Ellen B. Pons
Friesan Fire Conformation
Mathea Kelley
Friesan Fire under Larry Jones at Churchill Downs, April 29, 2009.
Mathea Kelley
Friesan Fire under Larry Jones at Churchill Downs, April 29, 2009.
Mathea Kelley
Friesan Fire under Larry Jones at Churchill Downs, April 29, 2009.
Anne M. Eberhardt
Friesan Fire under Larry Jones at Churchill Downs, April 30, 2009.
Anne Eberhardt
Friesan Fire works at Churchill Downs on April 27
Anne M. Eberhardt
Friesan Fire under Larry Jones at Churchill Downs, April 25, 2009.
Anne Eberhardt
Friesan in his stall at Keeneland
Anne Eberhardt
Friesan Fire at Keeneland April 15
Anne Eberhardt
Friesan Fire walks the shedrow at Keeneland on April 15
Lou Hodges Jr.
Friesan Fire wins the 2009 Louisiana Derby.
Skip Dickstein
Friesan Fire wins the 2009 Louisiana Derby.
Lou Hodges
Friesan Fire enters the winners circle after the Risen Star
Lou Hodges Jr.
Lynn Roberts
Lou Hodges Jr.
Lynn Roberts
Lou Hodges Jr.
With an Uncle Mo filly selling for a sale-topping $1 million, the two-day Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale that was expanded in numbers this year concluded May 24 with a record gross.
Action picked up midway through the second day of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale when a Friesan Fire colt became the highest price so far at $825,000, while a Speightstown colt sold for $500,000.
Either the track at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic was playing faster or the horses were just faster as the under tack show for the May 23-24 sale of 2-year-olds in training concluded May 19 with five of the eight fastest clockings.
After finishing second in three of his first four stakes tries, Morning Fire dug down Jan. 23 to hold off a stretch challenge from Epic Journey to win the $100,000 Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.
Morning Fire won the second race at Parx Racing July 12 and became the first winner for multiple graded stakes winner and Maryland-based stallion Friesan Fire.
A Pure Prize filly was selected by trainer Tony Dutrow as grand champion over 75 other entrants at the 80th annual Maryland Horse Breeders Association's Maryland-bred yearling show June 29 at the Timonium Fairgrounds.
The first reported foal for 2009 Louisiana Derby (gr. II) winner Friesan Fire is a filly born January 22 at Maple Valley Farm in West Virginia for breeder Ken Lowe Jr.
Friesan Fire, winner of the 2009 Louisiana Derby (gr. II) and the favorite in that year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), has been retired from racing and will stand at Merryland in Maryland.
Morning Line, winner of the seven-furlong Carter Handicap (gr. I) at Aqueduct in his last start, heads a field of seven in the Salvator Mile Stakes (gr. III) at Monmouth Park.
Favored Thiskyhasnolimit prevailed in a terrific stretch duel with Gladding to win the $200,000 Texas Mile (gr. III) by a half-length at Lone Star Park April 23 for his first graded stakes triumph since 2009.
Gladding, a grade II winner for trainer John Sadler, will attempt to become the latest California-based horse to win the Texas Mile (gr. III) when the $200,000 event is contested April 23 at Lone Star Park.
Saratoga will kick off its 142nd meet with a stellar opening day card, highlighted by the $100,000 Schuylerville Stakes (gr. III) for 2-year-old fillies and the $75,000 James Marvin Stakes that drew a field of 10
Jay Em Ess Stable's Arson Squad took over at the top of the lane and bounded home for his second straight graded stakes score in the $169,650 Alysheba Stakes (gr. III) April 30 at Churchill Downs.
Awesome Act worked in :48 1/5 and galloped out in 1:00 2/5 on April 27. Jockey Julien Leparoux was in the irons.
The Alysheba Stakes (gr. III) April 30 at Churchill Downs the day before the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) is a homecoming of sorts for some former Kentucky Derby contestants.
Stonehouse shocked odds-on choice Friesan Fire in the Mineshaft Handicap (gr. III) and Blues Street was too much to handle in the Fair Grounds Handicap (gr. IIIT) at the New Orleans track Feb. 20.
The first three finishers in the Jan. 23 Louisiana Handicap at Fair Grounds are set to battle again in the Feb. 20 Mineshaft Handicap (gr. III) at the same 1 1/16-mile distance over the New Orleans oval.
Edward P. Evans' 2009 Florida Derby (gr. I) winner Quality Road leads a list of notable nominees for the $500,000 Donn Handicap (gr. I) Feb. 6 at Gulfstream Park.
Favored Friesan Fire scored his first victory since romping in last spring's Louisiana Derby (gr. II) when he led all the way to take the $72,750 Louisiana Handicap at Fair Grounds by 1 3/4 lengths Jan. 23.
Friesan Fire and General Quarters, both starters in the 2009 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Preakness (gr. I), will make their 4-year-old debuts Jan. 23 at Fair Grounds.
Friesan Fire, sent off as the favorite in this year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), finished third in a Fair Grounds allowance contest in his first race back since the Preakness (gr. I).
Vinery Stables and Fox Hill Farm's Friesan Fire, who finished 18th of 19 as the 7-2 favorite for this year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), is one of six horses entered in the Dec. 3 feature at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
Vinery Stables' and Fox Hill Farm's Friesan Fire, who was diagnosed with a pair of leg injuries after the Preakness (gr. I), is back in training and targeting a comeback later this fall. Who his trainer will be, however, is unclear at this time.
Friesan Fire, the favorite in this year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), is recuperating from surgery at Vinery near Lexington.
Vinery Stables' and Fox Hill Farm's Friesan Fire, who was made the favorite for this year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) after three consecutive graded stakes wins this spring, has been sidelined for a couple of months due to an injury.
Trainer Larry Jones, who has been winning Monmouth stakes on a regular basis the past two years, said May 24 that the $1 million Haskell Invitational (gr. I) Aug. 2 is the main objective this summer for Vinery Stables and Fox Hill Farm's Friesan Fire.
With slightly more than two hours until post for the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, the filly Rachel Alexandra is the 2-1 favorite. Four other horses are single-digit odds.
If the payoffs for the daily double involving the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (gr. II) and Preakness (gr. I) are any indication, the filly Rachel Alexandra will be the big favorite for the middle leg of the Triple Crown.
Tom Ludt was sitting on top of the world. It was the morning of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), and after I Want Revenge was scratched, Friesan Fire became the new favorite in the classic. Ludt is the general manager of Tom Simon's Vinery, which owns Friesan Fire in partnership with Rick Porter's Fox Hill Stable.
A field of 13 is set to line the gates at Pimlico Race Course May 16 for the 1 3/16-mile classic. It is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing Preakness Stakes in recent memory.
The week leading up to the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), Ahmed Zayat, owner of Pioneerof the Nile, was hit in the head by bird droppings. The owner saw it as a positive and believed his colt had a good chance in the Derby; little did he know what was to come.
Insight into the pedigrees of this year's Preakness contenders is only a click away. This easy-to-read report includes pedigree analyses from Alan Porter, Avalyn Hunter, and Tom Hall. Order your copy today and separate the contenders from the pretenders.
Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner Rachel Alexandra drew post 13 and was installed as the solid 8-5 morning-line favorite for the $1-million Preakness Stakes (gr. I) May 16 at Pimlico.
Following a workout at Pimlico Racecourse on Tuesday, May 12, trainer Larry Jones reported that Friesan Fire is fit and ready for the May 16 Preakness Stakes (gr. I).
Friesan Fire, who grabbed his quarter and suffered a several cuts while finishing 18th in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), will ship down to Pimlico next Monday from Delaware Park and will work on Tuesday under jockey Gabriel Saez to determine whether the colt will run in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I).
On a cool, wet May 3 morning in the barn area of Churchill Downs, the owners and trainer of Mine That Bird were basking in the limelight while still trying to absorb what had transpired the previous day when the 3-year-old gelding posted a stunning 6 3/4-length victory over Pioneerof the Nile in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
With three hours to post and more than $10 million in the win pool, Friesan Fire is the 7-2 favorite for the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
Kentucky Derby day 135 dawned with a steady, sometimes heavy rain, and a temperature of 53 degrees in Louisville, Ky., on the morning of May 2.
In the early on-track wagering on the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), Friesan Fire is the 9-2 favorite.
The big day is almost here. No, not the Derby; having to make selections, which will be in Friday's column. These selections are based primarily on observations over the past eight days, and it's going to be particularly difficult this year. In the meantime, he are a few late odds and ends.
The Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) isn't just about the horse. This edition boasts an unusually fertile crop of human-interest stories in the connections behind the horses.
I Want Revenge, runaway winner of the Gotham Stakes (gr. I) and a determined victor in the April 4 Wood Memorial (gr. I), has been made the 3-1 morning line favorite for the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). The son of Stephen Got Even will break from post 13 in a full field of 20.
A.P. Indy was the leading sire at the 2007 Keeneland September yearling sale based on the average price of $858,043 brought by 23 of his offspring. But Friesan Fire, who is by the 1992 Horse of the Year, got lost in the crowd and was bought back for $725,000 by the Vinery's Dr. Tom Simon, who bred the colt in the name of Grapestock.
The Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) isn't just about the horse. This edition boasts an unusually fertile crop of human-interest stories in the connections behind the horses.
There's lots to catch up on, with several works of interest over the weekend and a star-studded array of works this morning, which unfortunately were played out against a horrific backdrop.
Friesan Fire burned up the track April 27 at Churchill Downs, working five furlongs in a blazing :57 4/5 during his final serious move before the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented By Yum! Brands (gr. I). Wearing red and white blinkers and carrying jockey Gabriel Saez, the 3-year-old son of A.P. Indy turned in splits of :11 1/5, :22 1/5, :33 3/5, and 45:1/5. Friesan Fire galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.
Monday morning at Churchill Downs was a busy day for horses getting in their final preparations for Saturday's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
Trainer Gary Stute went "old school" April 25 at Churchill Downs, working his Arkansas Derby (gr. II) winner Papa Clem seven furlongs in 1:29 1/5. The trainer, the son and nephew of the legendary training brothers of Mel and Warren Stute (respectively), may give his colt a quarter-mile blowout a day or two before the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
Regal Ransom sneaks onto the list as Godolphin confirms he will run in the Derby.
On April 19, as light rain fell, Friesan Fire posted his final work at Keeneland before he heads to Churchill Downs for the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
| Trainer | J. Larry Jones |
|---|---|
| Jockey | Gabriel Saez |
| Owner | Vinery Stables and Fox Hill Farm |
| Breeder | Grapestock LLC |
| Friesan Fire View Five-Cross Pedigree | A.P. Indy | Seattle Slew |
| Weekend Surprise | ||
| Bollinger (AUS) | Dehere | |
| Bint Marscay (AUS) |
| Sale / Hip | Type | Buyer | Consignor | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KEESEP2007 Hip 267 |
Yearling | Vinery | ($725,000) |
Prices in parentheses indicate a horse did not sell because it did not meet its reserve price.
| Beholder |
| Songbird |
| Tepin |
| Nyquist |
| Exaggerator |
| Arrogate |
| Cathryn Sophia |
| Frosted |
| Stellar Wind |
| Dacita (CHI) |
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