Straight Fire calls it a season

ARCADIA, Calif. – The fleet 2-year-old Straight Fire, third in the FrontRunner Stakes in his most recent start after finishing second in the Del Mar Futurity, has been given the rest of the year off, trainer Keith Desormeaux said Friday.

“He’s been sent to Kentucky to WinStar Farm for a little break,” Desormeaux said. “We’ll get him back around Dec. 1 and concentrate on a sprint campaign for him next year.”

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Straight Fire, by Dominus, was one of the most exciting 2-year-olds of the summer at Del Mar, where he finished second in a rapidly run debut before his overpowering victory against maidens in his second start.

If the timetable laid out by Desormeaux holds, Straight Fire could be in line to begin his 2017 campaign in the seven-furlong San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita, the race in which the Desormeaux-trained Exaggerator began his 3-year-old season this year with a second-place finish to subsequent Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist.