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Flamethrowintexan brings the heat in Longacres Mile After carving out a demanding early pace under top weight of 120 pounds, Grasshopper Stable's FLAMETHROWINTEXAN (Way West [Fr]) held on determinedly through a pulsating stretch duel to capture Sunday's $250,000 Longacres Mile H. (G3) at Emerald Downs by a neck. The Jim Penney charge completed the fast-track contest in 1:34 2/5, thus avenging his sixth-place finish in last year's Mile. Flamethrowintexan shot straight to the front beneath jockey Ricky Frazier, and while sprinting through fractions of :22 4/5 and :45 2/5, the chestnut gelding maintained a comfortable 1 1/2-length advantage. California shipper and 2-1 favorite Papi Chullo (Comeonmom) then threw down the gauntlet, ranging up to within a half-length of the leader through six furlongs in a grueling 1:09 2/5. Flamethrowintexan was game for the fight, and the two set down for an all-out battle to the wire. The chestnut kept a half-length ahead while finishing seven panels in a blistering 1:21 4/5, but the gray shape of Papi Chullo was remorselessly clawing back that margin. The combatants exchanged bumps in deep stretch as they fought their private war, and at the wire, Flamethrowintexan simply refused to let Papi Chullo get the better of him. The duelists had drawn five lengths clear of the remainder. Southern Africa (Cape Town) checked in third, 1 3/4 lengths to the good of Grafton (Rahy) back in fourth. Quiet Cash (Real Quiet), Royal Place (Out of Place), Alexandersrun (Sweetsouthernsaint), Confidential Call (True Confidence), Norm's Nephew (Jazzing Around), Don'twritemeoff (Silver Ghost) and R. Associate (Crafty Prospector) rounded out the order of finish. Starbird Road (Count the Time) was scratched. Leaving the gate as the nearly 5-2 second choice, Flamethrowintexan furnished mutuels of $6.80, $4.20 and $3. Papi Chullo paid $3.60 and $3.20 while completing the $10.90 exacta ($1). The 3-1 Southern Africa gave back $3 to show and provided a $26.70 trifecta ($1). With 17-1 outsider Grafton in fourth, the 9-11-10-7 superfecta ($1) totaled $145.70. Flamethrowintexan was racking up his sixth career stakes victory and his first American graded event. The winner of the 2004 British Columbia Derby (Can-G3), the five-year-old was coming off his second straight tally in the Mt. Rainier Breeders' Cup H. His scorecard now reads 23-14-4-2 with $702,517 in his account. Bred by Moloney and Thompson in Florida, the winner was sold as a yearling for a mere $11,000 at the OBS October Annual Fall Mixed Sale sale in 2001. Out of the winning Citidancer mare Willalady, Flamethrowintexan has an unnamed yearling half-sister by Dance Master.
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