City of Light to Head to Saratoga for Forego Stakes
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Photo: Zoe Metz
City of Light works Aug. 17 at Del Mar
Trainer Michael McCarthy will be traveling to Saratoga Race Course next week for the first time since going out on his own in 2014 when he brings multiple grade 1 winner City of Light to town for the $600,000 Forego Stakes (G1) Aug. 25—the Travers Day card.
Most recently third as the beaten favorite in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita Park (G1), City of Light owns victories in the grade 1 Triple Bend and Malibu stakes at the Forego distance, seven furlongs, as well as in the grade 2, 1 1/8-mile Oaklawn Handicap.
The Quality Road colt, 4-3-1 from eight starts with earnings of $1,000,600, worked a bullet five furlongs at Del Mar Aug. 17, covering the distance in 1:00.
"(Owner) Mr. (William) Warren has been wanting to send him east," said McCarthy, who spent 11 years as an assistant to Todd Pletcher. "We had circled the Whitney (G1) after the Gold Cup, but we didn't want to rush things."
McCarthy said City of Light would arrive at Saratoga Aug. 22, possibly accompanied by stablemate Axelrod, the grade 3 Indiana Derby winner who is under consideration for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers.
"The owner will make the final decision on that in the next few days," McCarthy said.
Axelrod, whose other graded stakes appearance was a second in the Grade 3 Affirmed at Santa Anita in June, worked five furlongs in 1:01.60, handily, Friday.