Callfire has his work cut out for him

ALBANY, Calif. - Trainer Aggie Ordonez has done it again.

"I seem to have the knack of picking out the toughest races for him - I always meet the toughest bear in the neighborhood," she said of Friday's task for Callfire, who just graduated by 10 lengths in an overpowering performance at Bay Meadows on May 5.

will be meeting some pretty tough racehorses Friday in a first-level allowance race at one mile at Golden Gate Fields.

The field is a mixed bag that includes , who has seven career wins, including multiple minor stakes victories in his native Chile. He qualifies under the condition of never having won a first-place prize of $7,500 other than maiden, claiming, or starter allowance races.

There are other hard-knocking multiple winners in the field, such as Gold Lad, Bells Fool, and , who will also test the 4-year-old Callfire, who has a win and three seconds in five starts.

"We bought him after his first race when he ran second on the turf in Florida, and always had very high hopes for him," Ordonez said. "He was injured shortly after being purchased, and we didn't get to run him for 14 months.

"It's so rare they can pick up where they left off, but he doesn't seem to have lost a beat."

In his first start for Ordonez last Dec. 19, Callfire closed on El Prado's Boy as both pulled away from the field, finishing second by a neck. El Prado's Boy has since won a starter allowance race as well as first- and second-level allowance races.

He then ran fifth in a maiden race at Santa Anita, losing to both Passive Resistance, who came back to win a first-level allowance in his next start, and Agata, who is 2 for 2 since that race.

Another trip to Santa Anita resulted in a second-place finish to Fullbridled, who captured a race at the first allowance condition in his next start.

Callfire's first four starts were on the turf, and his May 5 race was also scheduled for turf before being switched to the main track because of wet weather.

Ordonez said that Callfire's first race, a turf route at Calder in October 2003, "was so great, we kept him on grass."

Callfire went to the lead and was never challenged in his last race, looking like an overlay at 3-5.

With Bells Fool in the race Friday, Callfire may not even get the lead, but Ordonez is not concerned.

"He's still learning, but he's a very honest horse and a flat-out runner," she said. "Things don't have to go his way."