who also produced his dam's half-sisters GI Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic (now...

When City of Light won the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in 2018, it was one of the more impressive performances of the day. Although it had already been announced he would enter stud in 2019 at Lane's End Farm near Versailles, Ky., he had one race remaining on his dance card: the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes the following January. He romped that day as well, besting a slightly favored GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner with a 112 Beyer Speed Figure, which topped his 110 Breeders' Cup mark,...

Last year's champion 2-year-old colt and 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light), a very disappointing 15th as the favorite in the GI Kentucky Derby last out, showed up in a big way Saturday, defeating favored 'Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) by a length in a fantastic renewal of the GII Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga. It was another 5 3/4 lengths back to Batten Down (Tapit) in third. Drawn widest of all in post six, the 9-5 second-choice exited the stalls running beneath John Velazquez and was perfectly...

3rd-DMR, $75K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 6:04 p.m. ET. The Three Amigos--Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman--send out yet another first timer trained by Bob Baffert in EMERALD BAY (Nyquist). Last year's top-priced yearling colt for his sire was taken home by the trio for $700,000 during Keeneland September. The juvenile is out of G. Watts Humphrey homebred and GI Juddmonte Spinster Stakes heroine Romantic Vision (Lemon Drop Kid), who foaled a colt by City of Light Mar. 29. TJCIS PPS

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Pressure? What pressure. There was none of that over at trainer Kenny McPeek's barn at the Oklahoma Annex Friday morning. Even though the stable star--the imposing, impressive and almost undefeated 3-year-old filly Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna)--is running on Saturday, no one on McPeek's staff was sweating bullets. Thorpedo Anna is the 1-2 morning-line favorite in the $500,000 GI Coaching Club American Oaks at 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga Race Course. She has won five of six career starts and has won all three of her races...

5th-Ellis, $69,299, Msw, 7-6, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:04.93, ft, 3 1/4 lengths. RICH CITY GIRL (f, 2, City of Light--Hassler {Ire}, by War Front), a $195,000 KEESEP yearling turned $435,000 OBSMAR breezer, was working bullets at Hawthorne for Larry Rivelli ahead of her debut and ran them off their feet for a sharp score as the slight 2-1 favorite. Scratched out of Friday evening's Prairie Gold Lassie Stakes at Prairie Meadows in favor of this spot, Rich City Girl was on the engine from her inside draw and was...

7th-Belmont The Big A, $90,000, Msw, 6-15, 2yo, 5f, :56.97, ft, nose. MENTEE (c, 2, City of Light--Nonna Bella, by Stay Thirsty), on the 'Insights' radar by virtue of his relationship to full brother, champion juvenile Fierceness, MGISW, $1,703,850, stepped up to lead the field in this unveiling. The 1-2 favorite cruised along through :22.37 and :44.80 opening splits and had built a noteworthy margin entering the final furlong. Under confident handling, his rider John Velazquez never seemed worried as Colloquial (Vekoma) rapidly closed the gap with a furious late...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - So far, a colt named Mindframe (Constitution) has been nothing short of mind blowing. Two starts. Two wins. By a combined margin of 21 1/4 lengths. His connections think so much of him that start No. 3 will be the GI Belmont S. Saturday at Saratoga. Trainer Todd Pletcher and co-owner Mike Repole are confident the lightly raced horse will make a credible showing in the 1 1/4-mile Belmont. Despite having little experience, Mindframe was made the 7-2 second choice by New York Racing Association linemaker...

1st-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 6-7, 3yo/up, 7f, 1:22.56, ft, 1 3/4 lengths. ILLUMINARE (c, 3, City of Light--I Still Miss You {MSW, $276,737}, by Majestic Warrior) jumped as the 9-2 third choice and flashed early speed up front before yielding the lead to 27-1 shot Call Bob (Central Banker). Poised right off that rival's flank up the backstretch, the $500,000 Keeneland September grad made his move off the turn, striking the front at the furlong marker and holding a steady advantage to the line to finish 1 3/4 lengths ahead of...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Kyoto and Tokyo Racecourses: Saturday, May 25, 2024 2nd-KYO, ¥10,480,000 ($67k), Maiden, 3yo, 1800m IZANAGI (c, 3, City of Light--Miss Squeal, by Smart Strike) cost $625,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September sale and was the latest of his dam's produce...

Fierceness (City of Light), the beaten favorite in the GI Kentucky Derby, is scheduled to make his next start in the GI Belmont S. on June 8 in Saratoga. "He has settled in well and we are pointing to the Belmont," trainer Todd Pletcher said in a text. Sent off at 3-1, Fierceness finished 15th, beaten 24 1/2 lengths in the Derby. When asked if his colt had any excuses in the Derby, Pletcher replied: "Perhaps too close to a fast pace? Stuck a little wide on both turns?" Following...