Firenze Fire works, targeting Runhappy Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – After a winter vacation in South Florida, Firenze Fire is back in New York where on Friday the 11-time stakes winner worked five furlongs in 1:00.99 over the Belmont Park training track in preparation for his 6-year-old campaign.

Trainer Kelly Breen said Firenze Fire is pointing to the Grade 3, $150,000 Runhappy Stakes at Belmont Park on May 8. Firenze Fire won the Runhappy in 2019, one of five stakes victories Firenze Fire owns at Belmont Park. In 2017, Firenze Fire won the Grade 1 Champagne.

The year-end goal for Firenze Fire is the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar. Firenze Fire finished third in last year’s Sprint at Keeneland. If he makes the Breeders’ Cup, it will be the fifth consecutive year Firenze Fire will have run in a Breeders’ Cup race.

When last seen in New York, Firenze Fire was entered in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile last December at Aqueduct. When the track came up sloppy, Breen and owner Ron Lombardi scratched Firenze Fire and shipped him to South Florida where he finished second, beaten a half-length, by Sleepy Eyes Todd in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector Handicap at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 19.

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Following that race, it was decided to give Firenze Fire a freshening.

“This is the first time he’s had a break in a long time,” said Breen, who took over the training of Firenze Fire from Jason Servis last year. “He’s fresh, he looks great, he’s training great. I’m kind of energetic.”

Firenze Fire had four works at the Palm Meadows training center in South Florida before shipping to New York. In his Friday work, done by himself, Firenze Fire went in splits of 13.46 seconds, 25.59, 37.28, and got his last quarter in 23.69 seconds. His final time was the fastest of 17 works at the distance.