Firenze Fire out to defend his home court in G2 John A. Nerud
At 0h04, on July 4, 2021 • By BELMONT PARK
Through a 33-race career, nine-time graded-stakes winner Firenze Fire has asserted his talent over seven different racetracks, but it’s no secret that the veteran son of Poseidon’s Warrior has an affinity for Belmont Park. He will seek an eighth triumph over Big Sandy on Sunday in the 13th running of the Grade 2, $250,000 John A. Nerud going seven furlongs for 4-year-olds and upward.
Mr. Amore Stable’s Firenze Fire, trained by Kelly Breen, brags a consistent 10-7-1-0 record at Belmont Park and lifetime earnings of nearly $2.5 million. The accomplished 6-year-old sprinter has won both of his starts this season, notching repeat stakes conquests over the local strip in the Grade 3 Runhappy on May 8 and Grade 2 True North on June 4.
Firenze Fire commenced his love affair with Big Sandy in his fourth career start when capturing the Grade 1 Champagne in October 2017 over subsequent Champion 2-Year-Old Good Magic. He has won at least one stakes race at Belmont Park for the past five seasons, registering a career-best 107 Beyer Speed Figure during his sophomore campaign when returning to Belmont with a nine-length romp in the 2018 Grade 3 Dwyer.
Following a successful 2019 campaign, which included a victory in the Runhappy at Belmont, Firenze Fire made his debut for Breen in the Grade 1 Runhappy Carter in June 2020, finishing a distant fourth prior to capturing the Grade 2 True North and the Grade 2 Vosburgh at Belmont three starts later.
After closing the curtain on his 5-year-old season when third in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector on December 19 at Gulfstream Park, Firenze Fire remained in training but did not start until capturing the Grade 3 Runhappy on May 8 two starts ago.
“One of the biggest advantages of this year was for the first time in his career, he had five months off. We gave him the winter off without running him, he was still training a little bit, but he’s come back great,” Attfield said.
Firenze Fire’s name is influenced by the Italian word for the city of Florence, Italy.
“My daughter designs shoes and has them made in Italy,” Lombardi explained. “We were over there six years ago in Florence, and I needed to name the horse. At the time, Tom Hanks was filming the movie Inferno in Florence so that’s where the ‘fire’ comes from.”
Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. has been aboard for nine of Firenze Fire’s 14 lifetime victories and returns to the irons from the inside post.
