NEWS: RACING

Fire Key locks down back-to-back stakes scores in Floral Park

Saturday, October 13th, 2018

NYRA/Elsa Lorieul

By Sarah Mace

Backwards Stable homebred Fire Key (Friesan Fire) couldn’t seem to catch a break this summer. However, given opportunities this fall to show what she is made of, she has been perfect, scoring two straight stakes victories on two different racetracks in a 21-day span.

On September 22 Fire Key snuck out of the gate at odds of 11-1 and went virtually last-to-first to capture the Sensible Lady at Laurel Park by nose. On Saturday she improved on that effort by when she rallied to win Belmont’s Floral Park Stakes by a solid three-quarters of a length.

Ending her 4-year-old campaign with a bang by winning the Autumn Days Stakes at Aqueduct, Fire Key began this year auspiciously enough, with a runner-up finish in an open turf sprint allowance at Belmont Park. Her next three starts for trainer Pat Kelly, all at Saratoga, were brutal. Bested by “soft” turf in the Caress Stakes at Saratoga on July 23, Fire Key fared poorly over the main track in a rained-off allowance on August 12. On August 26, she was essentially pulled up out of the ill-fated Smart N Fancy Stakes when her trip was impeded by a fallen competitor.

Julian Pimentel, who rode Fire Key to victory last out at Laurel retained the mount for the Floral Park. The mare was once again let go by bettors at relatively long odds, no better than 7-1, the fourth choice of six who lined up to contest the 6-furlong dash over the “yielding” Belmont inner turf course

A versatile runner who can pick and choose where she sets up, Fire Key spent the early stages of the race near the back of the field, five lengths off the pace. Up front, Battle Joined knocked heads with Black Canary, who moved aggressively from her outside post.

Advancing closer to the vanguard in the far turn, Fire Key came off the fence in the bend and was angled out five wide before being set down for the drive. By the time she started passing horses the lead had passed from Battle Joined to Black Canary, then to a rallying Fear No Evil.

NYRA/Joe Labozzetta

Fire Key overhauled Black Canary and the rest by mid-stretch and took aim at the new leader. She finally reeled in Fear No Evil inside the final sixteenth and drew off with energy to spare to win by a half length in a final time of 1:13.03. Following runner-up Fear No Evil across the line were Black Canary, New York-bred Jc’s Shooting Star, 3-5 favorite Tillie’s Lilly and Battle Joined. [VIDEO REPLAY]

“I just wanted to get her to relax, said Pimentel. “That was most important. Sometimes she gets a little keen and wants to go early. I wanted her to relax and make one move. She’s very capable of doing anything you want. Everything set up for her.”

Trainer Pat Kelly is acutely aware how the Racing Gods, so unforgiving in the summer, are smiling now.

“We finally have things headed in the right direction,” Kelly said. “We had a rough Saratoga with the real soft turf and then we had trouble last time [in the Smart N Fancy Stakes], so nothing you can do about that, but Fire Key bounced back.”

Continued Kelly, “She ran a nice race in Maryland [the Sensible Lady] and even better today. She loves it here at Belmont. She learned to relax this year, she used to speed herself, but she’s really learned to relax which helps her finish a lot stronger. She’s had some races here where the turf has been yielding. For some reason, her race this summer at Saratoga when it was soft turf she didn’t like at all and maybe it’s just a different kind of turf course up there. This is home and she had a real nice work here last Sunday and she ran back to it. She’s a nice filly.”

Fire Key, now a three-time stakes winner, sports a career record of seven wins, seven seconds and a third from 23 starts with $$483,785 in earnings.

Fire Key was foaled at Sun Valley Farm in Ballston Spa and is out of U R Key, an unraced Backwards Stable homebred by Albert the Great. Her second dam Sugar Key (Missionary Ridge GB) was bred in New York by Jill Rich and Edward Michaels II.

U R Key’s first foal Masterkey (Will He Shine) is a Finger Lakes-based six-figure earner. Currently the mare has an unnamed juvenile filly by Emcee, a weanling colt by Micromanage and was bred to Mr. Z in 2018.

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