Firenze Fire Runs Downs Chateau in Runhappy Stakes
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Chelsea Durand
Firenze Fire wins the Runhappy Stakes at Belmont Park
Instead of letting Firenze Fire drop back in the five-horse field for the $145,500 Runhappy Stakes (G3) May 8 at Belmont Park, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. made sure the 6-year-old son of Poseidon's Warrior grabbed second position early and kept the frontrunning Chateau in his sights.
Firenze Fire had made late runs to place in his final two starts of 2020—third in the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Keeneland and second in the Dec. 19 Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park—but was up closer in his seasonal debut Saturday in a race short of pace. After tracking Chateau 2 1/2 lengths back through splits of :22.59 and :45.51, Ortiz asked Firenze Fire to go and the two horses drew even down the lane.
Firenze Fire then rolled by for a 3 1/4-length score He completed the six furlongs on the fast main track in 1:09.76. As the 4-5 favorite he returned $3.80 on a $2 win ticket.
"I knew the other horse (Chateau) was going to go and no one else was going to be close with him, so I decided to be close and not have to be in a rush," Ortiz said. "It's only six furlongs. I didn't want to let him relax too much and then make a run from the three-eighths pole. I just let him be closer and waited as long as I could to start going.
"When I asked him, he responded really well. The tank was full. He kept coming and kept moving forward. He feels great. I think this is going to be a good year for him. He can be right there in the conversation with all the good sprinters."
Saturday's running of the Runhappy was the second time Firenze Fire has won the race. The homebred for Ron Lombardi's Mr. Amore Stables also took the 2019 edition when it was a listed event. From 32 total career starts, the grade 1-winning bay horse has put together a 13-4-3 record and earned more than $2.3 million.
Trainer Kelly Breen said Firenze Fire had wintered well in Florida before shipping up to Belmont, where the horse was able to run out of his own stall Saturday.
"In the paddock, he looked very picturesque. Maybe a tad bit heavy. That happens to us when we get older," Breen said.
"He broke well. He sat right there and ran a very professional race," the trainer added. "The horse that was in front (Chateau) is a nice horse and has been running well and is in form. We're coming off a layoff and I was definitely concerned about him getting away from us, but we showed up."
Chateau held on to finish second by three-quarters of a length as Town Classic rallied from last to take third. Stan the Man was a nose back in fourth and Drafted crossed the wire a distant fifth.
The top two carried high weight of 124 pounds, the others 118 pounds.
Bred in Florida, Firenze Fire is the first foal produced from the Langfuhr mare My Every Wish , also the dam of stakes-placed Firenze Freedom (Istan ); a 2-year-old, unraced full brother to Firenze Fire named Just Leo; and Andiamo a Firenze, a yearling Speightstown colt. My Every Wish was reported bred back to Poseidon's Warrior for 2021.
Breen said the year-end goal for Firenze Fire is the Nov. 6 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar, which would mark the horse's fifth straight year of participation in the World Championships.
"I'll assume at the end of the year he'll be going to stud, but Ron loves running in the Breeders' Cup Sprint," Breen said. One day at a time and I'm happy he came back as strong as he did. He looked great."
Video: Runhappy S. (G3)
Victim of Love Repeats in Vagrancy
Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' Victim of Love defended her title in the $145,000 Vagrancy Handicap (G3) Saturday at Belmont Park, winning the 6 1/2-furlong race for older fillies and mares in the same fashion as last June.
"Last year when she came here, she was a big price because she ran badly in the Nellie Morse (going a mile at Laurel Park) when we tried her going longer," trainer Todd Beattie said. "I tried to rate her, but she wasn't happy about that. She wants to be up there and involved early. That's her number. The distance is perfect. Six and a half or seven furlongs is ideal. She can go a mile, but not at this level."
Victim of Love wins the Vagrancy Handicap at Belmont Park
Ridden by Joel Rosario, the 5-year-old Speightstown mare pressed the pace in second while Sadie Lady set fractions of :23.01 and :45.64. Pacific Gale , the 3-2 favorite, was unprepared when the gates opened and away a few lengths slow.
Victim of Love took over approaching the quarter pole and responded well when roused by Rosario at the eighth pole. She shook off Sadie Lady and cruised to a 2 1/4-length victory in a final time of 1:17.27, returning $6.30 as the 2-1 second choice.
"She came home really nicely and exploded at the end and I was really proud of that effort," Rosario said. "She put in a really nice race. She's fast and it was a very good performance."
Sadie Lady held for second a nose ahead of Pacific Gale in third. Piedi Bianchi and Honor Way completed the order of finish.
French Empire and Kiss the Girl were scratched. The former is being pointed to the May 15 Skipat Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.
Victim of Love was bred in Kentucky by Daniel Burke out of grade 2 winner Spacy Tracy (by Awesome Again). She is a full sister to grade 2 winner Benner Island and a half sister to black-type winner High North and black-type placed Space Launch . Spacy Tracy is also dam of a yearling Honor Code colt and was bred to Uncle Mo for 2021.
Tommy Town Thoroughbreds purchased Victim of Love for $160,000 out of Blackburn Farm's consignment to the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The mare has a 6-3-3 record from 18 starts and has earned $408,199.