A close relation to connections' GISW Firenze Fire–by Speightstown's son Poseidon's Warrior ($2,730,350)–the Mr Amore homebred was away like a shot from the inside stall and set a strong pace in advance of the debuting and well-backed filly Danseur d'Oro (Bolt d'Oro), covering the opening quarter in :22.49 over a sloppy main track. Cruising along comfortably as they neared the stretch, Andiamo a Firenze was asked for a bit of a sprint passing the three-sixteeenths marker, widened to lead by about five with time ticking away and went on to score by four eased-down lengths. Fellow firster Miracle Mike (Goldencents) took some time to find his footing, but began to hit his best stride leaving the quarter pole and finished with good energy at the fence to be a promising second. Andiamo a Firenze is the 23rd 'Rising Star' for Speightstown.

Andiamo a Firenze is bred on a cross over Danzig-line stallions responsible for three of Speightstown's 24 worldwide Grade I/Group 1 winners, namely Jersey Town and Mozu Superflare (out of mares by Belong to Me) and Seek Again (Danehill). My Every Wish is the dam of Firenze Fire's 3-year-old full-brother Just Leo, a yearling full-brother named Fuji Fire and a filly foal by Honest Mischief. The colt's third dam is responsible for Broodmare of the Year Oatsee (Unbridled), whose produce includes MGISW Shackleford, GISW Lady Joanne, MGSWs Baghdaria and Afleeting Lady and SW & MGSP Stephanoatsee.

1st-Belmont, $75,000, (S), Msw, 6-3, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:04.27, sy, 4 lengths.
ANDIAMO A FIRENZE, c, 2, by Speightstown
1st Dam: My Every Wish, by Langfuhr
2nd Dam: Mille Lacs, by Unbridled
3rd Dam: With Every Wish, by Lear Fan
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $41,250. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
O/B-Mr Amore Stable (NY); T-Kelly J Breen.

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The on-line auction will be open for nine days, with live bidding opening at 8 a.m. ET Feb. 16 and the first listing closing Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. Subsequent listings will end in three-minute increments.

To view the entire catalogue, visit www.wanamakers.com.

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The 6-year-old son of Poseidon's Warrior has won 14 of 37 starts heading into this year's Breeders' Cup, earning $2,710,350 as a Florida-born homebred for Mr. Amore Stable.

Firenze Fire has been a stakes winner in each of his five seasons, starting with his 2-year-old campaign when he won on debut at Monmouth Park and took the Grade 3 Sanford Stakes, before highlight his season with a triumph in the G1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park.

He was put on the Triple Crown trail at three, winning the listed Jerome Stakes and earning enough qualifying points to earn a spot in the 2018 Kentucky Derby, where he finished 11th. Firenze Fire was then moved to the sprint ranks, where he saw immediate dividends, with wins in the G3 Dwyer Stakes and G3 Gallant Bob Stakes, and a third in the G1 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes.

The horse's 4-year-old campaign featured listed wins in the Runhappy Stakes, Fabulous Strike Stakes, and Gravesend Stakes in the Mid-Atlantic region, and Grade 1 placings in the Forego Stakes and Vosburgh Stakes. His 5-year-old season started with a win in the G3 General George Stakes, and later included scores in the G2 True North Stakes and G2 Vosburgh Stakes, before running third in the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Keeneland.

His 2021 campaign started with wins in the G3 Runhappy Stakes and G2 True North Stakes. He enters the Breeders' Cup off a pair of runner-up efforts in the G1 Forego Stakes and G2 Vosburgh Stakes.

Firenze Fire is out of the placed Langfuhr mare My Every Wish.

Firenze Fire will join a roster at Arrow Stud that also includes Eclipse Award winners California Chrome and Shanghai Bobby.

The popular sprinter Firenze Fire will make his last start in the BC Sprint and then stand stud in 2022 at Arrow Stud in Japan, joining U.S.-based runners California Chrome and Shanghai Bobby, per owner owner Ron Lombardi.

— David Grening (@DRFGrening) October 26, 2021

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The Joseph A. Gimma honors the late investment banker, political official, and former chairman of the New York State Racing Commission from 1965-76. Born in Baro, Italy, Gimma also served as the governor of the American Stock Exchange from 1952-58.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Classy Edition backed up her heavy 3-5 favoritism in her September 5 debut when breaking her maiden by 6 ¾ lengths over a good and sealed track at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., garnering a 63 Beyer Speed Figure.

The bay daughter of freshman stallion and 2016 Champion Juvenile Colt Classic Empire rated in fourth along the rail down the backstretch and made an aggressive four-wide move nearing the quarter-pole, cruising away to a hand-ride victory under Irad Ortiz, Jr.

“It's back a little quick, but she did it very easily. Irad wrapped up on her in the last part of the race,” Pletcher said. “She had always trained well. I expected her to run well on debut, and she did.”

Bred by Chester and Mary Broman, Classy Edition is out of the Bernardini mare Newbie, making her a half-sister to multiple stakes-winner Newly Minted.

Ortiz, Jr. will return aboard Classy Edition from post 4.

Mr. Amore Stable homebred November Rein will attempt a second stakes score following a triumph in the Seeking the Ante on August 27 at Saratoga.

Despite stumbling at the start, the Kelly Breen-trained daughter of Street Boss recovered quickly and commanded the field through every point of call, winning by 1 ¾ lengths.

November Rein arrived at the Seeking the Ante off an even more decisive victory, breaking her maiden going 5 ½ furlongs at the Spa by 5 ½ lengths to garner a field-best 76 Beyer.

Jose Ortiz is unbeaten in two starts aboard November Rein and will have the call from post 6.

D.J. Stable's Adversity, trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, graduated by 2 1/4-lengths at second asking on September 6 over a sloppy and sealed main track at the Spa.

“Her first start we ran her on the grass, and she didn't run very well, but she had always worked really well on the dirt,” said Casse assistant Shane Tripp. “It rained really hard right when the horses were in the paddock, so it was in the slop. She ran great that day and we're looking forward to running her again.”

Bred by Chester and Mary Broman, the daughter of the late first crop sire and 2016 Travers winner Arrogate is out of the Grade 1-winning Roman Ruler mare Artemis Agrotera.

Jockey Luis Saez will ride from post 3.

Stonestreet Stables' Velvet Sister, a half-million-dollar purchase from the Fasig-Tipton March Sale, will attempt to turn the tables on November Rein following a runner-up effort in the Seeking the Ante.

The daughter of Bernardini, trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, was a 9 ¾-length winner against open company in June at Belmont before a distant fourth in the Grade 3 Schuylerville five weeks later at Saratoga.

Bred by Godolphin and Michelle Nevin, Velvet Sister is a half-sister to multiple stakes-winner My Boy Tate.

Breaking from post 2, Velvet Sister will be ridden by Joel Rosario.

Joseph Bucci's Shesawildjoker bested November Rein on debut and returns to New York-bred company for trainer David Donk.

The daughter of freshman stallion Practical Joke took a considerable jump up in class following her first-out maiden score when eighth in the Grade 3 Schuylerville. She was bred by Three Diamonds Farm.

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez will ride from post 5.

Rounding out the field is Our Tiny Dancer – a wire-to-wire winner for a $25,000 tag at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del., for trainer Amira Chichakly. Larry Botting bred the chestnut daughter of Union Jackson.

Jockey Erick Lopez will ride from post 1.

The Joseph A. Gimma is slated as Race 8 on Friday's nine-race card which also includes the $125,000 Ashley T. Cole in Race 3. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the fall 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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And yet here is Firenze Fire, suddenly notorious the world over. As a savage, almost a cannibal. No longer an exemplar for soundness and resilience, but a reminder of how thin is the veneer of compliance we have introduced into the Thoroughbred's unregistered ancestry, extending through countless generations in the wilderness.

Firenze Fire's assault on Yaupon (Uncle Mo), at the height of their duel for the GI Forego S. at Saratoga a couple of weeks ago, was a moment of such abrupt and vivid drama that it transcended our parish to amaze laymen everywhere. And if its brevity was ideally tailored to the kind of fitful attention span typically served by social media, then it's not as though the deepest reflection of lifelong horsemen makes them any more eligible to explain quite what happened.

“I can play horse whisperer every so often,” says his trainer Kelly Breen. “But I can't get into his mind! Because what he did was, by far, unique of anything I've seen.”

When Firenze Fire suddenly twisted his neck towards Yaupon and opened his fangs, causing Jose Ortiz to divert all his energy into yanking back, Breen was as dumbfounded as anyone else.

“I was standing on the rail, just to the right of the wire, so it wasn't the easiest to see,” Breen recalls. “But when he kept on, carrying on, and you knew something was going on, I went to watching on the big screen in the infield–and knowing that what I think I saw is what I saw. It was quite shocking. He was quite the entertainment for the day, that's for sure.”

The immediate curiosity was that Firenze Fire had himself been similarly attacked by a rival, albeit not quite so determinedly, when winning a similarly close battle for the

GIII Gallant Bob S. at Parx in 2018.

“He was on the receiving end that time, and who knows if he's kept that in back of his mind for three years?” says Breen. “But I don't think anybody can come up with proper diagnosis as to what he's thinking–if they could, they're good! I wish I could talk to him, try to figure out what he's thinking. But, he's been the same [as usual] before and he's been the same after.”

It's certainly a striking coincidence, given how rarely this kind of thing happens. In Britain, we remember only a few incidents. In the 1970s Vincent O'Brien trained Marinsky, a Northern Dancer half-brother to Special (dam of Nureyev/second dam of Sadler's Wells) who tried to savage a rival challenging on his inside at Epsom one day. Soccer fans, meanwhile, will remember Arcadian Heights (GB) (Shirley Heights {GB}) as the equine Luis Suarez. Castrated and muzzled, after twice taking a bite at rivals, he eventually channeled his energies to win the

G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in 1994. Moonax (Ire) (Careleon) was another gifted stayer, indeed he won the G1 St Leger that same year, but a venomous creature overall: his rap sheet later including an attempt to savage the rival who beat him narrowly in the G1 Prix du Cadran.

There have been a few other episodes in more recent times, none more intriguing than that of Anticipation (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), an import from Ballydoyle to Hong Kong who attacked the same horse on two separate occasions at Sha Tin. In the U.S., the image that most people recall is exactly that, a picture, trackside photographer Bob Coglianese having won an Eclipse Award for capturing a Dracula lunge by Golden Prospector (Mr. Prospector) in the 1980 Tremont S.

In almost all these cases, as at Saratoga the other day, the malefactor has tended to be narrowly beaten. On the one hand, that might suggest them to be reaching the end of their reserves; that they can only hang in there by hitting “below the belt.” On the other hand, it is surely a credit to Firenze Fire that he should only have been thwarted so narrowly when his energies (and duly those of his rider) were wildly distracted for four strides deep in the stretch.

“I think it possibly cost him the win,” Breen says. “It stopped his momentum and he still nearly got there after he was straightened out by his jockey. So yeah, that's the other part about it all: this was a Grade I, racing at the most competitive level, and he was in there and running. Maybe it's like Michael Phelps, toying with people a little bit while you're winning. I don't know if this horse thought he was winning and was just wanting to mess with the guy running next to him?”

Some horse folk are surprised that this kind of thing doesn't happen more often, being routinely observed as a reflex engagement in herd situations. In a paddock environment, it may seem an attempt to assert dominant status, but that looks like anthropomorphism. Who can say whether such behavior is vicious, or merely playful? (It is apparently not observed in earnest combat between stallions.)

Regardless, we have to wonder whether the fact that the same animal should have been both “biter” and “bit” suggests a particular personality or attitude he exudes in competition. After all, as we said at the outset, this guy's commitment is there for all to see in his resumé.

“He's got a lot of heart, that's for sure,” Breen remarks. “He's the epitome of competitive. When he's a happy horse, he's nice to be around. He can have a little bit of a mean streak about him, can give you a little attitude. Every so often around the barn, if somebody irritates him, he will raise a leg to try and figure out what he can do to get back at somebody. But he's generally fun to be around, you can give him carrots, he's playful.”

Most 6-year-old males of this caliber will either have been retired to stud or castrated, but Firenze Fire has helped Breen to prove his mastery at maintaining both enthusiasm and tractability in a fully mature, entire horse.

“One of my most renowned horses was Pants On Fire (Jump Start), that I ran in the Derby,” he notes. “He won stakes races at three, four, five, six and seven. He stayed sound, and stayed at a nice level. So, we just try to keep horses going on. We try to be kind to our horses, and they perform for us.”

Unhappily, there's an extra reason for admirers of Firenze Fire to feel defensive on his behalf. Through no fault of his own, he has a shadow over his early career as he was then under the care of Jason Servis, whose reputation has been so gravely challenged by an ongoing prosecution.

Breen is very much aware that Ron Lombardi, who bred Firenze Fire and races him as Mr. Amore Stable, was anxious for the horse to confirm his merit as inherent, not artificial, after the Servis scandal broke early last year. In choosing his new trainer, then, Lombardi could scarcely have done better than a horseman who learned the ropes under the old school regimes of Ben Perkins Sr. and John Forbes. Breen references that education succinctly.

“They didn't know much in the way of chemistry,” he says. “I was fortunate enough to try and learn off these guys that I believe were top-of-the-line horsemen, and did well with what they had without abusing any horses.”

(Lombardi, incidentally, deserves credit for an astute claim–apparently against all the counsel he received at the time–in Firenze Fire's dam My Every Wish (Langfuhr), even if she duly proved unable to race again. She was out of a full-sister to the prolific broodmare Oatsee (Unbridled) so Firenze Fire, a Grade I winner at two, certainly deserves a chance at stud someday.)

Breen admits that it took time to become acquainted with Firenze Fire, who had three campaigns behind him before entering his barn. To that extent, the simultaneous intrusion of the pandemic had its silver lining, allowing him to start over as a fresh horse–and this time round he was given a similar break by design.

“You're handed this horse that's very, very muscular, very good-looking, and obviously a tremendous athlete,” recalls Breen. “So, we tried to figure on how to keep him happy, how to get a median in training him, not drilling him to be the fastest horse in every workout. Maybe that has something to do with his longevity? We're not putting him on tilt, not pushing him to the extreme. We're just keeping him a happy horse and he's been performing well for us.”

With a proven affinity for Belmont Park, Firenze Fire will try to repeat last year's success in the GII Vosburgh S. Oct. 9 before making his fifth start at the Breeders' Cup. He achieved his first podium in the Sprint last year, where another evergreen campaigner in Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect) gave his team every right to hope that he might yet engrave his name on the trophy.

That would be a fitting climax to what is already shaping up to be Breen's most fertile campaign: with earnings already exceeding $3.7 million, he is closing on a personal best of $4.1 million in 2011–the year he saddled Ruler On ice (Roman Ruler) to a shock success in the GI Belmont S.

“Yeah, things are good–I'm an overnight sensation at 52!” says Breen with a chuckle.

The way he earned his stripes, as a former steamfitting apprentice, is a cherished tale on the New Jersey circuit, albeit it doesn't seem to have reached too many of the big spenders at Keeneland this week.

“You know, I would love to go to the sales,” Breen muses. “I've done it in the past, picking my own horses. And I've been outbid by certain people, and you're standing there and you say, 'You know, I'd love to train that horse.' And not too many times have I been handed horses like that. Maybe I was a little secluded for a time; eight years of my life, I was a private trainer. I enjoyed it for a while, but you're working for one person. If you can manage to work for 10 top owners, like some of these top outfits do, it would be awesome to have some of the well-bred horses out of there. I think I do pretty good with what I get: we 'ham-and-egg it' pretty good, they say!”

Not, he stresses, that he's complaining.

“There are two things that make my world go 'round–and that's the owners that give you the horses, and the help that works for you,” he says. “I've been doing this my whole life and I think I have a pretty good engagement of partners, between owners and help. I'm very happy, we all work hard and there's a lot of money invested. I couldn't be more pleased with what's been going on the last couple of years. In my career I've been surrounded by some nice people, and fortunate in my help. It's a lot of hard work, but it does pay off.”

He does concede that the lifestyle can be hard on family. “But the horses have taken me to Japan, California, Canada, New York, Kentucky, Louisiana, East Coast, West Coast,” he acknowledges. “I don't know I ever would have had any of that, working in construction in Manhattan, except on vacation. Sometimes it's the fun part of the job, sometimes it's the job part of the job.”

And a lot of sacrifices would feel justified if Firenze Fire can turn round his sudden infamy at Del Mar in November.

“There'll be more people looking out for his next run than his last one, I think!” he says. “Let's hope we can make the bad boy into a good boy.”

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Trained by Kelly Breen, Firenze Fire, who finished a respective second and 11th in the last two editions of the Forego, raced in second position throughout just off the flank of Yaupon and edged his way to even terms around the turn. The pair raced nip-and-tuck in upper stretch before Firenze Fire, with Jose Ortiz up, savaged Yaupon inside the eighth pole, biting at his rival's bridle.

“He ran great. He's a warrior,” Lombardi said. “Unfortunately, that mishap cost him the race. If he stays focused, I think he wins the race. It was unfortunate but it was a race that people will be talking about for a while. Jose did a tremendous job keeping Firenze Fire in there.”

Firenze Fire was on the receiving end of a similar situation when capturing the Grade 3 Gallant Bob in September 2018 at Parx, where he fended off Whereshetoldmetogo, who tried to bite Firenze Fire in the final furlong.

“It happens so rarely and to have one horse involved in it twice – both the giving and receiving end – is really amazing,” Lombardi said with a laugh.

Lombardi, who races under the Mr. Amore Stable moniker, said Firenze Fire will target a repeat victory in the $250,000 Grade 2 Vosburgh on October 9 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

“That was always the plan. In fact, I was thinking about skipping the Forego,” Lombardi said. “But he was doing great and it's six weeks for that. I talked to Kelly this morning; he came out of the race great like he always does. Our goal will be the Vosburgh if things fall in line.”

Not all was lost for Lombardi this weekend as New York homebred juvenile filly November Rein won her stakes debut in Friday's $200,000 Seeking the Ante on New York Showcase Day.

Lombardi said the daughter of Street Boss could target either the $250,000 Maid of the Mist on October 30 at Belmont Park, or face open company in the $400,000 Grade 1 Frizette on October 3 – a “Win And You're In” event for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

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Falling forward at the start, November Rein was pursued by pricey FTFMAR buy Velvet Sister through splits of :22.47 and :45.98 and turned for home glued to the rail as her main rival bore out. November Rein displayed some immaturity of her own when she swapped off her correct lead nearing the sixteenth pole, and it briefly looked like Velvet Sister might cut it close, but the leader kept finding to get the job done. There was a

19 1/4-length chasm back to Laoban's Legacy in third.

“She is a unique individual,” said trainer Kelly Breen. “She is very temperamental. Her groom, my assistant, the exercise riders and [jockey] Jose [Ortiz] have formed a perfect bond with her. She is very quirky. To get her here, and to win a stakes race with her, plus her being a homebred for Ron Lombardi, is amazing. It takes a village to get her to the winner's circle. With this one, it's more than usual. I didn't train the mother [Ju Ju Eyeballs], but she was extremely fast. For a breeder, you're always wishing that something's going to come out good. Right now, we have something that's pretty good. She's special.”

Lombardi, whose Breen-trained Firenze Fire (Poseidon's Warrior) will contest Saturday's GI Forego S., said: “She's an amazing filly. She's strong and she proved it again today. I am so proud of her. I expected her to do well, but how she ran today was just tremendous. To win twice at Saratoga, and to do it with one horse, is something that doesn't happen often. She's something special. We'll see where we go on from here.”

The winner's dam was claimed for $15,000 by Mr Amore Stable and Jason Servis and would go on to take stakes on both dirt and turf in New Jersey. Ju Ju Eyeballs has a yearling filly by Union Rags and a foal colt by Laoban and was bred back to Union Jackson for 2022.

SEEKING THE ANTE S., $186,000, Saratoga, 8-27, (S), 2yo, f,
6 1/2f, 1:17.74, ft.
1–NOVEMBER REIN, 122, f, 2, by Street Boss
                1st Dam: Ju Ju Eyeballs (MSW, $250,710),
                by Gators N Bears
                2nd Dam: Savvy Lady, by Smarten
                3rd Dam: Trunk, by Danzig
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Mr. Amore Stable; B-Ron Lombardi
(NY); T-Kelly J. Breen; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $110,000. Lifetime
Record: 3-2-1-0, $171,750.
2–Velvet Sister, 122, f, 2, Bernardini–Backslash, by Sharp
Humor. ($165,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL; $500,000 2yo '21 FTFMAR).
O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Michelle Nevin & Godolphin (NY);
T-Steven M. Asmussen. $40,000.
3–Laoban's Legacy, 122, f, 2, Laoban–Paper Kite, by Bernardini.
($150,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-Joseph Bucci; B-Sequel
Thoroughbreds LLC (NY); T-Jeremiah C. Englehart. $24,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 19 1/4, 3HF. Odds: 0.80, 3.25, 1.85.
Also Ran: Succulent. Scratched: Hideout, Miss Alacrity. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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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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“He's doing well but right now the main concern is the weather. If the track is sloppy, I don't think we're going to run,” said Breen. “There are a couple of other options for him.

“But if the rain misses us, we're running,” added Breen. “He's ready to go.”

Firenze Fire has won at one mile on three occasions, including the 2017 Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont; the 2018 Grade 3 Dwyer on Big Sandy; and the 2018 Jerome at the Big A.

Last out, the 5-year-old Poseidon's Warrior bay rallied from 11th to finish third in the six-furlong Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint on Nov. 7 at Keeneland Racetrack under Jose Lezcano.

Breen said he expects the stretch out in distance to help his horse.

“I do, especially off his closing race at the Breeders' Cup. I think it should not be a problem,” said Breen.

Breen took over training duties for Firenze Fire earlier this year and has saddled the horse to a record of two wins from six starts, including Grade 2 scores in the True North on June 27 and Vosburgh Invitational on Sept. 26, both contested on a fast Belmont main track.

Two of Firenze Fire's losses for Breen came in Grade 1 events – the Runhappy Carter Handicap at Belmont and the Forego presented by America's Best Racing at Saratoga – on sloppy tracks.

Lezcano retains the mount from post 4.

Mind Control won't be doing his best Gene Kelly impersonation if the expected rainy forecast comes to fruition for Saturday's Grade 1 Cigar Mile, with trainer Gregg Sacco saying on Friday that inclement weather will likely cause him to scratch out of the test for 3-year-olds and up that highlights four-graded stakes over Aqueduct Racetrack's main track.

The last two times Mind Control has run over sloppy tracks have not resulted in good efforts, with the 4-year-old Stay Thirsty colt running eighth in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Forego on August 29 at Saratoga Race Course and sixth in the Grade 1 Carter on June 6 at Belmont Park. Both of those efforts saw Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez try to cajole the five-time graded stakes-winner to no avail.

“It's just not in the game plan for him,” Sacco said. “The few times we did try it, they were just nightmares. Johnny said he spins his wheels and just doesn't get a hold of the track.”

The multiple Grade 1-winner is coming off a ninth-place effort in the seven-furlong Lafayette on November 7 at Keeneland. But Sacco said he has trained forwardly at his Belmont base since then, including a four-furlong work in 48.85 seconds on Sunday.

“He's been right on cue and has been full of himself and he really loves training at Belmont,” Sacco said. “His energy level was high. We were happy with everything coming into this race.”

Mind Control has thrived at the Big A, winning four of his five races with a runner-up effort in the other contest. Three of his graded stakes scores have come at the Ozone Park-based track, including the 2019 Grade 3 Bay Shore and this year's edition of the Grade 3 Toboggan and Grade 3 Tom Fool.

“It's unfortunate because he's training as good as ever and came out of the last race well,” Sacco said. “We were just hoping for a fast track and a little wetness on the track isn't the end of the world, but if the forecast holds true, it doesn't look like we'll be running tomorrow.”

Owned by Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stables, Mind Control is 7-2-3 in 17 career starts with earnings of more than $1.04 million.

“Everyone's in the same boat. It's part of the game and as trainers we take the good with the bad,” Sacco said. “The main thing is that he's 100 percent sound and his weight is good and his coat is good and he's going to run as a 5-year-old, so we look forward to that.”

Sacco said he hasn't picked out a definitive spot for his seasonal debut after the near year, but said a return engagement for the Grade 1 Carter, where he ran sixth in June at Belmont, is a possibility.

“I think the first big goal of 2021 is the Carter,” Sacco said.

Mind Control drew post 2 in the nine-horse field with Velazquez slated to ride. He is one of four horses listed as 20-1 on the morning line, joining Snapper Sinclair, Majestic Dunhill and Bon Raison.

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The 5-year-old son of Poseidon's Warrior will make his first Breeders' Cup start for trainer Kelly Breen, who accepted him and approximately 20 Mr. Amore Stable runners into his stable last winter from the barn of indicted trainer Jason Servis.

“It took a while for me to see the horse because of the pandemic. I was in Florida. My assistant, John Attfield, sent me pictures and videos to show me how well he looked. I've seen him race before, but it was a while before I laid eyes on him,” said Breen, who recently saddled Firenze Fire's 3-year-old sister, Firenze Freedom for an allowance win at Belmont Park. “He's a nice looking horse. He's got a lot of muscle. He's straightforward. He trains well. He does everything we ask of him.”

Firenze Fire has won two of five starts for Breen with two subpar showings coming over off tracks. He made his first start for Breen with a fourth-place finish in the June 6 Carter Handicap on a sloppy Belmont strip and won his first race for his new trainer three weeks later in the True North over a fast Belmont track. Firenze Fire was beaten two lengths while finishing fourth in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt at Saratoga before running 11th over a sloppy track at Saratoga in the Forego.

“The only bumps in the road I've had with him were on off tracks. He doesn't like the mud,” Breen said. “You throw those couple races out and he's as honest as they come.”

Firenze Fire rebounded from his Forego disappointment with a 2 ¾-length victory in the Vosburgh at Belmont, which was a “Win and You're In' Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race.

“We were extremely excited when he won a 'Win and You're In' because there's no contemplating, because you're going once you've got a 'Win and You're In' under your belt,” Breen said. “He showed that he belonged, and the 'Win and You're In' stamps your ticket to the Breeders' Cup.”

Breen wouldn't have had to contemplate long to determine that Firenze Fire deserves a shot at a Sprint victory Saturday.

“I look at the Thoro-Graphs and the Ragozin sheets. He runs fast. His bounce numbers seem to be on an off track, and his numbers are fast enough to put him in there with this bunch,” he said.

Firenze Fire, who captured the Champagne at two, finished off the board in the 2017 Breeder's Cup Juvenile at Del Mar. He finished fourth in the Dirt Mile at Churchill Downs in 2018 and fifth in the Sprint last year at Santa Anita.

Breen will also be seeking his first Breeders' Cup success after notching third-place finishes with 2011 Belmont Stakes winner Ruler On Ice (2011 Classic) and multiple graded-stakes winner Pants on Fire (2014 Dirt Mile).

“Pants On Fire reminds me of this horse. Pants on Fire didn't win a stakes as a 2-year-old and this horse did, but he won a stakes as a 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7-year-old,” Breen said. “Knowing a little about what it takes to keep a horse going at an older age reminds me a lot about Firenze Fire.”

Jose Lezcano, who was aboard for his Vosburgh score, has the return call aboard Firenze Fire in the Sprint.

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