Return to Today's Full Edition
|
Fire prevails as lone speed in San Luis Rey; Vagabond Shoes
fatally injured
 |
| Fire With Fire led throughout to give jockey Tyler Baze the first graded win of his comeback
(Benoit Photos) |
David Heerensperger's Fire With Fire loomed as the controlling speed in
Saturday's Grade 2, $196,250
San
Luis Rey at Santa Anita, and the 10-1 chance capitalized to upset
better-fancied stablemate Lucayan. The 1 1/2-mile turf marathon was marred,
however, by the fatal injury to 4-5 favorite Vagabond Shoes.Vagabond Shoes was traveling conspicuously well at the rear of the five-horse
field, until misfortune struck on the backstretch. The multiple Grade 2 star
broke down behind. Regular rider Victor Espinoza was quick to take action and
pulled him up as soon as possible.
"It really surprised me," Espinoza said. "He was running excellent, he was
dragging me around. The (two) horse (Niagara Falls) broke in a little bit out of
the gate and we got bumped. I could feel his whole body go sideways and he had a
different energy after that. I didn't want to push him, I wanted to take my
time. When I went to make a move, that's when I heard something pop behind. I
pulled him up as soon as I could and I hope he's OK."
Vanned off for evaluation, Vagabond Shoes sadly was euthanized, as reported
by Steve Andersen of Daily Racing Form. The cosmopolitan son of Beat
Hollow had a remarkable career, competing in Spain, France, Germany, Turkey and
Dubai before joining John Sadler in Southern California. The seven-year-old
gelding compiled a record of 29-8-5-3, $665,449. Victorious in a pair of French
Group 3s at a mile -- the 2011 Prix Messidor and 2012 Prix du Chemin de Fer du
Nord -- he thrived on a step up in trip last summer.
|
Vagabond Shoes captured the 1 3/8-mile Del Mar Handicap, finished second to
Indy Point in the John Henry Turf Championship, and concluded his season with a
fine, if troubled, fifth in the Breeders' Cup Turf. The chestnut regained the
winning thread in the February 8 San Marcos, rallying to an emphatic 1
1/4-length decision, and propelling himself into odds-on favoritism for the San
Luis Rey.
But the day belonged to Fire With Fire, who earned a landmark win for himself
and for jockey Tyler Baze. The six-year-old gelding's previous claim to fame was
being a half-brother to multiple Grade 3-winning millionaire Cosmonaut, but he
can now claim a graded win of his own. And Baze engineered a masterful
front-running ride to notch his first graded victory since launching his
comeback early this year.
Breaking alertly, Fire With Fire seized command from the start and doled out
tepid fractions of :25 4/5, :48 4/5, 1:12 4/5 and 1:37 3/5 on the firm course.
Lucayan was perched in a tracking second, as though treating his pacesetting
stablemate like a target that he could dispatch on demand.
Lucayan began to press Fire With Fire rounding the far turn through 1 1/4
miles in 2:01 2/5. But the longtime leader had still more up his sleeve, and the
two Neil Drysdale trainees engaged in a stretch-long battle for stable bragging
rights.
 |
| Vagabond Shoes, shown after his victory in the February 8 San Marcos, tragically broke down on the backstretch
(Benoit Photos) |
As Lucayan threw down a sustained challenge, Fire With Fire dug in resolutely
and refused to let him pass. He repelled Lucayan by a half-length, stopped the
clock in 2:25, and rewarded his backers with a $22.80 win mutuel."We were expecting him to be on the lead today," Drysdale said. "We know he
has a short run, so I asked Tyler to leave it as long as possible (before making
his move in the stretch) which he did."
"He was really game today," Baze said. "Last year when I rode him to a third
in this race, I think the course was a little bit hard for him that day. Today
it was a touch softer, but I just let him go out there and have a good time, get
on his own pace and not bother him.
"I didn't try and slow him down, didn't try to make him speed up, just let
him have a good time. He just proved that's what was going to work with him."
Lucayan rounded out the all-Drysdale exacta, barely salvaging second by a
nose from the closing Temeraine. Niagara Falls, fourth at every call, reported
home another 2 1/2 lengths astern.
Fire With Fire's scorecard now stands at 30-6-7-5, $515,354. First sold for
$290,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, the gray began his career with Hall
of Fame trainer Bill Mott, for whom he finished third in the 2011 Kent in his
stakes debut. Later that fall, he brought $140,000 at Keeneland November, and
moved to another Hall of Famer in Drysdale. Fire With Fire was third in the 2012
Del Mar 'Cap, and filled that same spot in the 2013 edition of the San Luis Rey,
won in then world-record time of 2:22.72.
|
Last August, Fire With Fire broke through with his first stakes score in the
Joseph T. Grace, accomplished in a course-record 1:40 3/5 for 1 1/16 miles at
Santa Rosa. He was awarded the victory via disqualification in the Bull Dog
Handicap at Fresno, and also placed in the Ralph M. Hinds Handicap and Berkeley
Handicap. Fifth in the January 4 San Gabriel in his last appearance at Santa
Anita, he was most recently successful in the January 18 Cotton Fitzsimmons Mile
at Turf Paradise. The stretch-out to 1 1/2 miles, and class hike, proved no
difficulty here.
"I want to take it step by step and we'll wait to see where we go next with
him," Drysdale said.
Bred by Patricia Pavlish in Kentucky, the son of Distorted Humor is the third
stakes performer produced by the Grade 2-placed Cosmic Fire, by Capote. She is
responsible for Cosmonaut, two-time winner of the Arlington Handicap who also
captured the Golden Gate Fields Handicap and Fort Marcy and placed in such
events as the Shadwell Turf Mile and Breeders' Cup Mile. He is now a promising
young sire. Cosmic Fire's other notable offspring are the stakes-placed Kickin'
the Clouds (dam of Grade 2-placed Cloudy Vow) and Cosmic Wish (dam of Japanese
Grade 3 victor Ijigen).
Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com
Send this article to a friend
|
|
