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Uncle Mo’s Celestial City Shines in Hill Prince

Made the lukewarm 38-10 favorite for Saturday's GII Hill Prince S. at Aqueduct, Stuart Janney III's Celestial City (Uncle Mo) found his best stride entering the final eighth of a mile and outfinished Mackinnon (American Pharoah) for a maiden success at the stakes level.

Exiting a local allowance victory Sept. 24, having previously dead-heated for the place spot behind the GI Breeders' Cup Mile-bound 'TDN Rising Star' Annapolis (War Front) in a paceless renewal of Saratoga's GIII Saranac S. three weeks prior, Celestial City bobbled slightly at the start and dropped straight out the back, then was taken hold of by Jose Lezcano to sit second last out of the stretch. A touch keen as the speed dropped away through the middle stages, Celestial City nevertheless managed to save every inch of ground and had no stone in his path as he scraped paint around the second turn. Committed to that inside passage, Celestial City got a dream run through along the rail into the stretch, pressed away from the inside and into the three path at the furlong grounds and quickened up nicely for the victory. Grand Sonata (Medaglia d'Oro) closed well for third.

“I think he's learning now and I think we've learned a little something today with him not breaking well,” said winning trainer Shug McGaughey, remarkably winning his first Hill Prince. “He got farther back than I thought he would, but he made a pretty explosive run so maybe that's what he wants to do.”

A maiden winner at second asking this past March, the bay narrowly missed in the May 29 Jersey Derby and was a good third in the Aug. 5 GII Hall of Fame S. at the Spa. Adding blinkers for the Saranac, Celestial City finished 5 1/2 lengths behind the front-running Annapolis before returning to winning ways last time.

McGaughey said the winner would be considered for the GI Hollywood Derby at Del Mar Dec. 3.

“I'm not ready to stop as long as he's saying 'go,'” the Hall of Fame conditioner said.

Pedigree Notes:

Celestial City, who is out of a winning half-sister to GISW Hymn Book (Arch), becomes the 84th stakes winner and 46th graded winner for his versatile stallion. This is also the family of Janney III's GISW Data Link (War Front). The cross of Uncle Mo over A.P. Indy-line mares is responsible for the likes of Grade I winners Mo Donegal and Mo Town and additional graded winners Modernist and Mopotism. Lunar Evening is the dam of the yearling colt Waxing Moon (Candy Ride {Arg}) and a weanling colt by Mastery. She was most recently bred back to Uncle Mo.

HILL PRINCE S.-GII, $300,000, Belmont The Big A, 10-22, 3yo, 1 1/8mT, 1:50.27, fm.
1–CELESTIAL CITY, 118, c, 3, by Uncle Mo
                1st Dam: Lunar Evening, by Malibu Moon
                2nd Dam: Vespers, by Known Fact
                3rd Dam: Sunset Service, by Deputy Minister
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Stuart
Janney, III LLC (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III; J-Jose
Lezcano. $165,000. Lifetime Record: 9-3-2-2, $347,920.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Mackinnon, 118, c, 3, American Pharoah–Scat Means Go, by
Scat Daddy. ($200,000 Ylg '20 FTKOCT; $285,000 2yo '21
FTFMAR). O-ERJ Racing, LLC, Madaket Stables LLC & Dave
Kenney; B-International Equities Holding, Inc. (KY); T-Chad C.
Brown. $60,000.
3–Grand Sonata, 120, c, 3, Medaglia d'Oro–A. P. Sonata, by
A.P. Indy. ($125,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP). O/B-Whisper Hill
Farm, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $36,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, HD, NO. Odds: 3.80, 4.00, 5.00.
Also Ran: Wicked Fast, Constitutionlawyer, St Anthony, Nantasket Beach, Limited Liability, Be Better, Unanimous Consent (GB).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Tapwrit Colt Dazzles In ‘TDN Rising Star’ Debut

Sent away at a well-backed 7-2 in arguably the toughest and deepest 2-year-old maiden of the fall meet at Keeneland Friday afternoon, Spendthrift Farm and Frank Fletcher Racing Operation's Victory Formation (c, 2, Tapwrit–Smart N Soft, by Smart Strike) led past every pole to become the 10th individual winner and the first 'TDN Rising Star' for his Gainesway-based freshman sire (by Tapit).

Hustled away from gate three by Luis Saez, Victory Formation headed off his rivals as the field linked up with the track proper and got the opening quarter in a solid :23.03 while chased to his inside by favored Communication Memo (Bolt d'Oro) and by Release Mccraken (McCraken) deeper out. Galloping in hand on the turn, the athletic bay pinched a break when asked to lengthen entering the stretch and kicked readily clear through the final eighth of a mile to take it by a space. Release Mccraken was second ahead of Communication Memo.

Weyhill Road (Quality Road), the well-related $1.6-million Keeneland September graduate, was headstrong and checked in traffic down the backstretch, came with an inside run on the turn and flattened out a bit in the final furlong to finish fourth in an effort that can certainly be built upon. Baseline Beater (Flatter) was bothered badly by Schoolmaster (Ger) (Helmet {Aus}) soon after the break, but closed his final quarter in a race-fastest :24.65 to check in a promising fifth.

Gainesway, who stands Classic winner Tapwrit alongside his own extraordinary sire, purchased the winner's dam for $140,000 in foal to Uncle Mo at the 2015 Keeneland November Sale and elected to retain the mare when offered carrying the colt that would become Victory Formation on a bid of $47,000 at KEENOV in 2019.

Victory Formation found his way back into the Keeneland sales pavilion 12 months later, hammering to Black Cat Stable for $100,000, the priciest of 18 foals by Tapwrit to sell in 2020. Resold to Gina Fennell for $150,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton July Sale, the Mar. 3 foal fetched $340,000 at this year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale after breezing a quarter-mile in :21 2/5 (see below).

A half-brother to recent GI Rodeo Drive S. third Bellamore (Empire Maker, $184,840), Victory Formation is a grandson of late James Tafel's GSW Softly, while the deeper female family includes GSW/MGISP Til Forbid (Temperence Hill) and her Grade III-winning daughter Scoop (Gone West). Smart N Soft is the dam of a yearling Karakontie (Jpn) filly that was purchased by RGS Enterprises for $130,000 at last month's Keeneland September Sale and a weanling filly by Practical Joke. She was most recently covered by Raging Bull (Fr).

7th-Keeneland, $99,588, Msw, 10-21, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 1:17.94, ft, 4 3/4 lengths.
VICTORY FORMATION, c, 2, by Tapwrit
1st Dam: Smart N Soft, by Smart Strike
2nd Dam: Softly, by Binalong
3rd Dam: Coragil, by Metfield
Sales history: $100,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $150,000 Ylg '21 FTKJUL; $340,000 2yo '22 EASMAY. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $56,575.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Spendthrift Farm LLC & Frank Fletcher Racing Operations Inc; B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd (KY); T-Brad H Cox.

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Goldencents Colt Graduates Nicely at Keeneland

4th-Keeneland, $97,670, Msw, 10-21, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 1:19.10, ft, 1/2 length.
LUGAN KNIGHT (c, 2, Goldencents–Sly Roxy, by Speightstown) was outfinished by the impressive Protege (Good Magic) on Churchill debut Sept. 21 and was off at 97 cents on the dollar to go one better Friday afternoon. Away a touch slowly from the inside gate, the homebred tucked in just behind the leading trio in fourth down the backstretch and traveled on the bridle on the turn. The favorite was ridden for luck into the stretch and was stymied with about three-sixteenths of a mile to race, but he punched through gamely three off the inside entering the final furlong and fought on gamely for the victory, the second of the meet for these connections. Carcano (Bolt d'Oro), the second betting choice at 38-10, raced farther back in the field and in a fair amount of kickback over what appeared to be a loose surface for the opening half-mile. Produced wide into the stretch, he stood to be the chief beneficiary when Lugan Knight was short of room, taking the lead between calls, but he was outgamed to the line. Lugan Knight is the first offspring for his dam, a daughter of two-time Sovereign Award winner Roxy Gap (Indian Charlie), whose four winners from five to race include Peter Brant's GIII Pucker Up S. heroine Cafe Americano (Medaglia d'Oro). Sly Roxy is the dam of a yearling colt from the second crop of Mendelssohn–a half-brother to Into Mischief– and most recently visited Instagrand (Into Mischief). Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $80,575. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O/B-BG Stables (KY); T-Michael W McCarthy.

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Saturday Insights: Godolphin Firster Should Not Be ‘Chile’ on the Board

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency
5th-KEE, $100K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, post time: 3:08 p.m.
Hill 'n' Dale's Curlin has been good to Godolphin this season, having accounted for GI Forego S. upsetter Cody's Wish, and the 'Boys in Blue' take the wraps off the stallion's daughter POBLANO Saturday afternoon. Drawn the rail and pegged at morning-line odds of 12-1 that seem overlaid, the Apr. 16 foal is out of Kinda Spicy (A.P. Indy), perfect in two starts in an abbreviated racing career who has since gone on to produce Avery Island (Street Sense), winner of the GII Nashua S. and runner-up to future MGISW Catholic Boy (More Than Ready) in the GII Remsen S. at two and in the GIII Withers S. at three, defeating Firenze Fire (Poseidon's Warrior). Poblano's second dam, Isola Piu Bella (Chi) (Rich Man's Gold), was Chile's Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old filly of 2004 and was a dual graded winner for Sumaya U S Stables once transferred to this country. Kinda Spicy is the second of just two foals from Isola Piu Bella, who passed away in 2009. Poblano appears to be working well for the debut, including a strong half-mile move in :47 4/5 (3/57) over the Keeneland main track Oct. 7 and bullet drills prior to that at The Thoroughbred Center. TJCIS PPs

1st-BAQ, $95K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, post time: 12:35 p.m. ET
SOURCES AND USES (City of Light) is the first foal out of Ultimate Cause (Giant's Causeway), who was purchased by Richard Masson's Green Lantern Stables with this filly in utero for $310,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November Sale. The 9-year-old mare is a daughter of SW & GSP Supreme (Empire Maker), whose son Silver State (Hard Spun) proved best in the 2021 GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. and now holds court at Claiborne Farm. Third dam Mon Belle (Maria's Mon) is a full-sister to GI Kentucky Derby hero Monarchos and was also responsible for the three-times stakes-placed Spark (Speightstown). Among the competition is Erna (Curlin), a $135,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $600,000 OBS April breezer who hails from the female family of Grade I-winning turf filly Magnificent Song (Unbridled's Song). TJCIS PPs

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