Fire Away holds off Projected in Danger's Hour

Fire Away remained unbeaten at Aqueduct, rallying from seventh place under Manny Franco to win Sunday’s $100,000 Danger’s Hour Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths over the late-running Projected.

The win was the sixth from 21 starts for Fire Away, but his fourth in as many starts over the Aqueduct turf course. This was his first race over Aqueduct’s relatively new outer turf course, which was installed last year to replace the inner dirt track.

Fire Away, 6-year-old son of War Front owned and bred by the Phipps Stable and trained by Shug McGaughey, completed his 5-year-old campaign with a victory in the Artie Schiller Stakes here Nov. 18.

In his seasonal debut, he ran third, beaten 4 1/2 lengths by World Approval, the reigning male turf champion, in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Stakes.

McGaughey felt that Fire Away had moved forward off that start and he certainly showed it Sunday.

Franco had Fire Away settled in seventh position early, about six lengths off Macagone - the winner of the previous two Danger’s Hours - who ran a quarter in 24.23 seconds and a half-mile in 47.60. He was being stalked by Mo Town, under John Velazquez.

Midway on the far turn, Franco asked Fire Away for run and he moved into contention by the time the field turned for home.

Mo Town struck the front at the eighth pole, but Fire Away was closing strongly. At the sixteenth pole, Franco took a peek behind him to see Projected, last down the backside under Irad Ortiz Jr., making a run, and Franco got busy on Fire Away to get him home first. It was one of three wins on the card for Franco.

Fire Away covered the mile in 1:35.15 and returned $14.20 as the 6-1 third choice.

“We thought there was going to be some pace,” McGaughey said. “I thought he ran really well. It looked like he had horse the whole way and he finished up good. I was pleased with everything.”

Projected finished 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Mo Town, who was making his first start since last year’s Grade 1 Hollywood Derby on Nov. 25. Mo Town chased the pace-setting Macagone, made the lead in midstretch, but could not hold off Fire Away or Projected and had to settle for third in his 4-year-old debut.

“I thought Mo Town was a little aggressive in the first part of the race,” Mo Town trainer Tony Dutrow said. “He was a little closer than Johnny wanted him. He was fighting with Johnny a little bit and then he settled in and the rest of the race went well for him, and he got a little tired in the last part.”

Dutrow said Mo Town will be pointed to the Grade 1, $750,000 Man o’ War, going 1 3/8 miles, at Belmont on May 12.