Kentucky Derby: Fire At Will gets his chance in Fountain of Youth

Fire At Will already has proven he’s a terrific grass horse, highlighted by his victory last year in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. But there’s only one time in his lifespan when he’ll be a 3-year-old in the springtime, and that requires serious consideration for the Kentucky Derby.

That time is now, so Fire At Will is going to be given an opportunity to see if he can compete with some of the division’s best dirt runners when he takes on the likes of Greatest Honour, the Holy Bull winner, in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Fire At Will already has won on dirt, but the conditions of his victory in the With Anticipation last summer at Saratoga – a race rained off the turf, truncated to seven furlongs, and held on a sloppy/sealed track in which he faced just three rivals – don’t come close to approximating his assignment Saturday, when he’ll go 1 1/16 miles on what should be a fast track against one of the top prospects for this year’s Derby.

“Short field, could have been the sloppy track – wasn’t a fast track – and the competition will be stiffer,” his trainer, Mike Maker, said in a telephone interview from Florida.

But there’s a lot to gain and very little to lose. If Fire At Will runs well, it opens plenty of additional opportunities in coming months. And if not, he can go back to the surface over which he was the divisional leader last year.

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“Now’s the time to take a chance,” Maker said.

Maker plans Fire At Will’s itinerary in concert with owner Kirk Wycoff, who races as Three Diamonds Farm. Wycoff purchased Fire At Will as a yearling for $97,000. Maker, who is one of Wycoff’s trainers, said he first saw Fire At Will last winter in Ocala, Fla. Being as Fire At Will is by Declaration of War and out of a Kitten’s Joy mare – a pedigree with significant grass influence – the decision was made to start on turf, though Maker said Fire At Will trained perfectly fine on dirt.

“We didn’t have any 2-year-olds as good as him. He worked nice against older horses,” Maker said.

Fire At Will raced wide and finished sixth in his debut at Saratoga going long on turf. He was intended to come back in a maiden race on grass, Maker said, but none filled, so he was entered instead in the With Anticipation. After that victory, he went back to the grass for the Pilgrim.

“We felt there wasn’t a lot of speed in the Pilgrim,” said Maker, and jockey Kendrick Carmouche did the rest, putting Fire At Will on the lead on a slow pace and leading every step of the way.

“After that, it made sense to stay on turf for the Breeders’ Cup,” Maker said.

Fire At Will stalked the pace in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, took over in upper stretch, and kicked clear for an emphatic three-length victory at 30-1. The $97,000 yearling has already banked $657,932.

“Mr. Wycoff gives a lot of horses the winter off, but he said he’d like to give Fire At Will a shot on dirt,” Maker said. “I’m pleased with how he’s done. He’s a tall, slender horse – built like a turf horse – but he’s filled out since the Breeders’ Cup.”

Beginning Jan. 9, Fire At Will has worked seven straight Saturdays at Gulfstream Park, including a five-furlong move in 1:00.06 on Jan. 23 that was the best of 17 at the distance that morning.

If Fire At Will makes the transition and ends up on a path to the Derby, he would give Maker, 52, potentially his 11th starter in the race. Most of his runners have been longshots, including several who were proficient on synthetic but not dirt. His best candidate likely was Hansen, the 2-year-old male champion of 2011, but he could only finish ninth in the 2012 Derby at 13-1.

Maker has had plenty of experience in the Derby. Before going out on his own for good in 2003, Maker worked for a decade as an assistant to D. Wayne Lukas, during which time the barn won the Derby three times – with Thunder Gulch in 1995, Grindstone in 1996, and Charismatic in 1999. In the winner’s circle photo from the 1999 Derby, Maker is proudly standing with Charismatic, his right hand on the colt’s left hip.

“It was great to be part of it,” Maker said. “Working for Wayne, you took it for granted you’d be in it every year, thought how easy it was.”