Firenze Fire impresses in winning Runhappy Stakes, targets Met Mile

ELMONT, N.Y. – In a word, perfect.

Firenze Fire, under Irad Ortiz Jr., got a perfect trip sitting behind dueling leaders, tipped out at the head of the lane and galloped to a 4 3/4-length victory Saturday in the $150,000 Runhappy Stakes at Belmont Park.

The victory kept Firenze Fire perfect in three starts at Belmont. At age 2, he won the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes here, and last year, he dominated the Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes here.

Both of those wins were at a mile, so it’s only natural that Firenze Fire likely will make his next start in the Grade 1, $1.2 million Metropolitan Handicap, also known as the Met Mile, on June 8 here.

“We’re definitely looking at the Met Mile,” said owner Ron Lombardi, who races under the name Mr. Amore Stable. “That’s always been my intention.”

Lombardi said trainer Jason Servis felt the Runhappy, at six furlongs, was a better way to get to the Met Mile than last week’s Westchester Stakes. As it turned out, the Westchester was run over an extremely sloppy surface, while the Runhappy was run over a fast – very fast – main track.

Firenze Fire, coming off a third-place finish in the Sprint at Tampa Bay Downs in his first start off a four-month layoff, worked out a dream trip in the Runhappy.

Ortiz had Runhappy third, while Killybegs Captain opened up a one-length lead over Recruiting Ready, who bobbled at the break, through an opening quarter of 22.44 seconds.

Recruiting Ready, under Luis Saez, was within a head of Killybegs Captain through a half-mile in 45.05.

Ortiz bided his time, tipped Firenze Fire to the outside turning for home and cruised to the front by the eighth pole. Firenze Fire, a 4-year-old son of Poseidon’s Warrior who finished 11th in last year’s Kentucky Derby, covered the six furlongs in 1:08.12 and returned $5.80 as the second choice behind Recruiting Ready.

“I got a good position behind the speed, and I just wait,” Ortiz said. “He wanted to get out probably a little early – he’s dragging me, and I don’t want to get him out.”

Ortiz said he waited for Saez to move on Recruiting Ready, then tipped Firenze Fire out into the clear, and “he just flew home.”

Recruiting Ready held second by a neck over Bon Raison, who was third by a nose over Killybegs Captain. Skyler’s Scramjet and Ready to Escape completed the order of finish.