City of Light feeling good as Pegasus approaches

ARCADIA, Calif. – Scary thought: City of Light is better now than when he ran the race of his career seven weeks ago in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

“He has moved forward,” trainer Michael McCarthy stated with conviction Thursday at Santa Anita, after City of Light worked a half-mile in company in preparation for his career finale in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 26 at Gulfstream Park.

If McCarthy is right that City of Light has improved, then he will take some beating in the $9 million Pegasus, a 1 1/8-mile race in which he and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Accelerate are likely to start as the top two favorites.

City of Light worked Thursday at 8 a.m. in company with the maiden Irish Spirit. City of Light was timed in 47.40 seconds and galloped out five furlongs in 1:00.40. The work was his third since winning the BC Dirt Mile with a 110 Beyer on Nov. 3, and his first of the series in company.

“He’s got a tendency to get a little lackadaisical starting off, so I wanted to get him a little more dialed in today,” McCarthy said regarding the decision to work in company. “Since he’s come back, he’s training forwardly, couldn’t be happier.”

City of Light is the only horse this year to defeat Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Accelerate, having won the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap in April by a neck. City of Light and Accelerate are stabled at Santa Anita. City of Light has won five races and more than $1.6 million from 10 starts.

Vibrance getting a rest

Vibrance, third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, is getting a 60-day break after a sixth in the Grade 1 Starlet on Dec. 8 at Los Alamitos.

“I don’t think, in the paddock, she was acting like herself,” trainer Michael McCarthy said, suspecting unfamiliar surroundings played a part in her misfire. “She’s always run out of her own stall. We sent her to Churchill Downs 10 days before she ran [in the Breeders’ Cup].”

For the Starlet, Vibrance vanned to Los Alamitos the morning of the race. “We’re going to give her a little time to regroup, and hopefully in the spring have ourselves a pretty nice filly,” McCarthy said.

Vibrance, who has one win from five starts, finished second in the Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita prior to her third in the Breeders’ Cup.