Pegasus winner City of Light shines spotlight on McCarthy

William K. Warren Jr. and Suzanne Warren’s City of Light has brought so much success to trainer Michael McCarthy’s Southern California barn that Suzanne worried after Saturday’s Pegasus World Cup that “we’re afraid he’s going to get really busy now.”

“We're going to keep him busy, anyway,” she added after City of Light closed his career with a blistering 5 3/4-length win in the Gulfstream Park slop, indicating more horses are on their way to him.

McCarthy, who grew up near Santa Anita Park, spent time on the East Coast as an assistant to Todd Pletcher before going out on his own about five years ago. His experience with one of the country’s top trainers helped instill confidence in the Warrens, but it is McCarthy’s attention in the stable that kept their trust.

“He's very much a detail man. He's very devoted to each of his horses and that means a lot to me,” William Warren said. “He's not out trying to get 150 or 200 horses. He wants to get horses that he feels he can make champions, and that's what attracted me to him.

“I think he's a man of great character. He makes good decisions, which I need because sometimes I have some pretty wild ideas. I won't go into those.”

“I promise you,” McCarthy added in with a boisterous laugh, “he does.”

The conditioner went into 2018 hoping to start his first Breeders’ Cup horse. He ended up sending five of about 25 of his total horses postward at Churchill Downs, including City of Light, who won the Dirt Mile on Nov. 3. The colt then delivered his lifetime best performance Saturday in a career finale before beginning his breeding career at Lane’s End Farm in Versailles, Ky.

“Obviously, you know, we've been in business five years, started with one horse. To have a horse like this come into your life – I can't tell – honestly, there's not words,” said McCarthy, often too emotional to speak clearly while talking to reporters after the Pegasus. “I can't describe it. I can't describe the emotion that goes along with something like this.

“Winning a Breeders' Cup was incredibly special. To be able to go ahead and follow it up with something like this, don't know if it will ever happen again. If it doesn't, I'm probably OK with it.

“But at least it happened. I like that Vin Scully line, ‘Don't be sad that it's over. Be glad that it happened,’ I believe, something like that. I'm very glad that it happened. A horse like this, a once-in-a-lifetime horse.”

City of Light followed fellow Breeders’ Cup winners Arrogate and Gun Runner as Pegasus World Cup heroes. Only he was the first to exit a victory in the Dirt Mile, stretching out to 1 1/8 miles rather than cutting back from 1 1/4. Showing the Dirt Mile’s form this year, Seeking the Soul and Bravazo also filled out the Pegasus’ superfecta.

City of Light indicated he had another big performance in him during a final work at Gulfstream Park. Seven days out from the Pegasus, he completed a half-mile in 47.26 seconds under jockey Javier Castellano, fastest of 104 at the distance.

“I was quietly confident all week the horse would run well,” McCarthy said. “We kind of followed the same routine we did at Churchill Downs when he won the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. I was very pleased the way he worked here last Saturday. We kind of moved the work up a day, trying to beat the rain. It seemed to work out.”

Castellano hopped off Pegasus rival Audible, who ended up fifth, to ride City of Light, a decision thank led to a thank you from the Warrens. But the jockey was equally appreciative to stay aboard the winner of a Grade 1, $9 million race.

“I think the horse, he did everything today,” Castellano said. “I think basically, I think I enjoyed the ride. I'll be honest with you. I think anybody could have rode the horse.”

City of Light inherited the lead when pace-setting Patternrecognition dropped out midway through the turn. Accelerate made a move up to join him but never quite got there as Joel Rosario urged the Breeders’ Cup Classic winner.

Castellano compared riding City of Light to 2004 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Ghostzapper with the way both horses took off in the stretch. The Pegasus marked City of Light’s first time in the slop, but Castellano said he splashed over the surface “just like a little kid in the play yard.”

City of Light finished his career without missing the board in 11 starts and won Grade 1 races at seven furlongs, a mile and 1 1/8 miles.

“I believe Javier said today, ‘I don't think there's a horse in the world that could have beat him today,’ and I've said that all along, emphatically,” McCarthy said. “I thought he was – he's a gift, just a gift to everybody, everybody. Everybody that touches him, everybody that walks him, everybody that feeds him, everybody that bathes him. I wish I had a better way with words, but I'm pretty speechless right now.”