Bushfire blazes the trail in Florida Oaks

Ron and Ricki Rashinski's BUSHFIRE (Louis Quatorze) controlled the pace much

of the way en route to a three-quarters of a length victory in Saturday's

$200,000

Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs. Bouncing back from a subpar effort in

the sloppy Davona Dale S. (G2), the Eddie Kenneally trainee finished the 1

1/16-mile fast track contest in 1:46 1/5 to post her first stakes score.

Eager to have her head from the start, Bushfire fought jockey John Velazquez

as the pair traveled just a head behind the leading Stolen Prayer (Songandaprayer)

through the opening quarter in :23. Then Bushfire, racing with her mouth gaping

open, thrust her head in front after going a half-mile in :47 1/5. Opening

up a clear lead through six furlongs in 1:12 1/5, she set sail for home and

spurted to a 3 1/2-length advantage in the stretch. Inside the final sixteenth,

her margin dwindled as Saratoga Drive (Siphon [Brz]) finished energetically for

a strong runner-up effort. It was another 3 3/4 lengths back to 6-5 favorite

Crystal Current (A.P. Indy),  who ran a fairly even race for third, a neck

ahead of the fading Stolen Prayer.

"She handled it perfect, a little on the aggressive side in the first part of

the race, but finally she got to relax on the backside," Velazquez said. "From

then on it was all her, I was going to wait on her. In the stretch, she was

pulling up and waiting till (Saratoga Drive) got up to her, then she started

running again."

Sent off as the 5-1 fourth choice, Bushfire returned $13.40, $7 and $3.40

while spearheading the $72.40 exacta, $177.60 trifecta and $639.20 superfecta

(2-7-6-1).

Sangrita (Mr. Greeley) came in fifth, trailed by Love Boot (Storm Boot),

Taylor Madison (Kipling), A. J.'s Coal Bed (Stormy Atlantic) and Summit Queen

(Distant View).

Bred in Florida by Moreau Bloodstock International and Mandolynn Hill Farm,

Bushfire is out of the 1990 Old Hat S. winner Traki Traki (Mo Power), making her

a half-sister to three other stakes winners -- Frosty's Girl (Frosty the

Snowman), Frosty's on Track (Frosty the Snowman) and Maracaibo (Skip Trial).

Traki Traki's youngest is an unnamed yearling colt by Macho Uno. Bushfire did not

reach her reserve when bringing a bid of $37,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky

October Yearling Sale in 2004.

Bushfire's record now stands at 5-3-0-1 with $165,740 in earnings. Her only

other stakes attempt was when she came last of seven in the Davona Dale, failing

to cope with the sloppy track.

"We took a shot in the slop because we didn't know if she'd care for it or

not," Kenneally said. "She came back with a good effort. Next time we can have

her relax early."

Kenneally said that Bushfire may target the April 8 Ashland S. (G1) at Keeneland or the April 14 Fantasy S. (G2) at Oaklawn Park.

In other non-graded stakes action at Tampa, Grace Harris' WESTERN KIND (West

Acre) made his stakes debut a winning one in the $75,000 Turf Dash S.

Conditioned by Dwaine Glenn and ridden by Juan Umana, the five-year-old gelding

was lapped onto the pacesetting Whenthedoveflies (Dove Hunt) throughout the

five-furlong contest before just getting up by a neck at the wire. Western Kind

stopped the teletimer in :56 2/5 on the firm turf to improve his mark to 9-6-1-0

with $88,711 in the bank. The 2-1 favorite Whenthedoveflies held second, with

Around the Cape (Carson City) third and Atticus Kristy (Atticus) fourth.

Western Kind paid $16.40, $6.20 and $3.80 as the 7-1 fifth choice. The

exotics were worth $66.40 (exacta), $224.80 (trifecta) and $659.40 (3-7-1-10

superfecta).

Bred in Florida by Gary M. Pickel and G. C. Wheeler Jr., Western Kind was

produced by the Marshua's Dancer mare Shesagoodancer, who is also the granddam

of Premier Dance (Premiership), a five-time stakes-winner as a juvenile in 2005.