Firenze Fire added another chapter to his illustrious career on June 4 at Belmont Park with a repeat victory in the $300,000 True North S. (G2).
Firenze Fire is a 6-year-old son Swilcan Stables’ Poseidon’s Warrior, who stands at Equistar Training and Breeding in Pennsylvania. Poseidon’s Warrior was a five-time stakes winner, topped by his victory in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. (G1) at age five.
Firenze Fire showed excellent speed away from the gate and battled with Flagstaff through the first quarter-mile in :22.71 and a half-mile in :45.39. At the top of the stretch, Firenze Fire began to edge away and continued to increase his margin all the way to the wire, winning by nearly two lengths in 1:15.52 for the 6 1/2-furlongs on the “good” main track.
“(Irad) said he’s a very nice horse and that he was going to break good,” said Jose Ortiz, who took over riding duties from his injured brother Irad. “He told me he thought he was a better horse on the outside. But he got the rail and he jumped good and I didn’t want to take anything away from him. I rode him like he was the best horse and he was the best horse.”
Firenze Fire earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 105 for the effort, second-best in his career. Bred and owned by Mr. Amore Stable, his record now stands at 14-4-3 in 33 starts, with earnings of $2,484,350. The Florida-bred has won 13 stakes, nine of them graded races.
“We’ll definitely see him at Saratoga this summer,” trainer Kelly Breen said of the next possible assignment for his stable star. “There’s another race (at Belmont) on the Fourth of July weekend (Grade 2, $250,000 John A. Nerud), and he does like this racetrack.”