Three Diamonds Farm and Joseph Besecker’s Roja Ligera stepped forward at second asking to take an off-the-turf Ellis Park dash Sunday and become the first winner for her sire City Of Light.
Roja Ligera, her sire’s first born foal, began to re-engage that rival around the far turn, drawing even with her l at the quarter pole before drawing off from the three path. Collected Glory gave chase along the rail from second and was gaining slowly, but ran out of time as Roja Ligera went on to win by 1 1/4 lengths

City of Light, winner of both the GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at four and the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. at five, stood alongside his sire at Lane’s End this year for $60,000 after seeing frenzied bidding for his first crop of yearlings last term. A City of Light colt topped Keeneland September at $1.7 million and 15 of his yearlings fetched $500,000 or more in 2021.