Todd Pletcher © Photo Healy Racing
Fierceness put himself forward as the main American threat to City Of Troy’s Breeders’ Cup Classic ambitions when claiming a brave victory in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga.
Johnny Velazquez sent his mount into the lead turning for home, sweeping past Belmont Stakes winner Dornoch and quickly opening up a three-length gap.
Kentucky Oaks heroine Thorpedo Anna stayed on strongly to mount a late challenge but finished a head down at the line, with the Coolmore-owned Sierra Leone back in third.
Mike Repole, owner-breeder of Fierceness, told www.bloodhorse.com: “This is the best three-year-old in the country right now. I don’t think anyone can deny it. He’s pretty special and he’s going to be pretty tough in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.”
The careers of Fierceness and City Of Troy have charted similar paths.
Both were champion two-year-olds, with the former powering to a wide-margin win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita after Aidan O’Brien’s charge dominated the Dewhurst at Newmarket.
Each suffered a major blip early on in their three-year-old campaigns, with City Of Troy flopping in the 2000 Guineas and Fierceness trailing home only 15th in the Kentucky Derby after starting as favourite.
City Of Troy has since bounced back to claim Derby glory at Epsom before adding Coral-Eclipse and Juddmonte International triumphs to his CV, while Fierceness is also making amends in fine style.
He beat Sierra Leone in the Grade Two Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga last month and returned to the track to secure a third elite-level success in the Travers.
Trainer Todd Pletcher said: “He always trains exceptionally well. He doesn’t give you negative signs, but he had never given me so many positive signs leading into this race.
“The way he was eating, his energy level, the way he was galloping, his breezes were super. He did them easily. Everything was giving me confidence to run him back in four weeks.”
Outstanding filly Thorpedo Anna lost nothing in defeat but is now set to go back to racing against her own sex, with handler Kenny McPeek putting up the Cotillon Stakes at Parx as her next potential target before a tilt at the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
