Rombauer
Rombauer broke his maiden in his first career start, winning a one-mile grass race at Del Mar on Jul. 25, 2020. He won by a half-length after a strong stretch rally, for trainer Michael McCarthy and rider Mike Smith.
In his dirt debut, in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes on Sept. 26, Rombauer finished second, beaten less than a length, after a wide trip. He concluded his 2-year-old year with a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.
Rombauer returned from a layoff of more than three months to make his 3-year-old debut in the $100,000 El Camino Real Derby Feb. 13 at Golden Gate Fields. Last of eight early, he closed powerfully to reel in game runner-up Javanica near the finish line to prevail, earning his first career stakes win and picking up 10 points toward qualifying for the 2021 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve. The El Camino Real Derby win also gave Rombauer a guaranteed place in the starting gate for the Preakness Stakes.
Making his final prep for the Kentucky Derby in the April 3 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, Rombauer finished a distant third, 5 1/2 lengths behind runner-up Highly Motivated.
McCarthy elected to skip the Derby and run in the Preakness. Sent off at 11-1, Rombauer made a strong move to the lead turning for home and drew off to a 3 1/2-length win, covering 1 3/16 miles in 1:53.62. He followed up that race with a third-place performance in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets on June 5.
Rombauer is out of the unraced Cowboy Cal mare Cashmere, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winners California Flag and Cambiocorsa. California Flag won the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in 2009.
City of Light
City of Light broke his maiden in his second career start by an impressive 7 ½ lengths at Del Mar on Sept. 1, 2017. He then ran second in two consecutive allowance optional claiming races that fall before stepping up in a big way in his graded stakes debut on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita Park.
Facing a good field of 3-year-old sprinters in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes, the Michael McCarthy-trained Quality Road colt led at every point of call and won going away by two lengths.
After winning twice and running second three times in five starts at three, City of Light returned to begin his 4-year-old season in the Grade 1 Triple Bend Stakes. He pulled alongside paceseter Bobby Abu Dhabi in the stretch and put that foe away en route to another Grade 1 victory. Stretching out in distance for his next start in the Grade 2, 1 1/8-mile Oaklawn Handicap on April 14 at Oaklawn, City of Light rallied up to challenge for the lead on the turn and then outfinished 2018 Santa Anita Handicap winner Accelerate to prevail in a thrilling stretch duel. City of Light's three-race winning streak came to a halt when Accelerate got the better of him in the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita.
City of Light was sidelined with a minor malady after the Gold Cup but he returned in August at Saratoga with a runner-up finish in the Grade 1 Forego Stakes at Saratoga when cutting back in distance to seven-eighths of a mile.
That race set him up for a start in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs. In that race, the colt broke sharp from the inside post, took the early lead and never looked back with Javier Castellano aboard in an impressive win over Seeking the Soul.
In the final start of his career, City of Light delivered the most dominant performance of his career. He stalked the pace from second in the $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes, seized command on the final turn, turned away 2018 champion older male Accelerate entering the stretch, and powered to a runaway victory under Javier Castellano.
City of Light was a $710,000 yearling purchase in 2015 at the Keeneland September sale.
Independence Hall
Independence Hall, a Constitution colt owned by WinStar Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Twin Creeks Racing Stable, and Kathleen and Robert Verratti, won his career debut at Parx Racing on Sept. 21, 2019, by 4 ¾ lengths.
Late in his 3-year-old season, Independence Hall was moved to the west coast stable of Michael McCarthy. He began his 4-year-old season with a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 23. He was then fourth in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on Mar. 6 and third in the Grade 2 Californian Stakes on Apr. 17.
Late in his 4-year old season, Independence Hall broke through with a 7 1/4 length victory in the Grade 2 Hagyard Fayette Stakes at Keeneland on Oct. 30, where he earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 105. That victory marked his first win in an open graded stakes race.
Independence Hall was retired at the end of 2021 to begin his stud career at WinStar Farm.
Smooth Like Strait
Smooth Like Strait, a 2-year-old Midnight Lute colt owned and bred by Cannon Thoroughbreds, broke his maiden in his third career start in a turf sprint at Santa Anita Park on Oct. 31, 2019.
Sent off at 15.60-1 odds in a competitive field for his stakes debut, Smooth Like Strait scored a front-running upset win by 2 1/2 lengths in the Grade 3, one-mile Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at Del Mar on Dec. 1.
Smooth Like Strait finished fourth in a listed stakes at Santa Anita to close out 2019, and then checked in a good second in another listed event on the same course for his February 2020 debut. Trainer Michael McCarthy next shipped the colt to Churchill Downs for the listed War Chant Stakes on May 23, and he scored by 1 ¾ lengths under John Velazquez.
He was then given over two months off before returning in the Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap at Del Mar on Aug. 9, which he won easily to improve her career record to four wins from eight starts.
Smooth Like Strait shipped back to Kentucky in late summer and finished fourth in the Grade 12 American Turf Stakes Presented by Smithfield as the 6-5 favorite. McCarthy kept up the cross-country schedule for his colt by bringing her to Santa Anita Park for the Grade 2 Twilight Derby on Oct. 18, and Smooth Like Strait responded by notching his third graded stakes score, taking the 1 1/8-mile race by a length and a half with Umberto Rispoli aboard.
Smooth Like Strait made his next start in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar in November, and lost by a head to late-rallying Domestic Spending in a thriller. He then returned to the winner’s circle with a professional three-quarter-length score over Storm the Court in the Grade 1 Mathis Brothers Mile at Santa Anita on Dec. 26 to close out his 3-year-old season.
On Mar. 6, 2021, Smooth Like Strait made his 4-year-old debut in the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita. He rated off the early pace, then made his move on the final turn. Although he was unable to catch the winner, he held off a swarm of others to hold on for second. In his his next start in the $1 million, Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes, Smooth Like Strait led into deep stretch but setteld for third behind dead-heat winners Colonel Liam and Domestic Spending.
Following that strong effort, McCarthy shipped Smooth Like Strait back to his California base to prep for a start in the $300,000, Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile Stakes at Santa Anita on May 31. He was sent off as the odds-on favorite in the Shoemaker – the first domestic “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the 2021 Breeders’ Cup World Championships – and he ran like it, setting a lightly pressured pace, drawing off in early stretch, and then having enough left to hold off Say the Word late by 1 1/2 lengths. Smooth Like Strait earned an expenses-paid berth in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile with the victory.
Ce Ce
Ce Ce, a filly by Elusive Quality owned and bred by Bo Hirsch, won her career debut in impressive fashion on April 12, 2019, taking a six-furlong race at Santa Anita Park by 2 ¼ lengths. The Michael McCarthy trainee then finished second by a neck in a Santa Anita allowance race and fourth in the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes after shipping to Saratoga, but then was sidelined for the rest of the year.
The filly returned for her 4-year-old bow in a 6 ½-furlong allowance race at Santa Anita on Feb. 17, 2020, which she won by 4 ¼ lengths. She then stepped up to Grade 1 company in the Beholder Mile on March 14, and took command in the stretch of the two-turn race to score an emphatic 3 ¼-length win over 3-5 favorite Hard Not to Love. She followed with a hard-fought win by a head over Ollie's Candy in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap April 18 at Oaklawn Park.
Ce Ce earned her first graded stakes win of 2021 on July 3 at Gulfstream Park. She won the Grade 2 Princess Rooney Invitational Stakes by 3 1/4 lengths, rating off the pace and drawing off in the stretch. For her win, Ce Ce earned a berth in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar on November 6.
McCarthy kept Ce Ce on the East Coast for her next start, and she finished third in the Ketel One Ballerina Handicap at Saratoga in late August. She returned to her California base on Oct. 3 for a final Breeders’ Cup tune-up and romped by five lengths in the Grade 3 Chillingworth Stakes at odds of 1-5.
Ce Ce pulled off the 6.20-1 upset in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 6. While favorites Gamine and Bella Sofia dueled with each other in the early stages, Ce Ce rated off them. She made her move in the four-path as they entered the stretch, and drew away to victory.
Ce Ce earned her first victory of 2022 in the Grade 2 Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Mar. 12. She rated off the early pace, moved to the front on the far turn, and won an exciting stretch battle with Shedaresthedevil and Pauline's Pearl.
Rushie
Unplaced in his career debut in October 2019, Rushie won his first start as a 3-year-old by a length in February 2020 and two starts later added a 1 ¼-length win May 2 at Oaklawn Park.
The Liam’s Map colt made his stakes debut in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby June 6 and finished third, beaten by four lengths by Honor A. P. He followed with another third-place finish when shipping to Kentucky for the Grade 2 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes July 11 at Keeneland.
Rushie’s connections opted to bypass the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve in favor of the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile Stakes Presented by LG and E and KU on the Sept. 5 undercard and it proved a wise decision. Rushie stalked the pace from fifth while racing wide in the early stages, launched his bid from three wide on the far turn, and surged to the front in early stretch on his way to a 1 3/4-length victory.
Rushie made his 2021 debut in the Oaklawn Mile at Oaklawn Park on Apr. 10. He rallied up the inside in the stretch, then battled it out with By My Standards in the last sixteenth. It was close, but Rushie ended up finishing second by a nose.
Rushie is out of the Colonel John mare Conquest Angel, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Peace and War.
Ohio(BRZ)
Ohio was claimed in June 2018 by Michael McCarthy on behalf of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Bruce Treitman and won his first start for his new owners.
Later that year, he regained his elite form, running third in the Grade 2 City of Hope Mile Stakes at Del Mar in October 2018, winning the Cotton Fitzsimmons Mile Handicap in January at Turf Paradise, and then running second in the Grade 3 Thunder Road Stakes in February at Santa Anita. In his next race, Ohio earned a breakthrough graded stakes win when he nipped Catapult by a nose in the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes on March 30 at Santa Anita.
Illuminant
Illuminant took five starts to earn her first career victory, but she really come on after that. She won four of her next seven races, including a victory in the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes.
After an unplaced finish in her 2017 debut, Illuminant won the Grade 3 Monrovia Stakes in May on the downhill turf course at Santa Anita Park.
Speech
Speech ran third in her career debut on the grass at Del Mar in November 2019 and earned her first career win in her second start when she made the switch to the main track and romed by nine lengths in December at Los Alamitos.
The Mr Speaker filly was second in an allowance-optional claiming race in her 3-year-old bow Feb. 1, 2020 at Santa Anita before running second in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes to highly regarded Donna Veloce. She shipped to Oaklawn Park in May and ran second in an allowance-optional claiming race on the Arkansas Derby undercard.
Trainer Michael McCarthey next entered Speech in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks and she contunied her string of second when finishing behind Swiss Skydiver in the 1 1/16-mile race. She regained her winning form at an opportune time when she passed Venetian Harbor in the stretch of the Grade 1 Central Bank Ashland Stakes July 11 at Keeneland and pulled away to a three-length victory.
Product
Queen Goddess broke her maiden in her second career start, taking a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight race at Del Mar on Aug. 7, 2021. She won by 1 1/2 lengths after rating just off the early pace. She followed that performance with a win in a first-level allowance optional claiming contest at Del Mar on Sept. 4.
Queen Goddess earned her first graded stakes win in style, winning the Grade 1 American Oaks at Santa Anita Park on Dec. 26. Sent off at 14.60-1 in the off-the-turf affair, she went to the lead early, and could not be caught.
After an unplaced finish in the Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes at Oaklawn Park, Queen Goddess returned to the grass for her next start and won the Grade 3 Santa Ana Stakes at Santa Anita on Mar. 26, 2022.