Firenze Fire Set for Season Debut in General George

Mr. Amore Stable's grade 1-winning millionaire homebred Firenze Fire is set to make both his season and Maryland debuts Feb. 15 in the $250,000 General George Stakes (G3) at Laurel Park over seven furlongs. 

A son of Poseidon's Warrior, Florida-bred Firenze Fire has won nine of 23 starts with eight stakes wins. Trained by Jason Servis, the bay was last seen racing at Aqueduct Racetrack when he landed the Dec. 22 Gravesend Stakes over six furlongs. Before that, he took the Fabulous Strike Stakes at Penn National, one start after finishing fifth in the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita Park.

"He's a tough horse—seasoned," Servis said. "He's a homebred, and I think you've definitely got to single him out from the rest of the crowd. I remember the first time I ran him, we didn't expect him to win, and he won. Then we went to Saratoga, and I wasn't expecting him to win, and he won again. I said, 'Oh, what do we have here?'"

Firenze Fire has raced exclusively in stakes company since his debut score at Monmouth Park in June 2017, winning the Sanford Stakes (G3) in his second start. His best score came two starts later when he took the Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park. That victory sent him on the Triple Crown trail the same season as champion Justify , who dominated the sophomore division to become the first undefeated Triple Crown winner. 

Firenze Fire posted graded wins in the Dwyer Stakes (G3) and Gallant Bob Stakes (G3). Though he is proven at six furlongs, he is winless with one second and one third in three tries going seven-eighths of a mile.

"I don't think the seven furlongs is a big deal. He won the Dwyer, which is a mile, with a big speed figure, so I don't think the distance will be an issue," Servis said. "He's run and won at a lot of different racetracks, so we're going to give it a whirl."

Two-time Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount on Firenze Fire from post 6, and the pair will carry the high weight at 122 pounds. Since winning the Gravesend, the experienced sprinter has logged three timed works at Belmont Park.

"He didn't really have any break," Servis said. "He ran a couple times close together and we were leaning on him pretty good, so we just wanted to space his next race out."

Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable, and Terp Racing's grade 2 winner Still Having Fun will make his third start off a layoff in the General George. According to the 5-year-old Old Fashioned gelding's connections, the General George has been the intended target for him since he returned to his barn last fall off a five-month break.

"This has always been kind of our short-term goal with him. I know it's going to be a tough field, but the reality is every race we run him in is tough. We want to see how he can compete against these guys," trainer Timothy Keefe said. "We do have the benefit this time of walking out of our stall and being here at our home track, which certainly is going to benefit us, I believe. Hopefully, we get a good trip."

Still Having Fun placed second against fellow Maryland-breds Dec. 7 in the six-furlong Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial Stakes, beaten a neck in his first race in seven months. Last out, he set the pace for a half-mile before tiring to fifth behind grade 1 winner Mind Control in the seven-furlong Toboggan Stakes (G3) Jan. 18 at Aqueduct.

"The way the race set up wasn't really the way we hoped it would up in New York, but he came out of the race super," Keefe said. "Nobody else really wanted (the lead). This horse will do whatever you ask him to do. I was a little bit surprised he was up there, but not completely. We're pleased. I think he's coming into it well."

Last year, Still Having Fun was seventh as the favorite in the General George. 

"He only got beat a few lengths. He'd had a hard campaign with no time off and had been all over the place. We were kind of at the point when I ran him last year where he was a well-run, well-traveled horse," Keefe said. "He had done a lot up to that point. The difference now is this is just his third race back off a long layoff, which I think is a big positive."

Feargal Lynch rides from post 4.

Lady Sheila Stable and Iris Smith Stable's Tiz He the One has posted five wins and two thirds from nine starts at Laurel, earning his lone stakes win in the seven-furlong Challedon Stakes Sept. 28 in his season finale. Trained by Linda Rice, he returned to finish third, beaten a length, in his 6-year-old debut behind Honor the Fleet in the Jan. 18 Fire Plug Stakes.

Tiz He the One's stablemate Wicked Trick is also entered. The 5-year-old gelding is riding a six-race win streak, the last four since being claimed by Rice for $16,000 last summer at Saratoga Race Course. Tiz He the One and Wicked Trick will break from outside posts 8 and 9, respectively.

Completing the field are Honor the Fleet, Factor It In, Lone Rock, Threes Over Deuces, and Wonderful Light, the latter seeking his first stakes win.

The General George along with the Runhappy Barbara Fritchie Stakes (G3) for fillies and mares will co-headline a nine-race Winter Carnival program that features five stakes worth $800,000 in purses.

Entries: General George S. (G3)

Laurel Park, Saturday, February 15, 2020, Race 8

• Grade III
• 7f
• Dirt
• $250,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 3:49 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Lone Rock (KY)	Julian Pimentel	120	William I. Mott	15/1
2	2Wonderful Light (KY)	Victor R. Carrasco	120	Michelle Nevin	10/1
3	3Factor It In (KY)	Jorge Ruiz	120	Carlos A. Mancilla	15/1
4	4Still Having Fun (MD)	Feargal Lynch	120	Timothy L. Keefe	10/1
5	5Honor the Fleet (KY)	Alex Cintron	120	Louis Albertrani	12/1
6	6Firenze Fire (FL)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Jason Servis	4/5
7	7Threes Over Deuces (KY)	UNKNOWN	120	Gary Capuano	12/1
8	8Tiz He the One (KY)	Trevor McCarthy	120	Linda Rice	8/1
9	9Wicked Trick (KY)	Jose Lezcano	120	Linda Rice	6/1