Accelerate and City Of Light are both due to make a one way trip to Lane's End Farm in the next few days and it's the Michael McCarthy-trained City Of Light who will head there with bragging rights after relegating the Breeders' Cup Classic winner Accelerate into third place the US$9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park.
Run in pouring rain, City Of Light dominated the race from the front under Javier Castellano to win by 5 3/4 lengths from Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul) with Accelerate (Lookin' At Lucky) a tiring third.
A lightly raced 5yo son of Quality Road, City Of Light advances his record to 6 wins, 4 seconds and 1 third from 11 starts with earnings of $5,662,600.
"A horse like this is a once in a lifetime horse," an emotional McCarthy told The Blood-Horse.
"Watching him run through the lane, I don't think there was a horse in the world who could have beaten him today.
"He's just a gift to everybody. Everybody that touches him, walks him, feeds him, bathes him, I wish I had a better way with words but I'm speechless right now."
Owned by William K. Warren Jr. and his wife, Suzanne, City Of Light was bred in Kentucky by Ann Marie Farm and was consigned by Lane's End to the 2015 Keeneland September Yearling Sale where he was purchased by Walnut Green on behalf of Warrens for $710,000.
He is out of the Dehere mare Paris Notion, who also left the stakes-placed Pointsman (Mt. Livermore) and Exotic Notion (Lemon Drop Kid).
