Friesan Fire has been retired by Vinery’s Tom Simon and will take up residence at Merryland Farm in 2012.

Friesan Fire (5h A.P. Indy – Bollinger by Dehere) initially raced for Vinery Stables before a half-share was sold to Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farms.  They have joined with Merryland Farm owner Josh Pons to stand him for a $4,000 service fee in Maryland.

Bred in Kentucky, Friesan Fire is by champion sire A P Indy and his dam Bollinger won the G1 Coolmore Classic before relocating to Kentucky.  Second dam Bint Marscay (Marscay) was a G1 winner of the STC Golden Slipper and she is a half-sister G1 winners Filante (Star Way) and Kenny’s Best Pal (Bletchingly).

Trained by Larry Jones, Friesan Fire broke his maiden at Delaware Park then finished third in the G2 Futurity Stakes and fourth in the G3 Nashua Stakes.

He resumed at three to win the G3 Lecomte Stakes and G3 Risen Star Stakes before completing a hat-trick with a runaway seven length victory in the G2 Louisiana Derby.

Friesan Fire finished well back in the G1 Kentucky Derby and G1 Preakness Stakes and was subsequently diagnosed with a stress fracture in his near foreleg as well as a chip fracture in his off foreleg.

Following surgery, he returned to New Orleans for a LR victory in the 2010 Louisiana Hcp at Fair Grounds for new trainer Steve Asmussen.

“We have been searching for a successor to Malibu Moon,” Josh Pons said.  “Both horses are by A P Indy out of G1 winning mares and their pedigrees nick well with the broodmares in the region.”

Pons stood Malibu Moon before his move to Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky where he now stands for a $60,000 fee.