Going into Saturday’s prep races, many horseplayers (myself included) would’ve confidently listed Old Fashioned as trainer Larry Jones top colt on the Kentucky Derby trail. After Friesan Fire’s impressive victory in the $600,000 Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds, I’m not so certain that’s the case anymore.
The combination of Friesan Fire’s dominating victory in the Louisiana Derby and Old Fashioned’s stunning defeat in the Rebel, the Derby lists of horseplayers all over the country are going to get quite a shakeup. Adding to the confusion will be that the highly regarded Rick Dutrow colt Patena and the Ralph Nicks trained Flying Pegasus did not run particularly impressive races in the Louisiana Derby. They figure to be desperate for graded stakes earnings if they are still being pointed towards the Kentucky Derby this May. If Patena doesn’t make it in for IEAH Stables, might that put more focus back on a runner like Stardom Bound? It’s possible.
Papa Clem, the California shipper who was rumored to have been a bit unhappy after arriving in Louisiana, was the early pace setter. Friesan Fire tracked early on along with Flying Pegasus and Soul Warrior. Just after the opening quarter in :24.12, jockey Gabriel Saez moved Friesan Fire into 2nd position behind Papa Clem. Papa Clem continued to lead through the opening half-mile in :48.75, but Friesan Fire was already gaining ground with every step.
Saez was patient with Friesan Fire, only firing to the lead once in the stretch. Suddenly he was opening up an ever widening gap behind himself and the rapidly fading Papa Clem, who was coming back to the rest of the field. It was never in doubt for a moment once the real running began.
The winning time for Friesan Fire in the 1 1/16 Mile Louisiana Derby was 1:43.46. Friesan Fire returned $6.40 to his supporters for the win.
The impressive performance boosts Friesan Fire’s lifetime earnings to over $600,000 with over $500,00 of that total in the form of all important graded stakes earnings. He’s essentially a lock as of right now for the Kentucky Derby this May. The win also allowed the son of A.P. Indy (Seattle Slew) to complete the sweep of the LeComte (Grade 3) and the Risen Star (Grade 3) to go along with the Louisiana Derby.
If America is looking for a new Derby favorite….why not this guy? He’s becoming the Chris Carter of the 3-year-old division. All he does is win races. And he’s improving. Perhaps it’s high time he’s earned a respected position amongst the Derby contenders.
Hats off to Larry Jones and Gabriel Saez. If I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – the most formidable human connection battery in the U.S. when it comes to 3-year-old stakes races. I was lucky enough to have each of them in the Road to the Roses fantasy challenge.
Will we see Friesan Fire again before the Kentucky Derby? I’m not so sure. Jones is a patient fellow and may prefer to take his time now that his entry is assured. I’d expect him to ship well in advance of the Derby to get some works in over the track at Churchill. He trained extremely well at Fair Grounds prior to his recent victories. If he shows signs of taking to the Churchill dirt, he will warrant serious attention in the Derby.
It’s also worth noting that while Papa Clem was fading late, he did manage to hold on for place, which means that the two recent California shippers that had recent experience against Pioneer of the Nile have run 1, 2 in the Gotham and the Louisiana Derby, respectively.
Freud slip, me thinks: Friesan Fire wasn’t ridden by Garrett Gomez, but Gabriel Saez
I had GoGo on the brains from the San Felipe, it appears.
Or, reason # 134,521 why attempting to blog with a screaming infant and an equally vocal 5 year-old is border line impossible.
Friesan Fire is going to have no problem with the distance of the Derby, or for that matter the Belmont either. His sire aside, his dam comes from a very stout female pedigree with her grand-dam Eau d’Etoile being classic placed in a New Zealand Oaks (which is run over a mile and a half) and Bollinger being a half sister to Mannington, dam of the VRC Derby winner Benicio in Australia (also over a mile and a half) and he was by More Than Ready.
FF looked very strong and his split from 3/4 to a 1mile was very impressive on the ‘off’ going!!!
[...] the Larry Jones trainee Friesan Fire will take quite a bit of play at the windows following his dynamic performance in the Louisiana Derby (Note: we had 110 responses to the “who will win the 2009 Kentucky Derby?” question, [...]