Firerceness Back With a Vengeance In the Alysheba

[Wandering Eyes]

A day that dawned with the news that Repole Stable's Grande (Curlin) was to be scratched from Saturday's GI Kentucky Derby turned considerably brighter for connections when 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) made his much-anticipated 4-year-old debut a winning one, establishing a new track record in Friday's $750,000 GII Alysheba Stakes on the Kentucky Oaks undercard at Churchill Downs.

Suffice to say that the homebred colt's trip to Louisville went a wee bit better than his last. Having earned a massive 110 Beyer in demolishing his rivals in the GI Curlin Florida Derby, Fierceness was well down the field as the 16-5 favorite in last year's Run for the Roses and unsurprisingly passed on the remaining two legs of the Triple Crown. The 9-5 second choice to 4-5 fellow 'Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes in July, the bay held off a late surge by a length and ran their head-to-head mark to 2-1 with a sensational defeat of Thorpedo Anna–with Sierra Leone third–in the GI Travers Stakes the next month. He raced right on top of the ultra-demanding tempo when last seen in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, but held on tenaciously to be an outstanding second to Sierra Leone.

Given a supremely confident steer befitting a 9-10 favorite Friday afternoon, Fierceness was content to sit three wide and facing the breeze as Most Wanted (Candy Ride {Arg}) carved out a moderate pace, covering the opening quarter in :24.39 and a half in :48.31. Fierceness was always traveling strongly within the grasp of John Velazquez and was asked to take closer order while covering some ground on the turn. Rolling up to pour the pressure into the pacesetter in upper stretch, Fierceness and Most Wanted dueled heads apart into the final furlong before the 2-year-old champ asserted late. Gun Runner 'Rising Stars' Hall of Fame and Locked were third and fourth, respectively, while never a serious threat to the top two.

The final time of 1:40.66 broke the previous track record of 1:41.04 set in this race in 2012 by Successful Dan (Successful Appeal).

“It was a perfect trip,” said Velazquez. “There was a little bit of speed in there. I wanted them to hop out of there well and he went to the first turn not being too aggressive. When I put him in the clear on the backstretch, he just really got into the bit and kept taking off.”

Added winning trainer Todd Pletcher: “He's a nice horse and he showed it today. But, wow! A track record at Churchill Downs, that's a really big deal. We've got lots of options with him right now but I'd have to think the [GI] Met Mile [at Saratoga June 7] is on the top of the current list.”

Pedigree Notes:

Also the dam of GIII Futurity Stakes hero Mentee, Nonna Bella is one of four winners from five to race out of Nonna Mia, a $200,000 purchase by Team Repole out of the 2008 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale and third in the GI Frizette Stakes the following season before going on to produce 2016 GI Wood Memorial Stakes hero Outwork to the cover of Repole's champion juvenile Uncle Mo. The stakes winning and graded-placed third dam was responsible for the talented racehorse and very useful sire Cairo Prince (Pioneerof the Nile).

Nonna Belle is also the dam of the juvenile filly Nonna's Love (Caravaggio), a debut third going 4 1/2 furlongs at Keeneland Apr. 23, a yearling colt by Uncle Mo and a filly by Curlin foaled Apr. 1.

 

Fierceness wears down Most Wanted to win the G2 Alysheba Stakes presented by Sentient Jet!

John Velazquez was aboard for trainer Todd Pletcher. pic.twitter.com/JpPCJeVRGy

— Churchill Downs (@ChurchillDowns) May 2, 2025

Friday, Churchill Downs
ALYSHEBA S. PRESENTED BY SENTIENT JET-GII, $750,000, Churchill Downs, 5-2, 4yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:40.66, ft.
1–FIERCENESS, 118, c, 4, 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'. O-Derrick Smith, Repole Stable, Michael B.
Tabor and Mrs. John Magnier; B-Repole Stable, Inc. (KY);
T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-John R. Velazquez. $458,970. Lifetime
Record: Ch. 2-year-old colt, MGISW, 10-6-1-1, $4,315,320.
*Full to Mentee, GSW, $148,000. Werk Nick Rating: A+++.
*Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Most Wanted, 118, c, 4, Candy Ride (Arg)–Beach Walk,
by Distorted Humor. O-Gary and Mary West; B-Gary & Mary
West Stables Inc. (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $148,700.
3–Hall of Fame, 120, c, 4, Gun Runner–Flag Day, by Giant's
Causeway. ($1,400,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG). 'TDN Rising Star'.
O-Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, Derrick Smith,
Westerberg and Brook T. Smith; B-Earle I. Mack LLC (KY);
T-Steven M. Asmussen. $74,350.
Margins: 1HF, 2 3/4, 2HF. Odds: 0.94, 8.20, 7.37.
Also Ran: Locked, This Is Uscar, Katonah.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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