Page 166 - August 2017

Governor’s Cup Futurity-RG2
J FIRE UP
by John Moorehouse
JFire Up scorched the field in the $385,000 Governor’s Cup Futurity-RG2 on July 29 at Los Alamitos, leading every call.
Drawing the inside starting gate, J Fire Up broke on top and opened a 3/4-length lead by the time she reached the first call. The filly led by a 1/2-length margin going into the stretch, then widened the gap a bit late to win by 3/4-length.
After winning her trial and posting the fifth-fastest qualifying time (:17.847) on July 8, J Fire Up was significantly faster in her first stakes final, covering the 350 yards in :17.558 for a 94 speed index. Jose Nicasio did the riding.
J Fire Up is partly owned by Darling Farms, a current powerhouse on the Quarter Horse scene. Darling Farms already has reeled off wins in the Rainbow Derby-G1 and Heritage Place Derby-G2 and boasts more than $1 million in earnings this year. Jaime Gomez and Ernesto Solis also own shares of the filly, whose career bankroll now stands at $330,525 with the $161,700 prize from this event. She also finished second in this year’s Ed Burke Million Futurity-G1.
“We’ve been lucky,” Dan Darling told stallionesearch.com after the race. “We’ve been blessed. We’ve been in racing for four years. My father-in-law was a trainer and my wife was
raised on the track. Her and my daughter got to showing miniature horses. I thought if I could get some racehorses I could get them out of that, but it didn’t work.”
This was also a landmark win for Gomez, who bred and trains J Fire Up, and who was saddled the Governor’s Cup Futurity winner for the fourth time in his career. Only Blane Schvaneveldt has more wins in this race, with five.
“The good ones, they don’t need a trainer,” Gomez said to stallionesearch.com. “She’s got all the class and all heart, and I have a super lucky guy right here in Dan Darling, who won the Rainbow Derby and the Heritage Place Derby with Hold Air Hostage. He’s probably coming out here to aim for the Champion of Champions.”
Gomez shared one amusing observation about the filly, made by partner Solis, a veteran horseman.
“Ernesto told me that she would be number one,” Gomez said. “That’s because she has a marking on her left-hand side, right on her shoulder. It’s a really beautiful number one
on the muscle. You can tell.
It looks exactly like a perfect number one. You have to see it to believe, and she also loves the one hole. She really does.”
Gomez home-bred the dam of J Fire Up, This Boogie Fires, a 2009 mare who was stakes-placed before becom- ing a broodmare. Four of her six offspring have made starts, though J Fire Up is the first foal to win a stakes race.
Fastest qualifier Chance To Fire (Walk Thru Fire-Elans Last) finished second under Cody Jensen for Abigail Kawananakoa and trainer by Chris O’Dell. The Revenant (Favorite Cartel-Remember Me Rose) finished third by daylight for Ronald Hartley. The John Cooper trainee had Cesar DeAlba in the irons.
Casino Baccarat (Favorite Cartel-Baccarat Bar), Knockout Jess (One Sweet Jess-Whatta Knockout), One Sweet Barbie (One Sweet Jess-Runaway DLT), Effortless Effort (Favorite Cartel-Madonna Effort), Yanque (Favorite Cartel-Red Hawk Chick), Magnifisant Seven (Two Corona Special-Sweet Bon Ton) and Ditto Head (Foose-Lavish La Jolla) completed the field.
Los Alamitos $385,000 • 350 yards :17.558 • si 94
Corona Cartel
Kiddy Up
Miss Racy Vike
J FIRE UP, ‘15-f.
Walk Thru Fire
This Boogie Fires
Boogie Special
164 SPEEDHORSE, August 2017
J Fire Up & Jose Nicasio go wire-to-wire winning the Governor’s Cup Futurity
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Los Alamitos