By Steve Sherack
If there was a knock on last year's champion 2-year-old and 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) heading into Saturday's GI Travers S., it was that he couldn't fire his best shot in back-to-back races.
Seems awfully silly now, doesn't it?
Off as the 7-2 third choice and just a dime shy of 4-1 in the highlight of the summer meeting at Saratoga, the Repole Stable homebred backed up his exceptional win in the local prep GII Jim Dandy Stakes July 27 with a dramatic head victory over the superstar filly and fellow 'Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna). It was another 1 3/4 lengths back to 8-5 favorite and 'Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) in third.
A no-brainer 'Rising Star' on debut in the Saratoga mud last summer, Fierceness followed with a puzzling seventh as the heavy favorite in a sloppy renewal of the GI Champagne S. downstate Oct. 7. Did he ever make things right, though, especially to those that backed him at 16-1, with a tour-de-force victory on the big stage in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita. A disappointing third at .20 cents on the dollar in his 3-year-old lidlifter in the GIII Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Feb. 3, he established himself as the horse to beat on the first Saturday in May with a jaw-dropping 13 1/2-length victory, good for a career-best 110 Beyer, in the GI Curlin Florida Derby Mar. 30. He failed to put them back to back once again, however, and finished 15th as the 3-1 choice in the GI Kentucky Derby.
Fierceness was given plenty of time to recover from that effort by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher and bypassed the GI Belmont Stakes. It was clearly the right move and the bay got back on track with a fantastic one-length decision over the narrow Kentucky Derby runner-up and Belmont Stakes third-place finisher Sierra Leone in the Jim Dandy.
“This has been something that hasn't made sense-the odd and even [results],” winning owner/breeder Mike Repole said. “He had to put two together eventually and this is the one. He did what we thought he could do, and he ran a great race. The filly [Thorpedo Anna] ran great–I begged [trainer Kenny] McPeek to keep her with fillies.”
Fierceness, the 13th horse to land the Jim Dandy/Travers double, provided Pletcher with his third victory in the Travers.
“That was incredible,” Pletcher said. “He sat patiently, made a big move, and held off a tremendous filly. We'll most likely train up to the [Breeders' Cup] Classic.”
Pletcher added, “He always trains exceptionally well, but he doesn't give you negative signs, but he had never given me so many positive signs [as] leading into this race. The way he was eating, his energy level, the way he was galloping, his breezes were super. He did them easily, just everything was giving me confidence to run him back in four weeks.”
Thorpedo Anna, a dominating winner of four straight against her own sex, including the GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Coaching Club American Oaks, lost absolutely nothing in defeat. She was only the fifth filly to run in the Travers since 1962, and posted the best finish since. A filly hasn't won the Travers since Lady Rotha do so in 1915.
“She's so special, and we're just really proud of her,” McPeek said. “She will most assuredly go to Parx if everything's OK. I see her [Breeders' Cup] Distaff, I don't see her [Breeders' Cup] Classic. I see the [GI] Cotillion [at Parx] as a no brainer, and then the Distaff is more than likely. I don't see her going against the colts.”
How the Race Was Won
Last to load, Fierceness was off well and took up a forward position as Batten Down (Tapit) was intent on heading off his rivals and galloped his seven rivals along through an opening quarter-mile that was sharp enough in :23.53, while pursued by Belmont Stakes and GI Haskell Stakes hero Dornoch (Good Magic). The connections of certain 3-year-old filly champion Thorpedo Anna would have done some contingency planning, as she has shown speed enough to lead in her races, but also an ability to settle and make a run. The latter tactics were employed, as the filly took back to third and followed the rail to the backstretch.
Fierceness settled in midfield, but in the clear passing the six-furlong marker before improving a spot prior to the half-mile pole. They slowed the pace down and went the half in :48.10. They picked up the pace around the turn and John Velazquez had Fierceness poised to strike three wide, as Thorpedo Anna and Sierra Leone prepared to deliver their challenges deeper out at the quarter pole. Fierceness claimed Batten Down with ease at the three-sixteenths and carried what appeared to be a winning lead into the final furlong. Thorpedo Anna called on all her quality and was gaining on Fierceness as the wire loomed, but the reigning 2-year-old champ was home about a half-head best in a race that didn't deserve a loser.
“I had to get after him when the filly started coming,” Velazquez said. “I went left-handed and he responded right away. I was very proud of him because when it was time to fight, he put in a really good fight.”
Pedigree Notes
Fierceness became the first Grade I winner for City of Light with his win in last year's Juvenile. He is represented by three graded/group winners worldwide. Fierceness is the lone graded winner for broodmare sire Stay Thirsty, winner of the 2011 Travers for these same connections.
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 Travers S. hero Stay Thirsty (Bernardini).
Nonna Bella is also represented by the 2-year-old colt Mentee (City of Light), who set a new track record in his debut victory at the Big A June 15 and is being aimed at the GI Hopeful Stakes; a yearling filly by Caravaggio; and an Uncle Mo colt of this year. She was bred back to Curlin.
“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.”
THE CHAMP IS BACK! Fierceness, son of @LanesEndFarms stallion City of Light, wins the G1 @DraftKings Travers Stakes, leaving no doubt that he's back on top!
The legendary @ljlmvel was aboard for @PletcherRacing and @RepoleStable. pic.twitter.com/M8KY6h4sQr
— NYRA (🎪) (@TheNYRA) August 24, 2024
Saturday, Saratoga
DRAFTKINGS TRAVERS S.-GI, $1,250,000, Saratoga, 8-24, 3yo, 1 1/4m, 2:01.79, ft.
1–FIERCENESS, 126, c, 3, 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
O/B-Repole Stable, Inc. (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-John R.
Velazquez. $687,500. 'TDN Rising Star' Lifetime Record:
Ch. 2-year-old colt, 8-5-0-1, $2,666,350.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or
the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Thorpedo Anna, 121, f, 3, Fast Anna–Sataves, by Uncle
Mo. ($40,000 Ylg '22 FTKOCT). O-Brookdale Racing, Inc.,
Mark Edwards, Judy B. Hicks, and Magdalena Racing (Sherri
McPeek); B-Judy Hicks (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek.
$250,000. 'TDN Rising Star'
3–Sierra Leone, 126, c, 3, Gun Runner–Heavenly Love, by
Malibu Moon. ($2,300,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG). O-Mrs. John
Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg,
Rocket Ship Racing, LLC and Peter M. Brant; B-Debby M.
Oxley (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $150,000. 'TDN Rising Star'
Margins: HD, 1 3/4, 6HF. Odds: 3.90, 3.40, 1.75.
Also Ran: Dornoch, Batten Down, Corporate Power, Unmatched Wisdom, Honor Marie.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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