belmont park | Horse Racing Free Tips

Firenze Fire Sharp In Seasonal Debut, Takes Runhappy Stakes For Second Time

Making his first start since a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector Stakes at Gulfstream Park in December, Mr. Amore Stable's Firenze Fire tracked pacesetter Chateau through the opening five furlongs, then took command inside the eighth pole en route to a 3 1/4-length victory in Saturday's Grade 3 Runhappy Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., the Kelly Breen-trained 6-year-old Florida-bred by Poseidon's Warrior traveled six furlongs in 1:09.76 and paid $3.80 as the favorite in the field of five seasoned older runners.

Chateau, the 7-5 second wagering choice who set fractions of :22.59, :45.51 and :57.48 under Kendrick Carmouche, easily held second by three-quarters of a length, with Town Classic edging Stan the Man in a photo for third. Drafted trailed the field. Going into the Runhappy, the five runners had each averaged 32 career starts.

“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,” said Ortiz. “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.”

Firenze Fire was winning for the 13th time in 32 starts and has won graded stakes at 2, 3, 5 and now 6. This was his second Runhappy Stakes victory, the first coming in 2019 when the race was not yet graded. The Runhappy was upgraded to Grade 3 in 2020 but was not held because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Prior to March 2020, Firenze Fire was trained by Jason Servis, who is now facing federal criminal charges in connection with the FBI probe into racehorse doping.

Since joining Breen's stable, Firenze Fire has won three of eight starts, including a pair of G2 races at Belmont, the True North and Vosburgh Invitational.

“There were a couple other races we could have pointed towards; the undercard of the Derby [G1 Churchill Downs], this race or a race over at Pimlico, but Ron [owner Ron Lombardi] said let's go to his home track at Belmont,” said Breen. “There's no such thing as a soft spot. We locked up Irad [Ortiz, Jr.]. All the things just kept on clicking.

“The horse wintered well in Florida,” Breen added. “They took good care of him. He shipped up here and got to breeze a couple times right out of his stall. We didn't have to ship. Everything worked out to plan and it doesn't always work out that well.

“In the paddock, he looked very picturesque. Maybe a tad bit heavy,” Breen said. “That happens to us when we get older.”

“He broke well. He sat right there and ran a very professional race. 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.”

Breen said the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar will be the year-end goal for Firenze Fire.

“I'll assume at the end of the year he'll be going to stud, but Ron loves running in the Breeders' Cup Sprint,” said Breen. “One day at a time and I'm happy he came back as strong as he did. He looked great.”

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Saturday’s Preakness Update: Trio of Breezers at Belmont

Trainer Chad Brown sent out Klaravich Stables' duo of Crowded Trade (More Than Ready) and Risk Taking (Medaglia d'Oro) to breeze in company Saturday, while Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher had Whisper Hill Farm's Unbridled Honor (Honor Code) work in company with older graded stakes winner Fearless (Ghostzapper) at Belmont Park in preparation for next Saturday's GI Preakness S.

Risk Taking, winner of the GIII Withers S. and seventh-place finisher in the GII Wood Memorial S., worked outside of narrow GIII Gotham S. second and Wood Memorial third Crowded Trade, through five-eighths in 1:01.76 on a main track rated fast at 8:45 a.m. with the pair finishing together at the wire. Risk Taking was scratched out of Saturday's GIII Peter Pan S. in favor of the second leg of the Triple Crown.

“I thought they breezed super. It was just what I wanted,” Brown said. “I got them in 1:01 and even out in 1:13 and change. I was real happy with it.”

Brown added of Risk Taking, “His last two works were the best we've seen.”

As for Crowded Trade, he said, “He's only raced three times. He's run three really credible races and he's going in the right direction. He's had six weeks between races and I could see him running a really big race on Saturday.”

Unbridled Honor, runner-up in the GIII Stonestreet Lexington S., worked outside of Fearless on Belmont's dirt training track at 9:30 a.m. The pair covered a half-mile in :49.75 and out in 1:02.1 with a long gallop out through the turn.

“I thought both horses worked well to the wire,” Pletcher said. “Fearless was particularly strong on the gallop out and I thought Unbridled Honor did well. I was happy with both of them.”

As for Unbridled Honor, Pletcher added, “We weren't really thinking Derby at that time [in the Lexington]. We were hoping for a good performance, which we got. He finished up well and he continues to improve with each start. He had a good pace to run at that day. Hopefully, it will be a contested pace at Pimlico.”

Fearless, winner of the GII WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile S. and runner-up in the GII Oaklawn H., is being pointed to the GIII Pimlico Special S. May 14.

John and Diane Fradkin's homebred and El Camino Real Derby winner Rombauer (Twirling Candy), meanwhile, had his final timed workout in preparation for the Preakness Saturday morning, covering five furlongs in :59.80 seconds under jockey Flavien Prat at Santa Anita. “He worked in company, settled in a length behind the other horse, passed him coming to the eighth pole and went on about his business,” trainer Michael McCarthy said.

Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas has confirmed Ram (American Pharoah) as a starter for the Preakness. He won his second straight annexing an allowance on the GI Kentucky Derby undercard. “We realize he has to step forward to be effective,” Lukas said. “But when these horses are doing well, sometimes they'll step up and do what you want them to do. I always thought this horse had potential.”

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Chad Brown Pair, Unbridled Honor Post Belmont Park Drills For Preakness

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown sent out Klaravich Stables' duo of Crowded Trade and Risk Taking to breeze in company Saturday, while Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher had Whisper Hill Farm's Unbridled Honor work in company with older graded stakes winner Fearless at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., in preparation for the Grade 1, $1.5 million Preakness.

The Preakness, the second jewel of the Triple Crown, will be contested at 1 3/16-miles on Saturday, May 15 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

Risk Taking worked outside of Crowded Trade, both with exercise riders up, through five-eighths in 1:01.76 on a main track rated fast at 8:45 a.m. with the pair finishing together at the wire.

“I thought they breezed super. It was just what I wanted,” said Brown, who captured the 2017 Preakness with Cloud Computing, who was co-owned by Klaravich Stables with William H. Lawrence. “I got them in 1:01 and even out in 1:13 and change. I was real happy with it.”

A bay son of Medaglia d'Oro, Risk Taking was purchased for $240,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He graduated at third asking in a nine-furlong maiden special weight in December at Aqueduct Racetrack and captured the Grade 3 Withers at the same distance in February at the Big A.

Last out, Risk Taking failed to fire when seventh as the mutuel favorite in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 3.

Brown said the opportunity to run two turns was a key factor in Risk Taking being scratched from today's Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan, going a one-turn 1 1/8-miles on Big Sandy.

“It was a huge factor along with the distance of the race,” said Brown. “I think the longer the better for him. Both of his wins are around two turns and I didn't want to change anything.”

Brown said he is hoping the lackluster effort last out was due to kickback from a heavy Big A main track.

“It was a heavy dirt that day. He really resented it and I'm hoping that's why he ran uncharacteristically poor,” said Brown.

The veteran conditioner said he is buoyed by how Risk Taking has come out of the Wood Memorial.

“His last two works were the best we've seen,” said Brown.

Crowded Trade, a chestnut son of More Than Ready, has made all three career starts at the Big A. He won on debut in January sprinting six furlongs on the main track and followed with a narrow nose loss to Weyburn in the Grade 3 Gotham traveling a one-turn mile on March 6.

Crowded Trade, who was eighth at the half-mile call last out in the Wood Memorial, closed to finish third. Brown said he expects Crowded Trade to be more prominent in the Preakness.

“He just broke bad,” said Brown regarding the Wood Memorial. “He didn't get away good and lost position early. Hopefully, he gets out of the gate better this time.”

Brown said the lightly-raced Crowded Trade has every right to improve next Saturday.

“He's only raced three times. He's run three really credible races and he's going in the right direction,” said Brown. “He's had six weeks between races and I could see him running a really big race on Saturday.”

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will ride Crowded Trade in the Preakness, while Jose Ortiz has the call on Risk Taking.

Brown trainees will also be a factor on the Preakness undercard as Kuramata and Sacred Life will ship to Pimlico for the Grade 2, $250,000 Dinner Party, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for 3-year-olds and up. He will also be represented by Great Island and Flighty Lady in the Grade 3, $150,000 Gallorette at 1 1/16-miles on turf for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.

Unbridled Honor, a Kentucky homebred piloted by exercise rider Amelia Green, worked outside of Fearless, a 5-year-old son of Ghostzapper under exercise rider Hector Ramos, on Belmont's dirt training track at 9:30 a.m. The pair covered a half-mile in 49.75 and out in 1:02.1 with a long gallop out through the turn.

“I thought both horses worked well to the wire,” said Pletcher. “Fearless was particularly strong on the gallop out and I thought Unbridled Honor did well. I was happy with both of them.”

A grey son of Honor Code, Unbridled Honor graduated at third asking in a mile and forty yard maiden special weight on February 6 at Tampa Bay Downs. He followed with a closing fourth in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby in March ahead of a good second in the Grade 3 Lexington contested at 1 1/16-miles on a sloppy Keeneland main track on April 10.

Pletcher said he was pleased with the Lexington effort, which offered 20-8-4-2 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

“We weren't really thinking Derby at that time. We were hoping for a good performance, which we got,” said Pletcher. “He finished up well and he continues to improve with each start. He had a good pace to run at that day. Hopefully, it will be a contested pace at Pimlico.”

Luis Saez will have the call aboard Unbridled Honor in the Preakness and Pletcher said he expects another closing run.

“I think that's his running style so we'll hope for a good, solid pace upfront and come with a late run,” said Pletcher. “A wet track wouldn't be a problem.”

WinStar Farm and CHC Inc.'s Fearless is pointed to the Grade 3, $250,000 Pimlico Special at 1 3/16-miles on the main track on May 14. He made the grade in his seasonal debut in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile on February 27. Last out, Fearless finished a rail-running second to Silver State in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap on April 17.

“It was a good effort in both of his races this year. He indicated this morning that he's maintaining his form,” said Pletcher.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will retain the mount.

The third jewel of the Triple Crown, the 153rd renewal of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes, is slated for Saturday, June 5, as the centerpiece of the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

The festival, which kicks off on Thursday, June 3, will include 17 stakes races in total, with eight Grade 1 races to be contested on Belmont Stakes Day.

Only 13 horses in history have achieved Triple Crown glory by winning the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, affirming its status as one of the rarest accomplishments in all of sports.

For information and details on hospitality offerings, ticket packages and pricing, visit BelmontStakes.com. For full terms and conditions, visit https://www.belmontstakes.com/tickets.

For comprehensive information on health and safety protocols in effect for the Belmont Park spring/summer meet, please visit: https://www.nyra.com/belmont/visit/plan-your-visit.

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Belmont Park: Saturday’s Pick 6 Boosted By $41,572 Carryover

Saturday's Pick 6 will be boosted by a $41,572 carryover, as the multi-race wager went unsolved on Friday at Belmont Park. The $1 Pick 6, implemented at the current 48-day Belmont spring/summer meet, returned $685.50 to bettors who selected 5-of-6 winners correctly.

Friday's sequence kicked off in Race 4 with Barista Vixen [No. 7, $6.30] capturing a 6 ½-furlong claiming sprint on the main track under Hector Diaz, Jr. for trainer Wayne Potts.

Joel Rosario guided Christophe Clement-trainee Proper Grammar [No. 5, $9.70] to victory in Race 8, a six-furlong inner turf sprint for maiden claimers.

Matty's Marauder [No. 3, $24.80] provided the biggest price in the sequence when finding the wire first in Race 6, a six-furlong maiden claiming sprint, for jockey Luis Saez and trainer David Donk.

My Lips Are Sealed [No. 4, $8.50] went gate-to-wire in Race 7 as Eric Cancel engineered the frontrunning trip for trainer George Weaver.

The Rosario-Clement tandem struck again in Race 8 as La Dragontea [No. 2, $5.30] outlasted Caen Na Coille in a 1 ¼-mile turf route.

Clement conditioned his third winner in the sequence [and fourth on the card] when Sport Model [No. 4, $24] closed out the card in the ninth race finale, a six-furlong state-bred maiden claiming sprint under jockey Trevor McCarthy.

Featuring a $1 bet minimum and 15 percent takeout, the Pick 6 wager requires bettors to select the first-place finisher of six designated races on the card. A total of 75 percent of the full pool, minus takeout, will be distributed to bettors who select the first-place finisher of all six races. A consolation payout of 25 percent of the net pool will be distributed to tickets selecting 5-of-6 winners.

In the event there are no tickets with six winners, there will be a carryover of 75 percent of the net pool into the next day of the meet with the remaining 25 percent of the net pool distributed as a consolation payout to tickets selecting the first-place finisher in the greatest number of races on the card. On carryover days, the Pick 6 is offered with a 24 percent takeout.

The $1 Pick 6 replaced the Empire 6, a jackpot style wager featuring a $0.20 bet minimum first offered in August 2019 at Saratoga Race Course.

Saturday's Pick 6 will include four graded stakes, kicking off in Race 6 at 3:34 p.m. Eastern with the Grade 3, $150,000 Beaugay at 1 1/16-miles on turf for older fillies and mares. The sequence will also include the Grade 3, $150,000 Vagrancy for older filly and mare sprinters in Race 7; the Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan at nine-furlongs on Big Sandy for sophomores in Race 9; and the Grade 1, $700,000 Man o' War at 11 furlongs on turf for older horses in Race 11. First post on Saturday's 11-race card is 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the spring/summer meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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