Fan the Flame Fires in Round Table

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Michael Langford's Fan the Flame led at every pole on the way to a 3 1/4-length victory in Saturday's $125,000 Round Table Stakes (gr. III) at Arlington International. 9-10 favorite Deputy Warlock closed for third, 1 1/2 lengths behind Del Mar Danny. Big Numbers finished fourth, followed by Connected and Ten High.

Over a fast track, recent claiming horse Ten High challenged Fan the Flame for the early lead but had already fallen five lengths back after four furlongs run in :47.34. As Ten High continued to fade, Del Mar Danny moved up to second but could never mount a serious threat to the winner. Fan the Flame still led by five lengths with a furlong to run before completing the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.08 under Eddie Martin Jr.

"I was surprised to be out front five or six lengths," said Martin. "I looked around after awhile and I didn't see anybody behind me."

Fan the Flame (Island Whirl--Horsafire, by Hold Your Peace) came into the Round Table off a wire-to-wire 1 1/2-length win in a Churchill Downs allowance race. The Round Table win marks the first stakes win for the Randy Morse trainee. He earned $75,000 for the win. Fan the Flame finished second in the $75,000 Southwest Stakes, third in the Rebel Stakes (gr. III), and 12th in the Arkansas Derby (gr. II) in his previous stakes attempts, all at Oaklawn Park. The 3-year-old colt won his first race in a maiden claiming race at Gulfstream Park in January. He was bred in Florida by Lois Harder.

As the second wagering choice, Fan the Flame paid $11.20, $6 and $2.80. The winning exacta combination returned $67.00. (Chart, Equibase)

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