Pat Quick keeping it in the family this week

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Pat Quick saw something in the hard-knocking mare Liberty Fuze to claim the daughter of Mass Media three times during her career. Though Liberty Fuze recorded just two victories in nine starts for Quick, he now trains two offspring of the mare who won 11 of 43 starts and earned $308,781 in her career.

“She was just such a hard-knocker, she won 11 races and she always tried so hard,” Quick said of Liberty Fuze. “Her last race, she fractured her ankle and still ran on and came in third. Gary Contessa claimed her and naturally the claim was voided. We mended her up, and she’s been a good broodmare for us.”

This week at Aqueduct, Quick will send out two daughters of Liberty Fuze, the first being the 3-year-old Liberty Flame in Thursday’s featured first-level allowance for New York-bred fillies and mares at seven furlongs. On Saturday, Quick will send out the 2-year-old maiden Sweet Liberty in the $500,000 Fifth Avenue division of the New York Stallion Stakes. Both fillies are by Bellamy Road.

Thursday, when first post is 12:50 p.m. for the eight-race card, Liberty Flame finds herself in a bulky 12-horse field where the Linda Rice-trained Carbon is the likely favorite. Carbon finished second and Liberty Flame fourth in this condition going six furlongs Nov. 18.

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In that race, Liberty Flame steadied soon after the start and was last of eight, a position she had not previously been. Under seven-pound apprentice Omar Hernandez Moreno, Liberty Flame rallied eight wide in the stretch and finished a respectable fourth, four lengths behind Ribot’s Valentine. The jockey told Quick that Liberty Flame resented the kickback early on in the race.

In her previous start, Liberty Flame finished third, 3 1/2 lengths behind Funny How in this condition. Funny How came back to win a second-level statebred allowance for her third straight victory.

Those two races for Liberty Flame came following throat surgery to correct a breathing problem, according to Quick.

Thursday, Liberty Flame will start in post 11

Carbon will seek to put Linda Rice back in the winner’s circle after rare 0-for-5 Sunday at the Big A. Rice went into Sunday’s card having won seven of the previous 12 races which she had entered, including Saturday’s Garland of Roses with Betsy Blue.

Kant Hurry Love, who finished 1 1/4 lengths in front of Liberty Flame when third in that Nov. 18 race, is back in this condition for trainer Christophe Clement. She is drawn in post 12.

Mia Bea Start, who is 3 for 38, has finished second or third in her last four starts with speed figures that make her a contender here.

One intriguing newcomer to these ranks is Focus, who makes her first start for Carlos Martin after going 1 for 4 at Delaware Park for Arnaud Delacour. Martin is adding blinkers and Lasix to Focus who is facing statebreds for the first time.

On Saturday, Quick will sends out Sweet Liberty in the $500,000 Fifth Avenue. Sweet Liberty is 0 for 5 and most recently finished fourth, 5 1/2 lengths behind Midtown Lights, in a six-furlong maiden race Dec. 3. Midtown Lights will likely be one of the favorites in the seven-furlong race.

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Sweet Liberty’s last two races have come on wet surfaces, something Quick would like to avoid Saturday.

“I’m hoping we get a fast track,” Quick said. “Her first few races she was green as grass, then we got two wet tracks. If we get a fast track, she’ll do much better.”

Entries for the Fifth Avenue as well as the corresponding race for juvenile males, the $500,000 Great White Way, are to be drawn Wednesday.

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