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Firenze Fire heats up down stretch in upset win of G1 Champagne

by Brian Bohl

Mr. Amore Stables' Firenze Fire overtook Good Magic in the stretch and outkicked his rival by a half-length to win the 146th running of the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne for 2-years-olds on Saturday at Belmont Park.

Firenze Fire, who was coming off a fourth-place finish in his Grade 1 debut in the Hopeful on September 4 at Saratoga, relished the one-mile distance to win for the third time in four career starts, securing a spot in the Grade 1, $2 million Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile on November 4 at Del Mar. 

Aveenu Malcainu, the 3-1 favorite, went to the front to pace the 12-horse field, going a quarter-mile in 22.90 seconds and the half in 45.94 on the fast main track. Out of the turn, Good Magic surged ahead from the outside. But jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. used a left-handed whip to cajole Firenze Fire, whose previous long distance was seven furlongs, to the lead in the final furlong, hitting the wire in 1:35.91.

"He always breaks good, but we've been working with him to drop in, take some kickback, get some dirt and finish. He was working great," said Ortiz, Jr., who won his third race of the day and second straight stakes after piloting Disco Partner to victory in the Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational.

One of two entrants for trainer Jason Servis, Firenze Fire was the only graded stakes winner in the field, having captured the Grade 3 Sanford on July 22 at the Spa. Off at 11-1, Firenze Fire paid $24 on a $2 win wager in his Belmont debut. The Poseidon's Warrior colt more than doubled his career bankroll to $429,100.

"I was really surprised on the turn. Irad was loaded. It looked like he was going to get there but even Irad said he was loaded," Servis said. "He wasn't right that day [in the Hopeful]. He had a virus or something going on. He changed leads today."

Good Magic, a maiden making his stakes debut for trainer Chad Brown after running second in his first race on August 25, also saw his jockey make an aggressive move in the stretch, with Jose Ortiz also utilizing a left-handed whip to secure runner-up status by three lengths over Enticed.

"He just got beat. I thought he ran very well especially for a maiden," Brown said. "It's the first time he's seen dirt in his face, probably going to learn a lot from that, he just ran second best again. I thought we had a big shot. That horse came and got us, we were well clear of third so it says something about how well both first-and-second place finishers ran."

Added Ortiz: "I had run. He never quit, he just got caught. It was a little bit trying with the dirt, [riding] a 2-year-old first time taking dirt, and when I was in the clear near the quarter pole he gave me a great run, great turn of foot, and he was just second best."

Kowboy Karma, Hazit, Honorable Treasure, Aveenu Malcainu, Full of Run, Bahamian, Stronger, Master Manipulator and Blame It On Honey completed the order of finish.