Fuego the Viral Claimer Lands his Forever Home

Assistant trainer Nikki Kaye was not exactly thrilled when she learned that Fire King (Palace Malice) was joining her barn. According to her best friend, jockey Madison Olver, the 2-year-old was appropriately named. Olver rode for Christophe Clement in the mornings and knew that Fire King had a big attitude and a major stubborn streak.

The colt lived up to that reputation when he arrived at Jose Camejo's barn at Aqueduct.

“He comes in and he's just shiny, gorgeous and muscular, but he was so mean,” Kaye recalled. “He didn't want anyone to come near him.”

At this point Fire King was unplaced in three starts. What could Camejo and Kaye try that hadn't worked for a top operation like Clement's?

Gelding him was the first step, but as Kaye watched Fire King in the mornings, she noticed how sensitive he was in the mouth. In the bay's fifth career start early last year, she and Camejo removed most of his equipment and put him in a simple rubber bit. They told jockey Manny Franco not to mess with his face during the race. Fire King took the lead early and won wire to wire in a New York-bred maiden claimer on Jan. 8.

Kaye prepares to give her good friend Madison Olver a leg up before Fire King runs fourth at Aqueduct on 2-9-23 | courtesy Nikki Kaye

While Fire King was working toward that maiden win, he started to come out of his shell.

“At first he would hide in the back of the stall with his ears pinned back,” said Kaye. “I started to entice him to come to the front of the stall. I would give him balls and salt rocks and he started to come forward. Clement obviously does a fantastic job, but I only had 10 horses at this point so I was able to hang out with him all day every day. He became the biggest beggar and you had to pay the treat toll every time you walked by. He started doing goofy things. He would pick up his polos and wrap them around his head. He would destroy his toys. You couldn't walk by with a baseball hat or it was gone. He was just so quirky.”

Kaye wasn't the only one who fell in love with him. She posted a video to TikTok showcasing a day in the life of Fire King and to her surprise, it received 330,000 views and over 62,300 likes. Nicknamed 'Fuego' by his groom Julio, Fire King continued to amuse his social media following through his hat-stealing exploits, an obsession with his “emotional support jolly ball,” and his ongoing efforts to win over his stablemate, an Into Mischief filly who “cost 400,000 carrots.”

@nikkikaye21#trickstervoice #pov #petpov #horseracing #jockey #horse #equine #fuego #KAYKissCountdown #newyork♬ original sound – Nikki Kaye

“I had no idea it would take off,” Kaye admitted. “I really did it to show people what kind of life racehorses had. It enlightened so many people to the sport who had a negative connotation with it before, but then realized that these horses are treated like kings.”

Kaye answered questions from viewers like if Fuego ever got turned out and how they could tune in for his next race. She showed footage of Fuego relaxing in his ice boots, getting a massage and rolling around in the round pen–all things that aren't worth a glance for track regulars, but are beyond fascinating to those on the outside looking in.

Fuego's fame grew even on the backside.

“Everyone would come in the barn to see him and give him treats because he was this popular guy,” Kaye said. “Even Javier Castellano came and was like, 'Oh my God, my kids are watching him on TikTok.' I took a picture of Javier and Fuego thinking, 'Are you kidding me? This guy just won the Kentucky Derby and he wants a picture with this claimer.'”

One day, the steady stream of videos with Fuego came to an end. Fire King had been claimed. He bounced from the Meadowlands to Mountaineer to Mahoning Valley, oftentimes making weekly starts but never getting to the winner's circle. Kaye kept in touch with the gelding's connections, letting them know that she had a home ready for him when his racing career was over.

On the day before Christmas Eve, she got a call from his trainer at Mountaineer. He was planning on sending the horse to Puerto Rico unless Kaye could offer up the same amount of money and have him picked up in the next 24 hours.

@nikkikaye21#horsesoftiktok #horseracing #trickstervoice #fuego #fire #fireking #newyork #petspov #pov #horse #equestrian #equine #athlete #equestrianlife #equestriangirl #athlete #racing #sports #athletic #veterinarian #vetsoftiktok #vetmed #vetmedlife #vettechlife♬ original sound – Nikki Kaye

Fire King's co-breeder Lucas Stritsman had kept in touch with Kaye throughout the gelding's time in the Camejo barn and after. When he heard the news, he offered to pay the amount in full.

Fire King is special for Stritstman as well, being the first horse Stritsman ever bred and named after his father, who started up their family's fireplace company. Fire King raced in Stritsman's Corms Racing Stable silks until he was claimed last fall.

“It's been an adventure for sure,” Stritsman said of the journey with the gelding. “I was talking to Nikki the whole time he was with Camejo. She would send me pictures and you could tell she was in love with that horse, which was great because as an owner you know he's getting taken care of. I couldn't be happier that he ended up in the right place and with the right person.”

Finding a van driver that could get a horse from West Virginia to Kaye's home in New Jersey the day before Christmas Eve proved to be a challenge. After dozens of inquiries sent out and one failed attempt with a driver who committed but never showed, Kaye finally landed a van. Fuego arrived at his new home on Christmas Eve morning.

From the trailer, Fuego checks out his new home | courtesy Nikki Kaye

“It was the best Christmas gift,” said Kaye. “He looked like he hadn't had a bath in three months, but the second the trailer arrived he had his head out the window with his ears up.”

Kaye had just adopted her first horse. Even though her experience in the equine industry doesn't extend all that far back, for her it was a dream come true.

Kaye first got involved in racing in 2018, when she took on the role of assistant director of marketing at Monmouth Park. Her interest quickly sparked and she spoke with a trainer there, admitting that she had no experience with horses or racing, but he offered her a job anyways. She worked from four to eight every morning on the backside and then from nine to five on the front side.

Her passion for racing blossomed and she eventually landed a full-time job with Camejo. She worked for him for several years, spent another stint with Danny Gargan, and then returned to Camejo to run his barn at Belmont.

“I'd never had my own string of 30 horses and that was when HISA was coming in so I was trying to learn all these new rules, but we did well. Those 60-hour weeks were so worth that minute and 20 seconds of pure happiness and joy after a win. I owe so much to Jose and to Danny and Carol Fisher [assistant trainer to Gargan]. I wouldn't know anything without the three of them.”

Kaye recently took a step back from racing for a job as the marketing director at a large orthopedics company on the East Coast. The offer to utilize her two master's degrees was too good to turn down. Even so, she doesn't plan on leaving the sport any time soon and hopes to get involved in a bigger way again eventually.

She is currently working on a dissertation for her journalism degree examining the overall impact media has on society's perception of horse racing and she's now taking on another task of educating the public on Thoroughbred aftercare now that Fuego has returned to social media. Followers were enthusiastic about his reappearance as they were introduced to his new home and saw him trotting placidly around a riding ring. Fuego's latest success was accurately predicting the winner of the Super Bowl.

“There were so many people happy that he was back, people that were wondering where he was,” Kaye said. “I gave him a lot of time off for the first two months. We did a lot of manners and groundwork. He's super intelligent to the point where he is almost too smart for his own good. He's very nosy and curious, but he has been an angel with me on his back.”

@nikkikaye21FUEGO PREDICTS THE #BIGGAME #superbowl #horsesoftiktok #fireking #foryoupage #fyp #fuego #horsegirl #racehorse #racehorsesoftiktok #ottb #thoroughbred #kentucky #newyork #newjersey #saratogasprings #churchilldowns #derby #football #taylorswift #traviskelce #49ers #nfl #chiefs #mahomes #trickstervoice #farmlife #veterinarian #vetsoftiktok #equine #equestrian♬ Nfl Theme – Official Sports Bar Version – Playin' Buzzed

Kaye has seen both the good and the ugly sides of horse racing and she has had her heart broken once before with a horse she hoped to adopt one day. When she was with Camejo at Monmouth, her favorite horse was Grade III winner Chublicious (Hey Chub), who had a similar personality to Fuego but tragically broke down at the quarter pole with Kaye looking on.

“I wanted to take Chublicious when he was done but it didn't work out, so I think that Fuego came into my life for a reason. He was happy as a racehorse, but it was different. Now he doesn't have to be competitive and he can just relax. They call him lazy all the time at the farm.”

Kaye said that she eventually hopes to travel to Kentucky with Fuego for the Thoroughbred Makeover, competing in either hunters or competitive trail.

“It is so special to have a horse that I have such an amazing bond with,” she explained. “He is still his quirky self. He reminds me of a toddler that walks up and pokes you. We're taking our time to learn a second career and he has a spoiled life. All he does is eat, play with toys and run around his paddock all day, but he would go to battle for me, that's for sure.”

And so the horse with one maiden claiming win from 17 lifetime starts was never meant to make headlines as a racehorse, but the role he'll play as an ambassador for the sport will hopefully continue long after his final start.

The post Fuego the Viral Claimer Lands his Forever Home appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Monmouth Meet Ends With Third Straight Year Of Average Handle Increase

Monmouth Park continued an upward trend by showing an increase in average total handle and average on-track handle for the third straight year as the 51-day meet came to a close Sunday. Paco Lopez claimed his 10th riding title and Claudio Gonzalez was the leading trainer for the second straight summer.

The average total handle was $4,032,648 this year, an 11.4 percent increase over last year's average of $3,620,719.

The on-track handle rose 15 percent to $340,257 compared to the 2022 average of $295,896.

In addition, the average field size of 7.71 was the largest since 2015.

“We are grateful to our fans, horsemen, stakeholders and especially Governor Murphy and the entire state legislature,” said Dennis Drazin, chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, operators of Monmouth Park. “To see our across-the-board numbers, year after year, continue to show large increases is a direct result of the purse supplement, the hard work of all our employees, and of course, the racing fans.

“We have witnessed a continued growth of not just the breeding program in New Jersey, but an overall attraction by nationwide horsemen to ensure Monmouth Park is on their summer calendar.

“Not only has the racing office done an amazing job working with our horsemen and ensuring the best possible product to the racing fans, but the same can be said for all our employees. From group sales to admissions, from mutuels to marketing, and of course operations and accounting. I am so appreciative to have such amazing people all working together for the betterment of Monmouth Park.

“We will take this year as a success and continue to build on this next year and for many years to come.”

The GI TVG.com Haskell S. saw a record handle of $21,359,642 for the 14-race card.

Lopez easily captured the Monmouth Park riding title for the ninth time in the past 11 years with 76 winners. His 10 overall titles are second only to Joe Bravo's 13 in track history.

Gonzalez backed up his first training title at the track in 2022 with an outstanding meet as the runaway winner this year. His 46 winners were more than double the total of his nearest competitor.

Klaravich Stables finished as the leading owner with 13 wins, including victories in the GIII WinStar Matchmaker S., the GIII Molly Pitcher S. and the GIII Eatontown S.

Madison Olver and Luis Rivera, Jr. tied for honors as the leading apprentice at the meet with 17 wins apiece.

Thoroughbred racing in New Jersey shifts to the Meadowlands in East Rutherford for a 10-day, all-turf meet that starts Friday, Sept. 15. The meet will run for five consecutive Fridays and Saturdays.

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Apprentice Jockey Madison Olver Off To Promising Start

Despite the layers of cold water and powder coating her from head to toe, nothing could mask apprentice jockey Madison Olver's bright smile following her first career victory aboard Curbstone (Street Sense) in the sixth race at Aqueduct on Dec. 9, 2022.

It was a surreal moment for the 23-year-old, who just five and a half years prior had never even witnessed a horse race, let alone set foot on the backside of a racetrack or exercised a racehorse.

A native of Fort Collins, Colo., Olver was bit by the 'horse bug' early on as she followed in the footsteps of her equestrian mother Christine. Olver picked up riding and later began teaching riding lessons to younger students, before delving into breaking and training wild mustangs.

After high school, she set out to take her love of horses one step further, which led to Olver's aunt introducing her niece to French racehorse trainer Gina Rarick. Though France would appear to be an extremely far-off base for someone stateside to begin their venture into the world of horse racing, it was a homecoming of sorts for Olver, who had spent part of her childhood living in the country and was fluent in the language.

After a three-month stint in the fall of 2017, Olver was hooked. She returned to France in late 2018, eventually spending two more years there to soak up every experience she possibly could.

“I saw some accidents happen when I was out there and I realized I hadn't quite grasped just how dangerous it could be. The horses take on a whole new meaning of strong, and unless you've been run away with by a racehorse, you don't really know what getting run away with is. That was a whole new game, trying to keep a horse slow, especially when you're behind other horses,” recalled Olver. “Their speed, when you let them go, it's just not something that a horse that isn't bred or trained to do would be able to do. Sometimes you just have to hang on for the ride.”

Though it was daunting at first, and the learning curve was steep, Olver knew she had found where she was meant to be: on the back of a racehorse.

“I definitely wanted to [pursue being a jockey in France], but unfortunately Covid happened and I had a little bit of visa trouble that was exacerbated by Covid, so I ended up coming back over here. But everything happens for a reason,” said Olver.

Eager to get going again stateside, while also working on finishing her degree at Colorado State University, Olver began her search for a new stable to ride for. It led her to none other than multiple Grade I-winning trainer Christophe Clement.

“I was missing France. I love the French and their style of training, and I speak French, so that part really stood out to me. I reached out to them, sent my resume, and they got back to me. They were easily some of the most professional, well-spoken, generous people I'd gotten into contact with on the racetrack,” said Olver. “They flew me out to Florida for a week to do kind of like a trial, and then we talked about where I'd like to go, either Belmont Park or Saratoga for the summer. But they made it very clear that I needed to graduate college before I started working with the racehorses again.”

She did just that, graduating in May of 2021, and headed off to the Clement barn at the Oklahoma Training Track in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., soon thereafter.

“When I showed up to the barn the first day, Christophe goes, 'Okay, did you graduate?' I said, 'Yes, don't worry.'”

As soon as she arrived, Olver got straight to work. Proving her dedication day in and day out aboard many of the promising youngsters that resided in the barn, she quickly worked her way up to become one of Clement's head exercise riders. It was there the young rider formed a special bond with Waterville Lake Stables' homebred filly Derrynane (Quality Road).

“I rode her when she was a 2-year-old and hadn't run yet, and I had just gotten to Saratoga and I was basically a 2-year-old that hadn't run yet, so we learned a lot of things together. She was my first breeze out of the gate here in America, first breeze on the main track at Saratoga, she was my first for a lot of things. Then she went to the Breeders' Cup that year and ran phenomenally,” said Olver.

That summer, Derrynane broke her maiden on debut at Saratoga, later won the Woodbine Cares Stakes and went on to finish fourth in the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar, just a length behind winner Twilight Gleaming (Ire) (National Defense {GB}).

“She was also very, very kind. I have her name on my keychain. I felt like her and I were in a little bit of the same place. She's always just been special to me.”

After nearly a year and a half of working and riding in the mornings for the Clement barn, Olver was ready to take her skill set to the track in the afternoon, officially beginning her career as an apprentice jockey. Under the guidance of her agent Joe Migliore, who Olver was introduced to by Clement's son and assistant trainer, Miguel, she made her career debut aboard Flattering Gal (Flatter) in the sixth race on the Nov. 12 card at Aqueduct.

Guiding the filly three, then two wide around the final turn, Olver and Flattering Gal made up ground along the rail to finish third in the 6-furlong, $25,000 maiden claimer.

“When it was going on, it felt very purposeful, like this is what I had been waiting for and afterwards, it all felt surreal that I actually got the opportunity to do it. I was pretty speechless afterwards,” she said.

And less than a month later, in her 16th career start, Olver and her mount Curbstone crossed the finish line 6 1/2 lengths ahead of runner-up Complete Agenda (Curlin). It was the first win for Olver and the second for the Tom Morley-trained gelding.

“It's pretty emotional. If you had told me really not that long ago that I'd get to ride a race, much less win a race, or even continue to have opportunities, [I don't know] that I really would have believed you. I'm very full of gratitude for all of the people that have been willing to help me, just because they're kind and because they want to see people succeed in this sport, [especially] young people,” said Olver.

An extremely gracious young woman, Olver gives all of the credit to those who have supported her along the way, headlined by her standout mentors.

“Miguel really has been my biggest supporter and kept me on this path, even when I found it difficult, thought about going to another track or questioned my own abilities. He also entrusted me with a lot of horses in the morning and there's no better way to learn than on a horse,” she said. “The Clements got me into contact with Joe, who's really been wonderful. He fights for me and he plays a massive part in any success I may have. He knows what's going on, he has an eye for it. And [Joe's father] Richard Migliore's whole philosophy on riding is really wonderful, [emphasizing] how you can be both an assertive rider that wins but also be a horseman. He's very adamant that race riding is an art form, which I think is really cool.”

Despite the intense competition that takes place on the track in the afternoons, amplified amongst the talented jockey colony that resides at Aqueduct, Olver is proud to share her admiration for her fellow jockeys, riders and the trainers that she's gotten to know and learn from in the last couple of months. Trainers such as Orlando Noda, Morley, Antonio Arriaga, Oscar Barrera, III and James Ferraro were some of the first to back Olver, but the list has only grown and continues to do so.

“I really love being able to go to a bunch of different barns and ride a bunch of different horses for a bunch of different people. I've learned so much already just from going around and talking to everyone. You can learn something from everybody and all of those different horses.”

With 46 starts under her belt as of Jan. 6, and four more rides already lined up through Saturday at Aqueduct, Olver boasts a record of two wins, nine seconds and nine third-place finishes, with earnings nearing $190,000.

From her home in Colorado, to the training tracks in France and Saratoga, to Aqueduct's 1 1/8-mile oval, Olver has not only forged her own unique path into the industry, but also continues the legacy of the brilliant female exercise riders and jockeys that came before her.

Her advice to others trying to get in the game? “Everybody deserves a chance to try and the most important thing that I have learned is that it's going to be the people in your corner that are going to help you the most. If it's something that you want to get into, first of all do it, because you can, and listen to what everybody has to say – every hotwalker, every groom, every trainer, every rider, every jockey – because they all have something to teach you. If they're telling you something, it's because they want to see you do well and they want to see you succeed and that's a really cool thing. This industry can be such a rollercoaster of highs and lows, but if you have those lows, don't worry, because there's another high just around the corner.”

Despite the industrywide attention she's garnered, which is only bound to grow, Olver remains humble and hopeful.

“I'm going to see where this ride takes me here. To be honest, I don't even know what I'm doing the following week, so I'm just going to kind of play it by ear, not get my heart set too much on anything,” she said. “My biggest priorities are to love what I'm doing and hopefully have some success while I do it.”

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