Firenze Fire to stand in Japan

The popular sprinter Firenze Fire, a graded stakes winner in five consecutive years and a 13-time stakes winner overall, will stand stud at Arrow Stud in Japan next year, his current owner Ron Lombardi said Tuesday.

Firenze Fire, 6, will make the 38th and final start of his career in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

At Arrow Stud, Firenze Fire will join California Chrome, the two-time U.S. Horse of the Year (2014, 3016), and Shanghai Bobby, the 2-year-old champion of 2012.

Lombardi, who races and breeds under the name Mr. Amore Stables, said he had offers from farms in California, Kentucky, Maryland, and Florida, but Arrow Stud “made me an offer I couldn’t refuse,” he said.

While Lombardi declined to detail that offer, he did say he does get a few breeding rights for Firenze Fire’s life as a stallion.

“Japan was obviously the best offer,” Lombardi said. “I would have liked to have kept him in the states. It’s bittersweet. Obviously, he means a lot to me. It’s sad to see him go, but I do get breeding rights every year for the life of him.”

Lombardi does have a 2-year-old full brother to Firenze Fire in Just Leo, who has won his last two starts. Lombardi also has a weanling full-brother and a yearling half-brother by Speighstown. The mare, My Every Wish, is currently in foal to Into Mischief.

Firenze Fire, a Florida-bred son of Poseidon’s Warrior, has won multiple stakes in each of his five years of racing. He competed in the 2018 Kentucky Derby, finishing 11th to Justify, and next month will be making his fifth consecutive appearance at the Breeders’ Cup, tying a record held by five other horses.

At 2, Firenze Fire won the Champagne, his only Grade 1 victory. He is a two-time winner of the Grade 2 True North and Runhappy. He won several Grade 3 stakes including the Sanford, Dwyer, Gallant Bob, and General George.

When he won the Gallant Bob at Parx, Firenze Fire survived being savaged in the stretch by Whereshetoldmetogo. Coincidentally, in the Grade 1 Forego 1 in August at Saratoga, Firenze Fire tried to savage Yaupon, ultimately finishing second by a head to that horse.

Entering the Breeders’ Cup, Firenze Fire has a record of 14-7-3 from 37 starts with career earnings of $2,710,350. He is currently trained by Kelly Breen after making the first 24 starts of his career for Jason Servis.