Firenze Fire takes Runhappy, Victim of Love wins Vagrancy
ELMONT, N.Y. - Firenze Fire showed no rust nor signs of aging Saturday at Belmont Park as he kicked off his 6-year-old campaign with a solid 3 1/4-length victory in the Grade 3, $150,000 Runhappy Stakes at Belmont Park.
Chateau, who set the pace under Kendrick Carmouche, finished second by three-quarters of a length over Town Classic. Stan the Man was fourth, followed by Drafted.
Firenze Fire won for the 13th time in 32 career starts and pushed his career earnings to $2,319,350 for owner/breeder Ron Lombardi. He has won at least one stakes for all five years that he has raced and is now a 12-time stakes winner, with six coming at Belmont Park.
On Saturday, Firenze Fire was making his first start since he finished second in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector Handicap at Gulfstream on Dec. 19.
The Runhappy pretty much went according to plan. Chateau, under Kendrick Carmouche, zipped to the lead and opened up a 2 1/2-length advantage through a quarter run in 22.59 seconds and a half-mile in 45.51.
Irad Ortiz Jr., who hustled Firenze Fire from the gate to attain a stalking position, started to move Firenze Fire at the quarter pole. He moved alongside Chateau just above the eighth pole and took over with Chateau offering little resistance.
Firenze Fire, a Florida-bred son of Poseidon’s Warrior, covered six furlongs in 1:09.76 and returned $3.80 as the odds-on choice.
“He come back, he ran well,” Breen said. “In the paddock I’m looking at him, he looked very picturesque, maybe a tad bit heavy - that happens to us as we get older. I was happy with his performance. He sat right there and ran a very professional race.”
Ortiz said he was impressed with Firenze Fire’s return.
“The tank was full, when I asked him he responded really well,” Ortiz said. “He felt great. I think it’s going to be a good year for him. He can be right there in the conversation with all the good sprinters.”
The year-end target for Firenze Fire is the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in November, a race in which he finished third in 2020. His next start could come in the Grade 2, $300,000 True North going 6 1/2 furlongs here June 4.
Victim of Love repeats in Vagrancy
Last year Victim of Love pulled a 27-1 surprise in the Grade 3, $150,000 Vagrancy Handicap. On Saturday, she was less of a shock when she won the Vagrancy again at 2-1.
With Joel Rosario simply waiting to ask his filly to run, Victim of Love stalked the pacesetting Sadie Lady to the top of the lane, took control just at the three-sixteenths pole, and drew clear to a 2 1/4-length victory.
Sadie Lady held off a hard-luck Pacific Gale to get second by a nose. Pacific Gale, the 3-2 favorite who broke poorly under John Velazquez, was third by 1 3/4 lengths over Piedi Bianchi. Honor Way was last.
Kiss the Girl and French Empire scratched.
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The win was the sixth from 18 starts for Victim of Love, a 5-year-old daughter of Speightstown owned ty Tommy Town Thoroughbreds and trained by Todd Beattie.
“Last year when she came here she was a big price because she ran badly in the Nellie Morse when we tried her longer,” said Beattie, referring to a one-mile race run at Laurel in March. “I tried to rate her, but she wasn’t happy about that. She wants to be up there and involved early.”
The win was the fourth on the card for Rosario, who said Victim of Love “exploded at the end. … She’s fast and it was a very good performance.”
Victim of Love covered the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17.27 and returned $6.30 to win.