Decision Looms for Breeders' Cup-Bound Firenze Fire

Firenze Fire started 2018 as a hot candidate on the Triple Crown trail, and even ran in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). Those aspirations of glory didn't quite work out, but now, as the year draws to its climax, he is headed back to Churchill Downs for the Breeders' Cup World Championships—for a one-turn event, which has become his specialty.

"It looks like it. Yeah," trainer Jason Servis said of Breeders' Cup plans for the 3-year-old Poseidon's Warrior  colt, three days after his Sept. 22 victory in the Gallant Bob Stakes (G3) at Parx Racing.

It remains an open question whether the effort might come in the TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) or the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), the latter a one-turn race given Churchill's configuration.

Firenze Fire won the six-furlong Gallant Bob by a neck despite efforts by his rival, Whereshetoldmetogo, to savage him in deep stretch. The victory continued his admirable record at the sprint distances.

Owned by his breeder, Ron Lombardi's Mr. Amore Stable, Firenze Fire won the one-mile Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park last fall in preparation for the two-turn Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), where he ran seventh. He won the listed Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack in his 3-year-old debut, again going a mile. Then came a string of also-rans as the colt finished second in the nine-furlong Withers Stakes (G3), fourth in the mile Gotham Stakes (G3), and fourth in the Wood Memorial Presented by NYRA Bets (G2) back at nine panels.

He persisted to the Kentucky Derby, Servis said, because Firenze Fire is a talented colt and because Lombardi wanted it so.

"He put it simple. He said, 'Jay, there's 20-some thousand foals and I'm one of 20 to make it—if we make it—and I want to go,'" Servis said.

Firenze Fire raced prominently in slop on the first Saturday in May, but tired down the stretch. Since then, it's been one one-turn after another for the colt.

After two months off, Firenze Fire won the Dwyer Stakes (G3) going a mile at Belmont, then finished a late-running third, after a wide trip, in the seven-furlong H. Allen Jerkens Stakes Presented by Runhappy (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, beaten only 1 3/4 lengths for it all. Then came the Gallant Bob triumph.

So now it's back to Churchill, and Servis said the decision whether to run in the Sprint or the Dirt Mile might come down to who else is running in each race. The trainer has his eye particularly on Mind Your Biscuits, winner of the past two editions of the Dubai Golden Shaheen Presented by Gulf News (G1) and second and third in the past two runnings of the Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Mind Your Biscuits finished second in the Aug. 4 Whitney Stakes (G1) going nine furlongs at Saratoga in his most recent start and Servis said he hopes the veteran, headed for a stud career in Japan, runs well enough going the same trip in the Sept. 29 Lukas Classic (G3) at Churchill to convince trainer Chad Summers to give him a chance in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) rather than the Dirt Mile or Sprint.

"I hope he runs good so he goes back in the Classic," Servis said. "I mean, that horse won the Dubai Sprint twice. I don't want to run against him. Maybe I'd go a different direction, in the (Dirt) Mile," if Mind Your Biscuits contests the Sprint.

Servis hopes Firenze Fire is around long enough for the shoe to be on the other hoof in a few years.

"Do I think when he's 4 or 5 he'd be a lot tougher? Sure. But Ron's in it for the action so we're going," he said. "But he's doing good. He's running good. The Dwyer was a big race. He could do something like that.

"He's a nice horse, I don't know how many racetracks he's won on (it's five after the Parx victory). He won long, he won short. I hope he's around at 5. He could be a Mind Your Biscuits—a tough old horse that you don't want to see in against you."

Firenze Fire's name reflects Lombardi's heritage and love for Italy. Firenze is the Italian name for Florence and Mr. Amore Stables' silks echo the red, green and white of the Italian flag.

Appropriately enough, Servis said Lombardi was in Italy the week before the Kentucky Derby when Firenze Fire was one of the last to draw into the race. "We didn't know. I had to text him, 'We're in!'" he said.