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City of Light Off The Blocks With First Winner

Three Diamonds Farm and Joseph Besecker's Roja Ligera (City of Light) stepped forward at second asking to take an off-the-turf Ellis Park dash Sunday and become the first winner for her freshman sire (by Quality Road). She had trailed all but one rival home following a poor break in a five-furlong event at Churchill Downs July 1, but the $75,000 OBSMAR purchase (:9 4/5) got away much sharper this time out, moving between horses to contend for the lead before giving way to Catcha Later Mo (Mo Town). Roja Ligera began to re-engage that rival around the far turn, drawing even with her l at the quarter pole before drawing off from the three path. Collected Glory (Collected) gave chase along the rail from second and was gaining slowly, but ran out of time as Roja Ligera went on to win by 1 1/4 lengths.

Also City of Light's first-born foal, Roja Ligera is out of a half-sister to GSW Wishful Tomcat (Tactical Cat) and to the dam of MGSW Rated R Superstar (Kodiak Kowboy). The winner has a yearling half-sister by Mastery.

City of Light, winner of both the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at four and the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. at five, stood alongside his sire at Lane's End this year for $60,000 after seeing frenzied bidding for his first crop of yearlings last term. A City of Light colt topped Keeneland September at $1.7 million and 15 of his yearlings fetched $500,000 or more in 2021.

5th-Ellis, $60,000, Msw, 7-31, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f (off turf), 1:05.31, my, 1 1/4 lengths.
ROJA LIGERA (f, 2, City of Light-Redbud, by Union Rags) Sales History: $155,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $75,000 2yo '22 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $37,139. Click for the Equibase.com chart.
O-Three Diamonds Farm & Jospeh Besecker; B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Joe Sharp.

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Shahama Dominates Monmouth Oaks

Shahama stalked pacesetting favorite Juji's Map before exploding to the lead off the turn and sailing clear to her first U.S. victory in the GIII Monmouth Oaks Sunday on the Jersey Shore. Sent off at 8-5, the bay shadowed Juji's Map, the 4-5 favorite, through fractions of :24.67 and :48.71. Nudged at into the far turn, Shahama surged to the lead after three-quarters in 1:11.88 and bound away to an easy win.

“We thought Brad Cox's horse [Juju's Map] would be on the lead and we would be sitting second and that's just how it played out,” said Anthony Sciametta, assistant to winning trainer Todd Pletcher. “She's been training in New York and shipped down for this Saturday afternoon and did well and was well behaved. I know everyone who is around her likes her. She has a lot of class, as you can tell. I thought it was a two-horse race. You don't like to say that, but we thought it was between Juju's Map and us. Shahama was really good today.”

Winning jockey Jorge Vargas agreed the two favorites were the obvious class of the field.

“No disrespect to the others, but Shahama and Juju's Map were the classiest horses going in,” Vargas said. “I put my horse right on Juju's Map early. I was travelling good the whole time and I kept her just outside because Todd told me she doesn't like kickback from the dirt–she has a pretty face, she doesn't want to get that dirty. At the half-mile pole I picked it up with her. Paco Lopez tried to do the same, but didn't have as much horse as I did. By the three-eighths pole I was in front and it was over.”

Shahama had a productive winter in Dubai, where she won the UAE 1000 Guineas Trial and UAE 1000 Guineas in January and earned a spot in the GI Kentucky Oaks field with a win in the G3 UAE Oaks Feb. 18 for trainer Fawzi Nass. Transferred stateside to Pletcher's barn, she suffered her first loss when sixth in the Oaks and was coming off a runner-up effort in the June 25 GII Mother Goose S.

Pedigree Notes:

Shahama is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Kensei (Mr. Greeley) and to champion Lookin at Lucky (Smart Strike). The filly has a weanling half-brother by Catalina Cruiser who was purchased by Tami Bobo's First Finds for $200,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale. Her dam, Private Feeling, who was purchased by SF Bloodstock with the winner in utero for $40,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale, was bred back to Tom's d'Etat.

Under the winner's second dam, Regal Feeling, is champion Wait a While.

Sunday, Monmouth
MONMOUTH OAKS-GIII, $245,000, Monmouth, 7-31, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:41.54, ft.
1–SHAHAMA, 121, f, 3, by Munnings
                1st Dam: Private Feeling, by Belong to Me
                2nd Dam: Regal Feeling, by Clever Trick
                3rd Dam: Sharp Belle, by Native Charger
'TDN Rising Star'. ($425,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-KHK Racing;
B-SF Bloodstock LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Jorge A. Vargas,
Jr. $150,000. Lifetime Record: GSW-UAE, 7-5-1-0, $435,984.
*1/2 to Lookin At Lucky (Smart Strike), Ch. 3-year-old Colt, Ch.
2-year-old Colt, MGISW, $3,307,278; 1/2 to Kensei
(Mr. Greeley), MGSW, $751,364. Werk Nick Rating: A+++.
   *Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Shotgun Hottie, 119, f, 3, Gun Runner–Re Entry, by Malibu
Moon. ($45,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-Omar Aldabbagh & Jeff
Ganje; B-Vincent Colbert (KY); T-William E. Morey. $50,000.
3–Juju's Map, 117, f, 3, Liam's Map–Nagambie, by Flatter.
($190,000 Ylg '20 KEEJAN; $300,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP).
O-Albaugh Family Stables LLC; B-Fred W. Hertrich (KY); T-Brad
Cox. $25,000.
Margins: 2HF, 3/4, 6 1/4. Odds: 1.70, 4.00, 0.90.
Also Ran: Runaway Wife, Office Etiquette. Scratched: Silverleaf.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Muhaarar Filly Much the Best in ‘Rising Star’-Worthy Unveiling

Mike Ryan's Be Your Best (Ire) (Muharaar {GB}–Kamakura, by Medaglia d'Oro) came out swinging Sunday at Saratoga to garner the 'TDN Rising Star' moniker. Let go at 8-1 among a competitive-looking group of juvenile fillies, the Horacio De Paz trainee sat off the pace early and was hung a bit wide around the first bend. She traveled well down the backside, and caught the eye when making a three-wide move around the home bend into a six-furlong split of 1:14.29. Still going strongly out in the enter of the course in upper stretch, she powered away with big strides in the stretch to widen her advantage to 3 1/4 lengths and stop the clock in 1:43.97. Longshot Callie's Grit (Maclean's Music) held off favored Chad Brown-trained firster Free Look (Tapit) for second.

The winner's dam is an unraced full-sister to local dirt stakes winner and GSP Bay of Plenty as well as a half to GISP juvenile Fortify (Distorted Humor). Be Your Best's third dam is the European highweight and U.S. MGISP Flagbird (Nureyev), who produced the dam of GISW Little Belle (A.P. Indy) (in term the dam of Grade I-winning grasser Dickinson {Medaglia d'Oro}) and counted the likes of standouts Prospectors Delite, Runup the Colors and Top Account among her siblings. This is the super deep female family of Mineshaft, Tomisue's Delight, Revolutionary, etc.

2nd-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 7-31, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:43.97, fm, 3 1/4 lengths.
BE YOUR BEST (IRE), f, 2, Muhaarar {GB}
                1st Dam: Kamakura, by Medaglia d'Oro
                2nd Dam: Kotuku (GB), by A.P. Indy
                3rd Dam: Flagbird, by Nureyev
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Michael J. Ryan; B-St. Croix Bloodstock (IRE); T-Horacio De Paz.

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American Pharoah’s American Theorem Takes ‘Win and You’re’ In Bing Crosby

American Theorem (American Pharoah), a narrow last out winner of the GII Triple Bend S. at Santa Anita May 29, punched his ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint with an upset victory in the 'Win and You're In' GI Bing Crosby S. at Del Mar.

Away at 7-1 while looking to provide trainer George Papaprodromou with a first Grade I victory, the runner-up in the 2019 GI American Pharoah S. kept the early leaders within his scope from his outside draw in sixth. He ranged up while five-wide rounding the far turn, hit the front at the top of the stretch and was never seriously threatened by the late rally of Get Her Number (Dialed In). Letsgetlucky (Munnings) was third.

A debut winner at two over the Del Mar main track, the gray ended a nine-race losing streak when cutting back in distance for the seven-furlong Triple Bend. He was a well-beaten sixth in both the GII San Pasqual S. and GI Santa Anita H. earlier this year.

Pedigree Notes:

In four North American crops of racing age, Horse of the Year and Coolmore stallion American Pharoah has 14 graded winners among his 27 black-type winners. American Theorem is the newest of his six Grade I winners, joining that highest-level group of As Time Goes By, Harvey's Lil Goil, Van Gogh (in France), Above the Curve (in France), and Cafe Pharoah (in Japan). A number of different broodmare sire lines are represented among American Pharoah's GISWs, with American Theorem his lone black-type winner out of a Maria's Mon mare. The late Maria's Mon, the source of American Theorem's gray coloring, was a sneaky-good sire who was responsible for two GI Kentucky Derby winners and is broodmare sire of 65 stakes winners.

The unraced Mighty Renee has produced five black-type performers out of her seven foals to race, including another Del Mar graded winner in 2011 GIII Sorrento S. victress Mighty Caroline. Her most recent foal is $210,000 Keeneland September yearling Captain Choochies (Classic Empire), an unraced now-2-year-old colt who worked July 28 at Del Mar, getting three panels in :36.60 (6/15). Mighty Renee's dam was also unraced, while her granddam was MGISW Over All (Mr. Prospector). Over All's extended family includes another Mr. Prospector star in Conquistador Cielo, 1982's Horse of the Year.

Saturday, Del Mar
BING CROSBY S.-GI, $402,000, Del Mar, 7-30, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:08.67, ft.
1–AMERICAN THEOREM, 124, r, 5, by American Pharoah
                1st Dam: Mighty Renee, by Maria's Mon
                2nd Dam: Margy, by Theatrical (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Over All, by Mr. Prospector
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($190,000 RNA Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Kretz
Racing LLC; B-Sierra Farm (KY); T-George Papaprodromou;
J-Joe Bravo. $240,000. Lifetime Record: 12-4-3-0, $531,967.
*1/2 to Viel Spass (Kitten's Joy), SP-Jpn, $336,462; 1/2 to
Mighty Caroline (Stormy Atlantic), GSW, $140,000; 1/2 to
Cyclogenisis (Stormy Atlantic), MSW, $198,750.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.
   Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Get Her Number, 122, c, 4, Dialed In–Fancier, by Bernstein.
($45,000 2yo '20 OBSAPR). O-Gary Barber; B-Philip & Brenda
Robertson (KY); T-Peter Miller. $80,000.
3–Letsgetlucky, 122, g, 4, Munnings–My Cinsation, by Cindago.
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O-Brown, Edward Rusty J., Klein, Alan P.
and Lebherz, Philip; B-Premier Thoroughbreds LLC (CA);
T-Brian J. Koriner. $48,000.
Margins: 1HF, 4 1/4, 3/4. Odds: 7.80, 7.20, 9.40.
Also Ran: Shaaz, Principe Carlo, Drain the Clock, Diamond Oops, Bagboss, Howbeit. Scratched: Desmond Doss. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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