America
Tommy Jo tops 'Rising Star' exacta in Spinaway romp
Spendthrift homebred Tommy Jo (Into Mischief), who announced herself as a 'TDN Rising Star' in a 3.75l maiden win going six furlongs at the Spa on July 26, backed up that effort and then some in Saturday's G1 Spinaway Stakes, booking herself a ticket to the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
The daughter of Bob Baffert-trainer multiple Grade 1-placed Mother Mother (Pioneerof the Nile) picked up jockey Kendrick Carmouche on Saturday at even-money and never looked as though she was anything but the winner. The final time of 1:23.39 was over two seconds faster than the time of last year's winner, Eclipse champion 2-year-old filly Immersive (Nyquist).
This is Todd Pletcher's record seventh Spinaway win, which breaks a sentimental tie between him and the late D Wayne Lukas who had six. Pletcher previously won the Spinaway with such talented fillies as Rachel's Valentina (Bernardini) and dual champion Ashado (Saint Ballado), and last won in 2016 with Sweet Loretta (Tapit) who dead-heated in that edition with Pretty City Dancer (Tapit). This is the first Spinaway win for jockey Kendrick Carmouche.
“I think she got away a little cleaner today, put herself and Kendrick (Carmouche) into a good spot,” Pletcher said. “She is so push-button, runs the turns extremely well, and kind of blew the race open at that point, but she's trained like a special one all summer and obviously her first two races have been very exciting.”
“She's (Tommy Jo) trained like a special one all summer and obviously her first two races have been very exciting.” - Todd Pletcher
With her Breeders' Cup ticket booked, Pletcher added of his filly's next start: “I would think the (G1 Darley) Alcibiades could make sense, a two-turn race as a possible prep for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, so we'll let the dust settle, but that is the most likely scenario.”
“The more I asked (down the lane), the more she gave,” Carmouche said of the ride. “I'm just glad to be part of the team–I'm 2-for-2 today for Todd Pletcher and it means a lot in Saratoga to let people see that. It helps the career and helps me to keep fighting through. I'm so proud of my agent Jimmy (Riccio), we've been putting in the work–it's all about that hustle. We want to be successful, we want to be on top and that's what we've been striving for the past two or three years, me and Jimmy Riccio and we're going to keep fighting. We're blessed.”
Spendthrift owner and president Eric Gustavson, who was on hand to witness his filly's win, said, “We had high expectations based off her maiden win. We are just so thankful. We'd like to give all glory to God first. She didn't disappoint, we are so excited about her.
“She ran great and is a homebred, which is extra exciting for us, that she was raised on the farm and every division on the farm had a hand in getting her here. It was a big team win and we preach a 'we, not me' mentality at the farm first, so that's a big deal for us. And she is named after our only granddaughter as well, so that is like the cherry on top of it all. Her name is Tommy Jo Gustavson.”
Pedigree note: Leading general sire Into Mischief continues to roll from one strength to another with now 26 Grade 1 winners to his name. The aforementioned Mother Mother, who earned over US$430,000 ($658,000) in her career, sold to Spendthrift for US$1,800,000 ($2.75 million) as a broodmare at Fasig Tipton November Sale in 2020 with Tommy Jo being her second foal and first winner. Mother Mother herself is a half-sister to G1 Kentucky Derby runner up Commanding Curve (Master Command). Tommy Jo is her dam's youngest reported foal but Mother Mother visited Vekoma for 2026.
From near disaster to Pacific glory, Fierceness takes the Classic
The Repole Stable connections have heard it for nearly as long as their star has been racing, that 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) can be blazing hot when he gets his own way and ice cold when he doesn't. Their Eclipse-winning 2-year-old has spent much of his career in a win-loss pattern that left owner Mike Repole and trainer Todd Pletcher scratching their heads.
But perhaps Saturday, Fierceness finally laid those demons to rest in exactly the spot he'll need to have them buried come November as he overcame what can kindly be described as an eventful trip to come out triumphant in the G1 Pacific Classic and book his return ticket to the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic in two months time.
Ten months ago, Fierceness entered the Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar as the wagering favorite but wound up yielding his lead late to a charging Sierra Leone (Gun Runner). His 2025 campaign kicked off in promising fashion with a strong performance off the layoff to win the G2 Alysheba on Kentucky Oaks day at Churchill on May 2. Then came the trouble. A cutback to the mile on a sloppy Saratoga oval had him the beaten favorite in the Met Mile on June 7 and, more troubling still, he failed to really fire at all when fifth (again as the favorite) in the G1 Whitney Stakes on August 2.
Repole opted to ship his star to California, versus staying in New York for Sunday's G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, and that trip paid immediate dividends on Saturday with the announcement that 8-5 morning-line favourite 'Rising Star' Nysos (Nyquist) was a late scratch. That left Fierceness to deal largely with 3-year-old challenger Journalism (Curlin), a colt coming off a strong showing in this year's Triple Crown races and facing older rivals for the first time.
Finally, as Ultimate Gamble (Medaglia d'Oro) shifted out a touch headed into the far turn, Fierceness got the gap he needed and offered an immediate response to the breathing room, shifting out a path to split the leaders and shoot clear with more than a quarter mile still to run. Loose by several lengths as he straightened away for home, the champion juvenile faced no real danger late even as Journalism tried to run him down in vain through the final sixteenth but came up plenty short.
“At the start, he attempted to duck into the temporary railing,” said jockey John Velazquez. “I got him out of there, but he overreacted by pulling in the other direction. I wanted to stay off his mouth, so I had to sit on him a little. But he got straightened out going into the first turn. I was able to save ground behind the leaders. On the back stretch, he was keen to go on, that's why I moved between horses going into the turn. I had to move as early as I did because he was so keen. Today I wanted to get him off the bridle a little and let him finish. I was very happy we got there.”
“Today I wanted to get him (Fierceness) off the bridle a little and let him finish. I was very happy we got there.” - John Velazquez
Pletcher's assistant Sophie Green added, “It (the start) had me a little bit worried there. He's had bad breaks before in the past when he was 2-years-old and I almost felt like that again, but Johnny (Velazquez) knew what to do and kept him going. He had him in a great position. We thought the two (Midnight Mammoth) might go to the lead and we wanted to be as close to that as we could.”
Pedigree note: Fierceness continues to be the flag bearer for Lane's End stallion City of Light who counts two Grade 1 winners to his credit (Formidable Man, Saturday's G3 Del Mar Mile winner, being the other). Repole Stable-owned Nonna Bella has produced three winners from three to race including another graded stakes winner in Fierceness's full brother Mentee who took the G3 Futurity Stakes at Aqueduct last year.
Nonna Bella, out of Grade 1-placed Nonna Mia, is a half to G1 Wood Memorial Stakes winner and sire Outwork (Uncle Mo). This is also the family of multiple Graded winner and sire Cairo Prince (Pioneerof the Nile). Fierceness has a yearling half-brother by the late Uncle Mo and a weanling Curlin half-sister. Nonna Bella went to Gun Runner for 2026.
