Fire Key unlocks competitive Autumn Stakes

By Sarah Mace

Second generation Backwards Stable homebred Fire Key (Fresian Fire) posted her first stakes victory in convincing fashion at Aqueduct Sunday in the inaugural running of the co-featured $125,000 Autumn Stakes for filly and mare sprinters on the outer turf course.

Fire Key has had regular dates with the starter throughout her 4-year-old campaign in 2017, with 11 prior starts this year, and the results have been consistently good: three wins, four seconds and third. In her only prior stakes try, the Sensible Lady Turf Dash Stakes at Laurel Park on September 16, Fire Key finished second, and last out she fell just a nose short of victory in an open allowance at Aqueduct. She also came into the Autumn stakes in sharp form Beyer-wise, with figures of 90-92-90 in her three most recent starts.

Breaking from post two as the 5-1 third choice in the salty field of 12, Fire Key settled into the pocket in third/fourth for a ground-saving trip, while Mo’ne Davis (a half-sister to Barbaro, Lentenor and Nicanor), then Ultra Brat set the pace through brisk splits of 23.13 and 46.50.

Moving out for the drive at the head of the stretch, Fire Key agilely altered course inside the final furlong for completely clear running.

Passing new leader Ultra Brat, who was passed, in turn, by 5-2 favorite Stormy Victoria and close second choice First of Spring in the shadow of the wire, Fire Key opened up to a convincing 2 1/2-length victory. The next five finishers were separated by only 1 1/4 lengths, with Stormy Victoria collecting second, a neck ahead of First of Spring in third, who finished a neck ahead of fourth-place finisher Ultra Brat. [VIDEO REPLAY[2]]

Jockey Paco Lopez said, “That was the first time I’ve been on her and I’m really happy for the opportunity. I know she is a quality filly.”

Added Lopez, “It looks easy when you’re on the best horse in the race. The trainer said, ‘Paco, do whatever you want. If you can make the lead easy, then make the lead. The filly doesn’t have to have the lead, she can put you behind horses and she’ll be perfect.’ Today, I saw a couple horses trying to rush [to the lead], so I moved down [to the rail] a little bit. Then I waited for the eighth pole and took her out of the hole and when I asked her to run, she gave me everything she had. She’s a very nice filly.”

Winning trainer Pat Kelly said, “She’s really come on all year long. We just got nipped on Opening Day [November 3] on the turf. Paco rode a great race. She really finished today.

“We thought there’d be speed from the outside and we [planned] to sit in there and take advantage of the post position and hope she’d finished good, and she did.”

Kelly plans to give Fire Key the winter off in preparation for her 5-year-old campaign. “We’ll have her back next spring and have some fun, I think.” To date Fire Key sports a record of five wins, six seconds and one third from 17 starts and has earned $344,185.

Out of Backwards stable homebred mare U R Key and foaled at Sun Valley Farm in Ballston Spa, Fire Key is a third generation New York-bred thorugh the female family with Virginia roots. Her third dam, the Virginia-bred Shukey (Key to the Mint), produced second dam Sugar Key (Missionary Ridge GB), bred in New York by Jill Rich and Edward Michaels II.

U R Key (Albert the Great), Sugar Key’s daughter, was unraced but has already produced two winners from two foals to start For Backwards. Her first foal Masterkey (Will He Shine) is a Finger Lakes-based six-figure earner and, currently, she has a yearling filly by Emcee. Not bred in 2016, U R Key went to Micromanage this year.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2017/11/26/fire-key-autumn-stakes/

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Sea Foam rallies, digs in to win Notebook Stakes

By Sarah Mace

Fresh off a maiden victory on November 3 in his fourth try, Waterville Lake Stable homebred Sea Foam (Medaglia d’Oro), wasted no time in enrolling his name in the ranks of stakes winners Sunday when he stalked, rallied, then gamely held off a favored rival to win Aqueduct’s $100,000 Notebook Stakes for New York-bred juveniles at six furlongs.

Never worse than second in his four starts for trainer Christophe Clement while racing on or near the lead at every point of call, Sea Foam added Lasix for his stakes debut. With Nik Juarez, jockey for Sea Foam’s maiden win, in the irons, he was 6-1 third choice (of eight) by post time. Bettors favored Stoney Bennett (Bustin Stones) to the tune of 4-5.

After the starter sprang the gates, 9-1 Morning Breez showed the lead, while Sea Foam settled in second in the two-path1 1/2 lengths back. Stoney Bennett raced in third another length back. The order remained unchanged along the backstretch and round the turn through solid splits of 23.35 and 47.38.

Approaching the quarter pole, the top three closed ranks and stacked up three across the track: Morning Breez at the rail, Sea Foam between horses and Stoney Bennett three-wide. Once the trio straightened for home, Morning Breez had come out of the turn with an advanage, but his rivals to the outside were about to have their say.

Sea Foam, closing best, made his way to the front with a sixteenth of a mile to go, then dug in to hold off Stoney Bennett and secure the win by a length. A half-length back, Morning Breez had to settle for third. The final time for six furlongs was 1:12.79, and completing the order of finish were We Should Talk, Analyze the Odds, What a Catch and Mr. Pete. [VIDEO REPLAY[2]]

“Sea Foam was coming off his maiden win and that time, I learned that when another horse comes to him, he gets really game,” said Juarez. “So, last week, we worked him, and he worked that same way. He had a horse laying off of him and he never let that horse get by.”

The pilot continued, “Today that was the same strategy. Just keep him right off the lead and when [Stoney Bennett] came to me at the quarter-pole, I thought he was going by, but Sea Foam really dug in. Hats off to Christophe’s team. They did a really great job.”

Christophe Lorieul, Clement’s assistant, commented, “The first time Lasix might have helped a little bit. He ran really well here the other day when he broke his maiden. It looks like he might like Aqueduct.”

Lorieul echoed Juarez’ assessment of Sea Foam’s fighting spirit and sees longer races in the colt’s future. “He was very game today. The big favorite was coming to him from his outside and he kept on going. He might want to go a little further. Coming into the race, Christophe said three-quarters might really not be his game, but it worked out today.”

From two wins and three seconds in five starts, Sea Foam has collected $131,600 in earnings. Foaled at Berkshire Stud in Pine Plains, he is one of two winners out of Kentucky-bred Strike It Rich by Undbridled’s Song, purchased for John Meriwether’s Waterville Lake Stable by Clement for $350,000 at the Saratoga select yearling sale.

After going on to become a graded winner then retiring to broodmare duty, Strike It Rich has produced a pair of winners from three starters. She currently has a yearling filly by Kitten’s Joy, a weanling filly by Giant’s Causeway, and is anticipated to deliver a Hard Spun foal in 2018.

 

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2017/11/26/sea-foam-notebook-stakes/

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