City of Light's Fierceness Leads Home a 'Rising Star' Sweep in the Juvenile

ARCADIA, CA – The comparisons to the brilliant Uncle Mo began for 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) following a spectacular, double-digit debut win a day before the GI Travers S. at Saratoga-Uncle Mo's, of course, took place on the undercard–but came to an abrupt halt following a dismal seventh at .55 cents on the dollar in a sloppy renewal of the GI Champagne S. They can safely return now.

Just like Uncle Mo did for Repole Stable and Todd Pletcher at third asking beneath John Velazquez at the 2010 Championships, Fierceness put on an absolute show for those same connections, romping by 6 1/4 lengths at an overlaid 16-1 in Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita. The Bob Baffert-trained second-choice 'Rising Star' Muth (Good Magic), a last out winner of the local GI American Pharoah S., was second while favored Pletcher runner and last out GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity S. winner Locked (Gun Runner) rallied to complete the 'Rising Star' trifecta.

Fierceness becomes the 15th Breeders' Cup winner for Pletcher and his fourth in the Juvenile. Pletcher also trained the Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables colorbearer and 'Rising Star' Forte (Violence) to a championship-sealing win in last year's renewal at Keeneland.

“The horse trained awesome all summer (at Saratoga); he was a monster since his debut,” Pletcher said. “We took a shot today and it worked out. He had a beautiful trip and he showed what he is all about. It was really about getting in a good rhythm with him and letting him get comfortable with him. (John Velazquez) was able to do that. It did look easy. It was a helluva race. Very impressive.”

Fierceness jumped well from post seven and landed in the garden spot in an outside second behind Champagne runner-up General Partner (Speightstown) through easier-than-expected fractions of :23.25 and :47.02. The Repole homebred took over as the pacesetter backed out of it approaching the quarter pole, but had a fresh challenge to his outside in the form of Muth. That threat, however, was short lived. Very short lived. Fierceness hit the gas as they straightened and ran up the score from there to, in the words of track announcer Frank Mirahmadi, “make amends in a big way.”

“He went forwardly and sat second nicely,” said Velazquez after riding his 20th career Breeders' Cup winner. “Once we passed the half-mile pole, he grabbed into the bridle a little sooner than I wanted. When he got to the quarter-pole, he started looking around so I got after him. He was running down the stretch and got serious once I got after him. I had no doubt. I worked him in the morning and I was very impressed and I was hoping he would put the same work in the afternoon.”

Repole added, “Special, special horse.”

“Fourteen years ago I had a horse put me on the map called Uncle Mo. Todd, Johnny, and I won that race in our 30s. To win that race again with Johnny, that was really, really special.”

Pedigree Notes:

Fierceness becomes the first Grade I winner for sophomore sire City of Light, winner of the 2018 GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

Repole paid $200,000 for the winner's second dam Nonna Mia-named in honor of his grandmother-at the 2008 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale and she was a gifted 2-year-old in her own right, winning her maiden by 12 lengths at second asking at Belmont Park before finishing third to stablemate Devil May Care (Malibu Moon) in the 2009 GI Frizette S.

Nonna Mia, a close relative of MGSW sire Cairo Prince (Pioneerof the Nile), was an immediate hit in the breeding shed, first producing the multiple stakes-placed Nonna's Boy (Distorted Humor) before a mating with Uncle Mo resulted in Outwork, the 2016 GI Wood Memorial S. hero.

Nonna Bella, the third foal out of Nonna Mia, is a daughter of Repole's 2011 GI Travers S. hero Stay Thirsty (Bernardini).

Nonna Bella produced a City of Light colt in 2022 and a filly by Caravaggio this year. She was bred back to Uncle Mo.

“The horse is out of Nonna Bella, which is out my grandmother's name, Nonna Mia, which is my grandmother, and out of a Stay Thirsty mare,” Repole said. “I'm also a big shareholder in City of Light. If I don't buy out the shares of City of Light, I probably don't breed to City of Light. The way these things come together is really special.”

Friday, Santa Anita
FANDUEL BREEDERS' CUP JUVENILE PRESENTED BY THOROUGHBRED AFTERCARE ALLIANCE-GI, $1,820,000, Santa Anita, 11-3, 2yo, c/g, 1 1/16m, 1:41.90, ft.
1–FIERCENESS, 122, c, 2, 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'. 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Repole Stable, Inc. (KY); T-Todd Pletcher; J-John R. Velazquez. $1,040,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $1,102,750. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Muth, 122, c, 2, Good Magic–Hoppa, by Uncle Mo. ($190,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $2,000,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $340,000.
3–Locked, 122, c, 2, Gun Runner–Luna Rosa, by Malibu Moon. 'TDN Rising Star'. ($425,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm; B-Rosa Colasanti (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $180,000.
Margins: 6 1/4, HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 16.50, 2.70, 2.30.
Also Ran: Timberlake, Prince of Monaco, General Partner, Cuban Thunder (Ire), Wine Me Up, Noted. Scratched: Ecoro Neo, The Wine Steward.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.