Firenze Fire Punches Met Mile Ticket With Runhappy Win
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Chelsea Durand
Firenze Fire wins the Runhappy Stakes at Belmont Park
Mr. Amore Stable's homebred Firenze Fire improved his Belmont Park record May 11 when he rolled home a clear winner in the six-furlong, $150,000 Runhappy Stakes, the second start of his 4-year-old campaign. The victory gave him three wins in as many starts at the New York track.
"The plan is the Met Mile," said Ron Lombardi of Mr. Amore Stable. "Obviously, he loves six furlongs, but I don't think a mile would have bothered him today."
The $1.2 million Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap (G1) will be run June 8 on the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) undercard.
Firenze Fire, already a grade 1-winning millionaire for trainer Jason Servis, was looking to get back in the winner's circle for the first time since September. Killybegs Captain set fractions of :22.44 and :45.05 through the first half-mile with Recruiting Ready in close pursuit, but those two were quickly passed by Firenze Fire, who closed from third. Firenze Fire wasted no time once given the green light by Irad Ortiz Jr. and strode home in a speedy time of 1:08.12.
"I broke well. He always breaks well," Ortiz said. "I got a good position behind the speed like I wanted. I just waited until Luis (Saez, aboard Recruiting Ready) moved and tipped him out. When I did that, he flew home.
"He ran well at a mile, but when he's sprinting, he always moves so hard. He really loves Belmont. He's a nice horse anywhere when you put him six to seven (furlongs)."
Favored Recruiting Ready held his position 4 3/4 lengths behind Firenze Fire, the close second choice at 9-5. Bon Raison, Killybegs Captain, Skyler's Scramjet, and Ready to Escape completed the order of finish.
Firenze Fire, a son of Poseidon's Warrior , has been no stranger to the big stage. He won the Champagne Stakes (G1), his first race at Belmont, at 2 prior to finishing seventh in the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Del Mar. He won the Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack in his 3-year-old debut and ran 11th in the 2018 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) before rebounding to take the Dwyer Stakes (G3), again at Belmont, by nine lengths going a mile.
Firenze Fire also ran fourth against older horses in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Churchill Downs.
"He's durable. Last year, he did everything we asked him to do to get us to the Kentucky Derby," Lombardi said. "He delivered. He came through, and that's why we gave him the four months off, because it was a grueling trip for him. But he's a durable horse and rebounds well, and here we are."
Firenze Fire improved his record to 7-1-2 in 16 starts and boosted his earnings to $1,216,600. The Florida-bred is the first foal out of the Langfuhr mare My Every Wish, who foaled a full brother to Firenze Fire April 19.
'Heaven' at Last
Earlier on the card, Ron Paolucci Racing's Heavenhasmynikki led every step of the $200,000 Vagrancy Handicap (G3) to break through for her first graded stakes victory. It was the first stakes score against open company for the 4-year-old Majestic Warrior filly, who pulled off a mild upset at 4-1.
Under jockey Kendrick Carmouche, Heavenhasmynikki grabbed the lead over 6-5 favorite Separationofpowers and set fractions of :22.58, :45.21, and :1:08.65. Separationofpowers failed to power home as Pacific Gale moved up the rail before switching to Heavenhasmynikki's outside. The winner held on by a neck, completing 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:14.99 over a fast track.
Pacific Gale, Separationofpowers, Dawn the Destroyer, and Holiday Disguise completed the order of finish.
The Vagrancy was also the first Belmont Park stakes victory for trainer Robert Hess Jr.
"The wire came up in time," Hess said. "It was a maiden stakes win for me at Belmont. I've won stakes races at Aqueduct but never here before. To win with Ron Paolucci makes it extra special.
"I felt she had a pace advantage here. I felt we needed every bit of that. She's a nice filly. I think she's on the improve, and hopefully we can run her in New York the rest of the year."
Heavenhasmynikki, a winner in her first two starts, earned her way into the 2018 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) when fourth and third, respectively, in the Forward Gal Stakes (G3) and Davona Dale Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park. She ran ninth in the Oaks, but last fall she scored victories in the Diana Stakes at Thistledown and First Lady Stakes at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course. Both wins were against other Ohio-registered horses.
She kicked off the season Jan. 27 in the Houston Ladies Classic Stakes (G3) and was entered with Hess for the first time. The chestnut filly picked up her second graded placing, finishing third behind multiple grade 1 winner Midnight Bisou around two turns, then returned as a six-furlong allowance winner April 15 at Mahoning Valley.
In 2016, Heavenhasmynikki was a $150,000 yearling purchase by Loooch Racing from the Langsem Farm consignment to The October Sale, Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky fall yearling sale. She's gone on to win half of her 14 starts and has twice finished third. She has $374,980 in earnings.
Langsem Farm bred Heavenhasmynikki in Ohio out of the winning Forest Wildcat mare Floral Park. Heavenhasmynikki is the sixth of eight foals out of her dam. Her half brother Dougs Buddy and half sister Floral Sky, the first two foals out of Floral Park, are both black-type winners with over $200,000 in earnings apiece. Floral Park last produced a yearling colt by Runhappy .
Video: Runhappy S. (BT)