Fierceness

You have to root for the people who strive so hard to make a go of racing in Northern California after Golden Gate Fields shut its doors for good June 9. Racing has a rich history in Northern California and there are hundreds of people, from hotwalkers to grooms to trainers to breeders, and everybody in between, who depend on the sport to put food on the table. They deserve better than the uncertainty that has left most everyone worrying about their futures after The Stronach Group announced it 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...

7th-BAQ, $90K, Msw, 2yo, 5f, 3:40 p.m. One half of a Repole Stable entry, MENTEE (City of Light) is a full-brother to 'TDN Rising Star' and Champion 2-year-old Male Fierceness. Nonna Bella is herself a daughter of GISP Nonna Mia and a half to GI Wood Memorial S. winner and sire Outwork (Uncle Mo) while third dam Holy Bubbette is responsible for MGSW and sire Cairo Prince (Pioneerof the Nile). Drawn outside for Todd Pletcher and John Velazquez, Mentee comes in off a best-of-20 work June 7 at Saratoga, going...

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...

The GI Belmont S. lost a major contender Thursday when trainer Todd Pletcher revealed that last year's juvenile champion Fierceness (City of Light) will pass the final leg of the Triple Crown and will instead point for the GI Haskell S. on July 20 at Monmouth Park. The Daily Racing Form's David Grening was first with the story. "We felt like Fierceness needs more time and will point for the Haskell," Pletcher said in a text message. Fierceness has not run since finishing 15th as the beaten favorite in the...

The Todd Pletcher-trained trio of Fierceness (City of Light), Antiquarian (Preservationist) and Mindframe (Constitution) all visited the track Friday morning in preparation for upcoming starts in the GI Belmont S. held at Saratoga. 'TDN Rising Star' and Champion 2-year-old Male Fierceness marked his first work since finishing off the board as the favorite in the GI Kentucky Derby earlier this month. Working in company with stablemate Mindframe, the pair covered a half-mile in :50 flat over the Oklahoma training track, galloping out in 1:02 2/5, 1:14 3/5 and 1:28 2/5....

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...

Bettors were able to lock in some juicy prices in the two futures pools for this year's GI Preakness S., but banking on which horses would even enter the middle jewel of the Triple Crown ended up being almost as tough a task as choosing a winner. Consider yourself a pretty decent Preakness prognosticator if, in Pool 1 that closed back on Mar. 2, you nabbed 30-1 advance odds on subsequent GI Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan (Goldencents); 19-1 on likely Preakness favorite and 'TDN Rising Star' Muth (Good Magic),...

The Todd Pletcher-trained Antiquarian (Preservationist), who won Saturday's GII Peter Pan S. at Belmont's The Big A meeting, will point towards the GI Belmont S. held at Saratoga, Pletcher confirmed Sunday. "He certainly acts like it," said Pletcher when asked about whether the added distance would benefit Antiquarian. "We didn't get him in until October, but he's always done everything very professional." Both Antiquarian and Peter Pan third-place runner Protective (Medaglia d'Oro) will ship to Saratoga sometime in the coming week where they will join last year's champion 2-year-old Fierceness...

LOUISVILLE, KY -- Weeks and months of preparation, with a healthy dose of good luck, are complete. A full field of 20 will line up for the 150th anniversary renewal of the GI Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Much of the pre-race hype has revolved around the defending juvenile champion Fierceness (City of Light). A runaway winner in the GI Florida Derby in his latest start, the 'TDN Rising Star' has been training like a beast, signaling he is ready to do big things come Derby day. His trainer, Todd...

The field for the GI Kentucky Derby, ranked in "likeliest winner" order. 1) FOREVER YOUNG (JPN) (c, Real Steel {Jpn}--Forever Darling, by Congrats). O-Susumu Fujita; B-Northern Racing (Jpn); T-Yoshito Yahagi. Sales History: ¥98,000,000 Ylg '22 JRHAJUL. Lifetime Record: 5-5-0-0, $2,049,451. Last start: WON Mar. 30 G2 UAE Derby. The 5-for-5 Forever Young resonates as the most legitimate threat a foreign-based horse has had to win the Derby since the internationalization of the race over the past several decades. I'd hesitate to compare this colt's presence to the electrifying pre-race aura...

Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) will host 'Bid on the Bluegrass', an online auction of unique, Kentucky-themed items and experiences, which opens on Thursday, May 2 at 9 a.m. ET and will conclude on Saturday, May 4 at 9 p.m. ET., the non-profit said in a release Wednesday. "Thanks to our generous donors, Bid on the Bluegrass offers a wide array of interesting items with a Kentucky focus," said Erin Halliwell executive director of TCA. "We have bourbon-themed items, racing memorabilia, one-of-a-kind experiences, halters worn by Kentucky Derby starters, and...