Firenze Fire beats the rain in Breeders' Cup Sprint work
ELMONT, N.Y. – Kelly Breen has come to learn first hand how much Firenze Fire dislikes a wet track.
“We see that he doesn’t have a foot for it, he’s run horrible in it,” Breen said. “Throw out the rain and we’re in good shape.”
On Thursday morning, in an attempt to beat the rain, Breen sent out Firenze Fire in the dark shortly after 6 a.m. for his final work before next Saturday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland. Breen liked what he could see from the work as Firenze Fire went a half-mile in 48.05 seconds over Belmont Park’s training track just before it began to rain.
Breen had Firenze Fire’s first eighth in 12.40 seconds, asked exercise rider Joey Martinez to pick things up, and Firenze Fire got his last three furlongs in 35.60 before shutting it down past the wire.
“It was a very good workout, smooth,” Breen said. “Caught a good track, everybody here is happy.”
Firenze Fire has made five starts since being transferred to Breen following the license revocation of his previous trainer Jason Servis, who was alleged to have administered illegal drugs to his horses. For Breen, Firenze Fire won the Grade 2 True North and, most recently the Grade 2 Vosburgh, both at Belmont.
While Firenze Fire has developed a reputation as a Belmont Park horse-for-course, it is worth noting he has also won at Monmouth Park, Saratoga, Aqueduct, Parx, Penn National, and Laurel Park.
“He won at Laurel in a hand ride, he won in a stretch duel where a horse tried to bite him at Parx,” Breen said. “He wins. That’s pretty much it. All he has to do is take to the track a little bit.”
Breen is winless with nine starters in the Breeders’ Cup. He finished third in the 2011 Classic with Ruler On Ice, a 17-1 shot who finished behind Drosselmeyer and Game On Dude.
“To be honest with you, one of the biggest bets of my life was on Ruler On Ice in the Breeders’ Cup Classic,” Breen said. “We finished third. I had us with [Game On Dude] and Drosselmeyer. All I had to do was be in the top two and I’m more well off than I am now.”
Breen seems to have similar confidence in Firenze Fire heading into the Sprint.
“I like the horse,” he said. “I do need to know my horse is training good and he’s doing well. There’s a couple of nice horses, fresh horses, in there. There’s a question mark if Nashville could be a freak. But I’m happy to be in it going in there with a live shot.”