Friesan Fire wins Louisiana Hcp for Vinery

Friesan Fire got back on winning track when recording a convincing victory in the $75,000 Louisiana Hcp (LR) at Fair Grounds on Saturday.  The bay colt was making his second start off a near seven-month break.

Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan sent Friesan Fire straight to the lead when the gates opened, and the colt was still travelling well when he hit the line 1.75 length in front of fast closer General Quarters.

Friesan Fire (4c A.P. Indy – Bollinger by Dehere) is raced by Vinery and Fox Hill Farm and is a candidate to shuttle to Australian when he racing days conclude.  His dam was a G1 winner in Australia and her latest Kentucky bred foal is a 2yo filly named Champagne Run (More Than Ready).

Second dam Bint Marscay (Marscay) was a Golden Slipper winner and is a half-sister G1 winners Filante (Star Way) and Kenny’s Best Pal (Bletchingly).

Friesan Fire is inbred 3 X 4 to the immortal Secretariat.  His career card improved to 11-5-1-2 with earnings of $653,765 after his latest victory in New Orleans.

Friesan Fire broke his maiden at Delaware Park, then proceeded to run third in the Futurity St (G2), fourth in the Nashua St (G3) at two.  It wasn’t until he made his three-year-old debut in the Lecomte St (G3) that people began taking notice of the colt.  He swept the Road to the Derby series in the Risen Star St (G3) and then scored a runaway seven length win in the Louisiana Derby (G2).

Friesan Fire ran 18th in the Kentucky Derby (G1) next out after being bumped, squeezed and grabbing a quarter early on.  He went on to the Preakness St (G1) in hopes of a better effort, but he bobbled at the start and was subsequently diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left front leg, as well as a secondary non-displaced chip fracture in his right front fetlock.

Following surgery to repair the chip, he returned to Vinery’s Kentucky training centre in early September and was a first-up placegetter on December 3 at his first start for new trainer Steve Asmussen.