Kelly Breen | Horse Racing Free Tips

Breen, Lopez Earn Monmouth Park Titles

Kelly Breen, who capped the season with a pair of stakes wins on the closing-day card, was the leading trainer at the Monmouth Park meet which concluded Sunday. It was Breen’s third training title at the New Jersey oval, but his first in 14 years.

“It means a lot,” said Breen. “To think back to when I last won the title 14 years ago to today, I lost both of my parents over that time and today would have been my mom’s birthday. So it’s special. I felt like I had a little angel on my shoulder this meet. This is a prestigious meet. Monmouth Park is a high-end track and to be the leading trainer at a top-tier track is a significant accomplishment. It means a lot to me, to my barn and to my assistants. We work hard for things like this.”

Paco Lopez was the meet’s leading rider for the seventh time and Klaravich Stables was the leading owner.

The Thoroughbred season in New Jersey will continue with the nine-day Meadowlands-at-Monmouth Park meet beginning Saturday. Following a Sunday card, the live racing schedule for the month will switch to the next three Wednesdays and Saturdays through Oct. 24. There will also be a holiday card Oct. 12. The Meadowlands-at-Monmouth Park meet will feature a stakes race every live racing day, highlighted by the Oct. 10 GII Monmouth S.at nine furlongs on the turf.

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Breen Wins First Monmouth Training Title Since 2006; Paco Lopez Top Rider, Klaravich Stables Leading Owner

Kelly Breen celebrated his return to the top of the Monmouth Park trainer standings after a 14-year absence by winning both stakes races during the final day of the Oceanport, N.J., track's 75th season on Sunday.

The 51-year-old New Jersey native led the trainers' race virtually from the start of the meet in claiming his third Monmouth Park training title. He was also the track's leading trainer in 2005 and 2006.

Paco Lopez was the leading rider for the seventh time, with Klaravich Stables finishing as the leading owner.

The Thoroughbred season in New Jersey will continue with the onset of the nine-day Meadowlands-at-Monmouth Park meet beginning Saturday, Oct. 3 (Preakness Day). After also racing Sunday, Oct. 4, the live racing schedule for the month will switch to the next three Wednesdays and Saturdays through Oct. 24. There will also be a holiday card on Monday, Oct. 12.

The Meadowlands-at-Monmouth Park meet will feature a stakes race every live racing day, highlighted by the Grade 2 Monmouth Stakes at nine furlongs on the turf on Oct. 10.

Breen, who put the finishing touches on his title-winning season with a three-victory afternoon, saw promising 2-year-old Pickin' Time surge late for a nose victory over Dalton in the $75,000 Smoke Glacken Stakes. That was followed by a half-length score in gate-to-wire fashion by Like What I See in the $75,000 Joey P. Handicap at five furlongs on the grass.

Breen finished with 32 victories during the 36-day meet. That easily outdistanced runner-up Jose H. Delgado, who had 17 wins.

“It means a lot,” said Breen. “To think back to when I last won the title 14 years ago to today, I lost both of my parents over that time and today would have been my mom's birthday. So it's special. I felt like I had a little angel on my shoulder this meet.

“This is a prestigious meet. Monmouth Park is a high-end track and to be the leading trainer at a top tier track is a significant accomplishment. It means a lot to me, to my barn and to my assistants. We work hard for things like this.”

Lopez, who won his first Monmouth Park riding title in 2010, has been the track's dominant jockey for the past decade in terms of wins. He finished with 51 victories, nine more than co-runner-up Ferrin Peterson. Joe Bravo was third with 41 winners.

Lopez' seven titles are second all-time to Bravo's 13.

“I'm feeling very lucky. I've been coming here almost every year for the past 10 years and it's still exciting to be leading rider,” he said. “I'm doing what I can to follow Joe Bravo, but 13 titles … that's a big number.

“I enjoy being here and it makes it even better when you have success at a place you like.”

Though based in New York, Klaravich Stables had a successful Monmouth Park meet, winning eight times from 15 starters to edge out Colts Neck Stables by one victory for leading owner honors.

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Firenze Fire Back On Favorite Track, Wins Vosburgh Easily

Second, beaten a nose by Imperial Hint in the 2019 renewal, Mr. Amore Stable's Firenze Fire came from off the pace under jockey Jose Lezcano to win the Grade 2 Vosburgh Stakes by 2 3/4 lengths on Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. In so doing, the 5-year-old Florida-bred by Poseidon's Voyage, trained by Kelly Breen, earned an automatic, fees-paid berth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint as part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The 2020 Breeders' Cup Sprint will be run at Keeneland Nov. 7 as part of the two-day world championships program.

Racing over his favorite surface, where he won the G1 Champagne at 2, the G3 Dwyer at 3 and the G2 True North Stakes earlier this year, Firenze Fire covered six furlongs on a fast track in 1:09.74. He paid $7.20 to win the Vosburgh, his 12th victory in 29 lifetime starts.

Funny Guy finished second, with pacesetter Share the Ride third, True Timber fourth and Engage last in the field of five after the scratch of Stan the Man.

Firenze Fire was transferred to Breen earlier this year after his former trainer, Jason Servis, was indicted on drug misbranding charges that are part of a federal probe in racehorse doping.

After a fourth-place finish in the G1 Carter Handicap in his first start for Breen, Firenze Fire won the True North and then finished fourth behind Volatile in the G1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga. He came off an 11th-place finish in the slop at Saratoga in the G1 Forego won by Win Win Win.

Share the Ride set the pace in the Vosburgh, going :22.33 for the opening quarter mile and :45.53 for the half. Firenze Fire tracked the leader in second, taking command in the stretch after a five-furlong fraction of :57.36.

“Today, it was a small field, so I wanted to break good and he was in the bridle the whole way,” said Lezcano. “When I asked him at the quarter pole, he took off.”

“I can say he doesn't like the mud [following a last-place effort in G1 Forego],” said Breen. “You can put a line through his last race and he really performed today. He loves Belmont. We'll have to get him as used to Keeneland as he is to Belmont. I'll bring a couple of buckets from here and put it down the Keeneland stretch and bring our track to Keeneland. He's doing great. He looked great today and we're on to the Breeders' Cup [Sprint].”

Ron Lombardi of Mr. Amore Stable said: “I think he's right there [with the best sprinters in the country]. There's no question about it. Kelly has done a fantastic job with him. It's our second win after everything [trainer change] and he's a solid horse. He always delivers and he recovers well. We'll decide after the Breeders' Cup what we're going to do, there's a lot of options but I love racing. If he does well there, it will be a tough decision [to send him to stud].”

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Horse For Course Firenze Fire Scores in Vosburgh

Firenze Fire (Poseidon’s Warrior), just a nose shy in a heart-stopping renewal of the GII Vosburgh S. last year, contested then as a Grade I, continued his love affair with Belmont Park in this ‘Win and You’re In’ for the GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland.

Firenze Fire sat a stalking trip in second through an opening quarter in :22.33, made his move at the leader as they stacked up four across the track past the quarter pole, and kicked home nicely to punch his ticket to Lexington. Favored Funny Guy (Big Brown) was second.

Previously campaigned by indicted former trainer Jason Servis, Firenze Fire’s Belmont Park highlight reel also includes wins in the 2017 GI Champagne S., 2018 GIII Dwyer S. and this term’s GII True North S. June 27.

He made four prior starts for Kelly Breen in 2020, following his win in the True North with a respectable fourth behind the brilliant Volatile (Violence) in the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. July 25 and an 11th-place finish in a heavy downpour in a sloppy renewal of the GI Forego S. Aug. 29.

“You can put a line through his last race and he really performed today,” Breen said. “He loves Belmont. We’ll have to get him as used to Keeneland as he is to Belmont. I’ll bring a couple of buckets from here and put it down the Keeneland stretch and bring our track to Keeneland. He’s doing great. He looked great today and we’re on to the Breeders’ Cup [Sprint].”

Pedigree Notes:

Poseidon’s Warrior is the sire of Firenze Fire and black-type winner Navy Commander. The son of Speightstown started his stud career at Pleasant Acres in Florida, moved to Darby Dan in Kentucky for 2019, and relocated once again to Equistar in Pennsylvania for 2020. Firenze Fire is one of 66 stakes winners out of Langfuhr mares, and those numbers include champion Proud Spell (Proud Citizen) and 2017 GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Lookin At Lee (Lookin At Lucky). Dam My Every Wish is out of a full-sister to 2011 Broodmare of the Year Oatsee (Unbridled), whose five black-type winners include MGISW Shackleford (Forestry) and GISW Lady Joanne (Orientate). Firenze Fire was his dam’s first foal, while her yearling, a colt named Just Leo, is a full-brother to the Vosburgh winner. Her colt born this year and already named Andiamo a Firenze is by Poseidon’s Warrior’s sire, Speightstown. My Every Wish was bred to Poseidon’s Warrior for 2021.

Saturday, Belmont
VOSBURGH S.-GII, $145,500, Belmont, 9-26, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:09.74, ft.
1–FIRENZE FIRE, 124, h, 5, by Poseidon’s Warrior
                1st Dam: My Every Wish, by Langfuhr
                2nd Dam: Mille Lacs, by Unbridled
                3rd Dam: With Every Wish, by Lear Fan
O/B-Mr Amore Stables (FL); T-Kelly J. Breen; J-Jose Lezcano.
$82,500. Lifetime Record: 29-12-3-2, $2,038,250. Werk Nick
Rating: A+ Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Funny Guy, 124, c, 4, Big Brown–Heavenly Humor, by
Distorted Humor. ($10,000 Ylg ’17 EASOCT; $45,000 2yo ’18
OBSAPR). O-Gatsas Stables, R. A. Hill Stable and Swick Stable;
B-Hibiscus Stables (NY); T-John P. Terranova II. $30,000.
3–Share the Ride, 124, g, 5, Candy Ride (Arg)–Belle of the Hall,
by Graeme Hall. ($47,000 RNA Ylg ’16 KEESEP; $175,000 2yo
’17 FTFMAR). O-Silvino Ramirez; B-Dixiana Farms LLC (KY);
T-Antonio Arriaga. $18,000.
Margins: 2 3/4, 1 1/4, 4 3/4. Odds: 2.60, 1.90, 5.30.
Also Ran: True Timber, Engage. Scratched: Stan the Man. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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