A Deep Impact (JPN) half-sister to Winx, City Of Lights appeared for the first time in fifteen weeks to claim a benchmark 72 over 1550m at Canterbury on Friday night, encouraging connections to target black-type in the near future.
Ridden by Tim Clark for Joe Pride, City Of Lights travelled in fourth and fifth spots behind a frantic pace set by Amy Mc Lucas on The Years. Brought to the centre of the track, City Of Lights kept up a relentless gallop to defeat For Victory (IRE) (Mehmas) by one and three-quarter lengths with Sweysive (Sweynesse) back in third.
A homebred for John Camilleri’s Fairway Thoroughbreds, the 4-year-old daughter of Deep Impact advances her record to three wins from five starts with earnings of $84,275.
“That’s what I needed to see from her tonight,” Pride said.
“I wasted a run when I started her over 1250m first-up last preparation, so I thought I would get her straight to the 1550m.
“She is a very promising horse. It’s easy to get carried away being Winx’s half-sister but she has a lot of quality, by one of the best stallions in the world and a half to a champion.
“It’s very exciting and I think she is on the way to something bigger. I’d like to end up in the Epona Stakes and whether we go to the Aspiration Stakes on the way through, she would need to get her rating up a little bit.
Tim Clark was suitably impressed.
“It was a strong effort, first-up over 1550m, chasing a strong speed against fit horses,” Clark said.
“She put them away and can only improve. She could not have done any more. It's a great way to start the prep.”
A half-sister to 25-time Group 1 winner Winx, Group III Kindergarten Stakes winner El Divino and Riverbank Farm’s Snitzel stallion Boulder City, City Of Lights is one of five winners for Vegas Showgirl who died last October. She has the 3yo I Am Invincible filly, Time Of My Life, who has won one of two starts for Peter G Moody and Katherine Coleman.
The final foal of Vegas Showgirl is the unraced 2-year-old Pride Of Dubai filly Wings Of Desire, who is in the stables of Michael Freedman.
