City of Light

Champion 2-year-old Colt, 'TDN Rising Star' and GI Curlin Florida Derby hero Fierceness (City of Light) returned to action Friday with his first work following his 13 1/2-length romp in last month's Florida Derby. The Repole Stables-owned runner went four furlongs in :50.17 (13/22) under regular pilot John Velazquez with trainer Todd Pletcher looking on. "He's been great since the Florida Derby. His energy level is good. He's seemed to take the race really well," said Pletcher. "He had a nice easy breeze this morning and was moving great. Really,...

When Fierceness (City of Light) put on a show in the GI Florida Derby there didn't seem to be any question over who the favorite would be in the GI Kentucky Derby. The Mike Repole-homebred put on quite a show that day, winning by a record 13 1/2 lengths while earning a 110 Beyer figure, the fastest dirt number recorded by any horse this year. He gave the impression that if he could duplicate that race in the Kentucky Derby, there wouldn't be a horse on the planet that could...

It very quickly became clear that the stallions launched in 2019 included an above-average proportion equipped to last the course. And the start being made by their second crop of sophomores has only reiterated that impression. Thanks to the contentious prohibition of his ban by a gaming corporation, GI Arkansas Derby winner Muth is ineligible to give Good Magic a second GI Kentucky Derby from two attempts. (Though the Hill 'n' Dale sire might yet manage that with the same mare who gave him the first one, with Mage's brother...

During Saturday's post-position draw at Gulfstream, Repole Stable's Fierceness (City of Light) was installed the 8-5 favorite on the morning line for next weekend's GI Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. Drawing post 10 in the field off 11, the colt will try to give his trainer Todd Pletcher a record eighth win in the Classic prep. Pletcher won the nine-furlong test with defending 2-year-old champion Forte (Violence) last year. "Normally I'd be afraid of the outside post, but Forte won from the 11 last year, so you can overcome...

Champion Fierceness (City of Light) continued his preparations for a likely start in the GI Curlin Florida Derby Mar. 30 with a half-mile breeze Friday at Palm Beach Downs in company with fellow 'TDN Rising Star' Agate Road (Quality Road). The pair clocked in at :48.89, leaving conditioner Todd Pletcher satisfied with the progress he'd seen since the GIII Holy Bull S. "Fierceness and Agate Road breezed a half together and both did really well, especially Fierceness. [He had] a strong gallop-out, looked good. He's continued to train really good...

5th-GP, $89K, MSW, 4yo/up, 7 1/2fT, 2:09pm EST Trainer Todd Pletcher offers up a pair of seven-figure sales horses making their belated debuts. Victorious Racing LLC's SWORDOFHONOR (IRE) (Siyouni {Fr}) sports some pretty flashy credentials. The €1.5 million Arqana August yearling purchase is a half-brother to the year-older Angel Bleu (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}), a two-time Group 1 winner as a juvenile who subsequently won last summer's G2 Celebration Mile S. at Goodwood. Consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux and purchased by Oliver St Lawrence, the bay was the second highest-priced...

'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light), a disappointing third in his 3-year-old debut in Saturday's GIII Holy Bull S., exited the race in good order, reports owner Mike Repole. "He's perfectly fine," Repole said in a text message. Fierceness, the 2023 2-Year-Old male Eclipse champion, was coming off an overpowering win in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and most believed he would pick up right where he left off in the Holy Bull, where he was the 1-5 favorite. Instead, he finished third, beaten 3 1/2 lengths. When asked...

National Treasure (Quality Road), last year's front-running GI Preakness S. hero and a latest painful second to Horse of the Year Cody's Wish (Curlin) in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita Nov. 4, gave trainer Bob Baffert a third victory in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. and his sire a second Saturday afternoon at Gulfstream Park. "I'm proud of him. He ran his race. He showed up," said Baffert by phone from Southern California. "That's all you can ask for as a trainer. He was...

Repole Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light), newly honored as 2023 champion 2-year-old, breezed at Palm Beach Downs Saturday morning in advance of next Saturday's GIII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, he was timed in :49.55 (20/29) for a half-mile. "I was very pleased. He had a serious work last week--fifty-nine-and-change [for five furlongs]. We were just looking for a maintenance work today," Pletcher said. Fierceness is coming off a 6 1/4-length romp in the Nov. 3 GI Breeders' Cup...

It was an evening to remember for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum's Godolphin team, as the worldwide operation accumulated no fewer than five statuettes over the course of the evening at Thursday's 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards Presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland and The Jockey Club, honoring and recognizing excellence in Thoroughbred racing. And they saved the best for last, as Cody's Wish (Curlin), whose story resonated with nearly every fan of Thoroughbred racing and beyond, was named Horse of the Year and champion older dirt male for...

Repole Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light), the favorite to be named champion 2-year-old male of 2023 following his dominant victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita, remains on track to make his sophomore debut in the GIII Holy Bull S. Feb. 3 at Gulfstream Park. He posted his second work of the new year Saturday at Palm Beach Downs, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.17 (8/12). "He worked super this morning and everything is going according to plan, so far," Hall of Fame trainer Todd...

Achieving the mark of 'TDN Rising Star' means that you have done something out of the ordinary. Though he may have been green at the start of Aqueduct's fourth race on a slop-filled Sunday afternoon, by the time it was over, Crimson Light (c, 3, City of Light--Crimson Frost, by Stormy Atlantic) proved he earned the title. The colt definitely fit the mold when he came back from a seemingly insurmountable distance to graduate. The Todd Pletcher trainee debuted with Lasix as the even-money choice here, but he hopped so...