Bushfire trainer's forecast 100% accurate
By DON JENSEN
Published March 19, 2006
OLDSMAR - Thank goodness for Bushfire, it didn't rain.
Bushfire bounced back from her worst career start to capture the $200,000 Florida Oaks Saturday afternoon at Tampa Bay Downs.
When trainer Eddie Kenneally saw the clear skies, he thought his speedster had an excellent chance of notching her first career stakes win. The 1-length victory over Saratoga Drive came easier than expected.
"On paper, it looked like everybody wanted to be on the lead," Kenneally said. "But as it so happened, they weren't aggressive to get the lead and allowed us to have it. Thankfully, we didn't have to run head and head all the way; she was alone on the lead and that helped her."
Ridden by John Velazquez, Bushfire overcame a rank start to take the lead early in the 1 1/16th-mile race. The 3-year-old bay filly by Louis Quatorze and Traki Traki set fractions of 23.12, 47.21 and 1:12.27, building a 3-length lead entering the stretch. She held off Saratoga Drive, paying $13.40 as the fourth betting choice. The winning time was 1 minute, 46.25 seconds.
Bushfire won for the third time in five starts, earning $117,500 for owners Ron and Ricki Rashinski. Saratoga Drive finished almost 4 lengths in front of 7-5 favorite Crystal Current, the Suncoast Stakes winner who was third.
A Florida-bred, Bushfire was coming off a six-week break after a last-place finish in the Grade II Davona Dale Stakes Feb. 4 at Gulfstream Park, losing to Wait a While by 29 lengths on a sloppy track.
"Her last race was terrible," Kenneally said. "We took a shot and ran her because we didn't know if she cared for the slop of not; it turned out she hated it. All of her races have been good except for that one.
"I knew she would rebound off that poor effort at Gulfstream. (Saturday), she was a little bit too aggressive early. Hopefully in her next start, we can have her relax a little bit better in the early part of the race. She went quite quick early on and not very relaxed in the early part of this race, but she sure had enough left in the tank to carry her all the way to the wire."
Kenneally said Bushfire has been nominated for the Kentucky Oaks on May 5, but she has more business to take care of first with either the Ashland Stakes (Keeneland) April 8 or Fantasy Stakes (Oaklawn Park) on April 14 next.
Velazquez said the race strategy worked well.
"It was pretty basic stuff," Velazquez said. "She had speed, but went into the first turn real aggressive and I couldn't do anything with her. I just left her alone on the backside and she had something left to compete with."