Day Aboard as Fire Slam Breezes

Edited from track reports
Stan Fulton's Fire Slam, winner of the Lecomte (gr. III) at the Fair Grounds, breezed five furlongs under new rider Pat Day on Tuesday at Churchill Downs in preparation for a run in the $325,000 Coolmore Lexington (gr. II) on April 17 at Keeneland.

The 3-year-old son of Grand Slam covered the distance in 1:02.20 over a "fast" track. Fire Slam's move ranked as the tenth fastest among 26 at the distance. The work marked the first time that Fire Slam had been ridden by Day, who will ride the colt for trainer David Carroll in the 1 1/16-mile Coolmore Lexington.

"It was a nice work," said Day. "He has a nice way of getting over the ground. He was not overly enthusiastic, but he responded when I 'smooched' to him down the lane. It wasn't anything special against the clock, but it was a nice move and he finished up well."

"I'm very happy with him," said Carroll. "I wanted to let Pat get to know him a little bit. He's a lazy horse by himself."

Fire Slam is coming off a fifth-place finish in the Louisiana Derby (gr. II), a race in which he prompted a hot pace but held well to be beaten just over eighth lengths by Wimbledon. The colt had been plagued by a quarter crack in his left hind foot before that race, but Carroll said the foot is "no longer an issue" and a regular shoe has replaced a protective bar shoe on that foot.

"The Lexington will be a good race for him," said Carroll. "We were playing catch-up with him before the Louisiana Derby, but he doing well now and I'm very happy with him."

Fire Slam has a record of 3-1-0 in five races and has earned $337,430.

Other works on the day included a five-furlong move by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Spendthrift Farm's Cuvee, who covered the distance in 1:04.60. Cuvee has not raced for trainer Steve Asmussen since he finished last of 12 as the 8-5 favorite in the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) at Oak Tree at Santa Anita. The winner of the Belmont Futurity (gr. I), Saratoga Special (gr. II) and Kentucky Breeders' Cup (gr. III) underwent surgery after the Breeders' Cup to remove a bone chip from his knee.