Friesan Fire, the favorite in this year’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), is recuperating nicely from surgery, his co-owner said.
The 3-year-old colt, by A.P. Indy—Bollinger, by Dehere, is owned by Tom Simon’s Vinery Stables in partnership with Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farms. He is convalescing at Vinery near Lexington.
Winner of the Louisiana Derby (gr. II) and Risen Star Stakes (gr. III), Friesan Fire ran 18th in the Kentucky Derby and 10th in the BlackBerry Preakness Stakes (gr. I). An injury was subsequently discovered in his left front leg.
“Today (June 15) was the first day he was out of his stall,” Porter said. “He had two weeks of stall rest, will get two weeks of hand-walking, and then we will re-radiograph. If Dr. (Larry) Bramlage is OK with the progress at that point, we will send him to Ocala (Fla.) for four weeks to get on the Aquatread.”
Porter said Bramlage, of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital near Lexington, repaired a hairline fracture in the bottom of the cannon bone in Friesan Fire’s left front ankle May 29 and inserted one screw. Also, a chip was removed from the colt’s right front ankle.
“He’s at Vinery, is recovering well, and the plan is to return him to training,” Porter said.
Also at Vinery is Old Fashioned, a 3-year-old colt owned solely by Porter who was retired in April following surgery by Bramlage.
“He had a non-displaced slab fracture, and physically he is coming around fine,” Porter said. “He will be turned out shortly.”
Porter said he has been negotiating with farms interested in standing Old Fashioned, who is by Unbridled's Song out of the Meadowlake mare Collect Call. Old Fashioned won his first four starts, including the Remsen (gr. II) and Southwest (gr. III) Stakes before finishing second in the Rebel Stakes (gr. II) and the Arkansas Derby (gr. II). He earned $583,280.
“I’ve been talking to a lot of farms, and I’m down to making a decision, probably in the next 10 days,” Porter said, adding the colt will stand in Kentucky.
Both Friesan Fire and Old Fashioned were trained by Larry Jones.
