City of Light Invades for Forego

It's been a big month for City of Light .

On Aug. 10, the Quality Road  colt's future home at stud was announced—Lane's End Farm, alongside his sire.

On Aug. 25, he'll make his Saratoga Race Course debut in the $600,000 Forego Stakes (G1), a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" event for the Dirt Mile (G1) in November at Churchill Downs.

Winner of the Malibu Stakes (G1) and Triple Bend Stakes (G1), both run at the Forego's seven-furlong distance, Mr. and Mrs. William K. Warren's 4-year-old colt dials back in distance from 1 1/4 miles after finishing third in the May 26 Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes (G1). That effort came after an impressive win in the April 14 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) going 1 1/8 miles at Oaklawn Park.  

"After the Gold Cup, we had circled the (Aug. 4) Whitney (Stakes, G1), as Mr. Warren has been wanting to bring him east," trainer Mike McCarthy said. "He started the Del Mar meet off with a bit of a foot bruise, and we didn't want to rush things with him. With two grade 1 wins at seven furlongs, the Forego looked like an ideal spot."

Meet-leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. picks up the mount from the outside in a field of eight.

Limousine Liberal has finished on the board in 11 consecutive races for owner Katherine Ball, including a win in the July 7 Belmont Sprint Championship Stakes (G2) at seven furlongs. The Ben Colebrook trainee returns to Saratoga for the first time since last year's third-place finish in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1). Jose Ortiz, who piloted the 6-year-old Successful Appeal  gelding to win the Belmont Sprint, will ride from post 1.

Warrior's Club could be poised for a big effort after two solid runs in sprints. The Warrior's Reward  colt rallied for second, 3 3/4 lengths behind Imperial Hint in the July 28 Vanderbilt and placed third one start prior in a Churchill Downs stakes race. 

Trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas for Churchill Downs Racing Club, Warrior's Club won his first graded stakes this year when he ran down Limousine Liberal to take the April 7 Commonwealth Stakes (G3) at Keeneland. 

"He is the model all of us would like to own," Lukas said. "All you have to do is feed him, take him over there, put him in the gate, he's unbelievable. What a neat horse."

No Dozing, who won a July 21 allowance/optional claimer going seven furlongs in near-record time at Saratoga, besting a stakes-tested field that included Forego rival Awesome Slew, will return to stakes company for trainer Arnaud Delacour, who won the 2016 Forego with A.P. Indian.

The win over a fast track at Saratoga marked No Dozing's first race off an eight-month layoff. He makes his first graded stakes appearance since the 2017 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes (G1).

"He's a 4-year-old and he's exactly what you hope for when they go from 3 to 4; he's gotten stronger, bigger and muscular," Delacour said. "He's probably a little better going a mile, but seven furlongs is a good distance for him."

Trainer Mark Casse looks to get back on track in this spot with Live Oak Plantation's Awesome Slew. The grade 3-winning 5-year-old son of Awesome Again  capped his season last year with a third-place finish in the Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar. He started 2018 off with a second to Army Mule in the April 7 Carter Handicap (G1) at Aqueduct Racetrack and was third in the May 5 Churchill Downs Stakes Presented by Twinspires.com (G2), both at the Forego distance of seven furlongs.

After a disappointing eighth in the June 9 Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at a mile, Casse turned Awesome Slew back to seven furlongs in the talent-laden July 21 optional claimer at Saratoga in which he ran third.

"I thought his race was a little on the dull side, and looking back at some of his best races, we've trained him a little harder heading into races," Casse said. "So, you'll see, I put in a really strong breeze into him, just changing things up and trying to get him back on track."

Awesome Slew worked a bullet five furlongs in :59.22 Aug. 12 on the Saratoga main track, fastest of eight at the distance.

Awesome Slew has finished on the board in all seven of his previous starts at the Forego distance, going 1-4-2.



"His last race wasn't super, but there wasn't a lot of pace," Casse said. "Awesome Slew is the type of horse that needs others to do things for him, so the race has to set up well for him. ... He's won going seven furlongs. If there's a big speed duel and it collapses late, he's going to come running. If they get away with a slow pace, he'll (struggle)."

Whitmore comes off back-to-back runner-up efforts by a neck for trainer Ron Moquett, nearly overtaking Imperial Hint in the June 8 True North Stakes (G2) and coming up short to Limousine Liberal in the Belmont Sprint. The Pleasantly Perfect gelding started his year with wins in the March 10 Hot Springs Stakes and the April 14 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) at Oaklawn Park. 

C Z Rocket won his first stakes in the June 30 Kelly's Landing Overnight Stakes at Churchill, where he registered a four-length score. After the City Zip colt ended his 3-year-old season with a disappointing sixth in the Malibu, trainer Al Stall Jr. gave him more than five months off before he returned to run third in a June 1 optional claimer, propelling him into his strong stakes performance.

"He has a few races under his belt. We're still scratching our heads about the Malibu. We felt good about how he was training out there, but things like that sometimes happen," Stall said. "So, he got a nice breather and I thought a pretty good comeback race at Churchill. He clearly benefited from that race. So, the next logical step if you wanted to stay with this distance on this side of the country is the Forego."

Longshot Heartwood, winner of the Aug. 4 Senator Robert C. Byrd Memorial Stakes at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort for trainer James Chapman, seeks his first graded win and completes the field.

Entries: Forego S. (G1)

Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 25, 2018, Race 9

• Grade I
• 7f
• Dirt
• $600,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 4:12 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Limousine Liberal (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Ben Colebrook	3/1
2	2Awesome Slew (FL)	John R. Velazquez	118	Mark E. Casse	10/1
3	3Whitmore (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	122	Ron Moquett	4/1
4	4Heartwood (KY)	Manuel Franco	118	James K. Chapman	30/1
5	5No Dozing (KY)	Joel Rosario	118	Arnaud Delacour	12/1
6	6C Z Rocket (FL)	Shaun Bridgmohan	118	Albert M. Stall, Jr.	9/2
7	7Warrior's Club (KY)	Luis Saez	120	D. Wayne Lukas	10/1
8	8City of Light (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	124	Michael W. McCarthy	9/5