Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Mud, Accelerate don’t dull City of Light’s Pegasus win
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — City of Light and Accelerate went head to head twice last year, each winning once and setting up what figured to be a showdown in the final race of their careers.
City of Light decided to make it a romp instead.
Going into retirement with a flourish, City of Light ran away from Accelerate and every other challenger down the stretch and rolled to a 5¾-length victory in the $9 million Pegasus World Cup on Saturday — the richest race in North America and the highlight of the $16 million Pegasus Day at Gulfstream Park.
“This horse is a gift,” City of Light trainer Michael McCarthy said. “Amazing.”
Seeking the Soul, a 30-1 long shot, got up for second. Accelerate, the Breeders’ Cup Classic champion and runner-up for Horse of the Year, never fired in the stretch run and placed third. Accelerate ended his career with six wins in eight races — both losses coming to City of Light.
“We’ve enjoyed him for three years,” Accelerate trainer John Sadler said. “We ran a really good race today in tough conditions.”
Both caked in mud, a souvenir from the rain-drubbed dirt course, they left the track at roughly the same time and headed to the barn for the final post-race meal of their careers. Late Sunday morning, they’ll be loaded into the same van to start the journey to the farm in Kentucky where they will begin their stud careers next month.
They could have retired after Breeders’ Cup wins in November — Accelerate won the Classic, City of Light won the Mile — but stuck around for a shot at the Pegasus payday.
“Nine million reasons,” McCarthy said.
For City of Light, it more than paid off.
City of Light’s connections get $4 million of the $9 million purse, but that’s nothing to scoff at. City of Light came into the day with career earnings of just less than $1.7 million, but Saturday’s check moved him into the top 50 career money-winners among North American thoroughbreds.
“I think I rode the best horse in the race,” City of Light jockey Javier Castellano said. “Thank God everything worked out.”
City of Light returned $5.80 for the win, $4.20 for place and $3 to show. Seeking the Soul paid $19.20 and $8.20. Accelerate, the 3-2 favorite, paid $2.80.
Earlier Saturday, Bricks and Mortar won the inaugural running of the Pegasus World Cup Turf — the richest grass race run in North America. Magic Wand was second and Delta Prince third.
The weather was a disaster, with storms throughout the day and darkness hovering over the track by the time City of Light crossed the finish line. But the party raged on, with Pegasus Day being like none other on Gulfstream Park’s annual racing calendar and perhaps like few other days in racing anywhere.