On Fire Baby back with females in the Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park
Gary Hartlage trained 3-year-old filly, On Fire Baby, made her 2012 debut against the males in the Smarty Jones Stakes for the first time in her career, which spans 5 races, and did pretty well considering she was at it for the first time.
On Fire Baby finished a strong third to winner Junebugred, who covered the distance of 1 mile in 1 minute and 38.45 seconds over the Oaklawn Park’s dirt course on 16 January, 2012, as Reckless Jerry finished second. In a full field of 12 runners, On Fire
Baby was exceptional to finish on the money coupled with jockey J. Johnson.
Now her connections are planning to get her back in against fillies in the Grade 3, $125,000 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park on 10 March, 2012, against seven other 3-year-old fillies. On Fire Baby will definitely be the one to beat in the Honeybee Stakes.
Anita Cauley’s On Fire Baby broke her maiden at first asking on dirt over a distance of five and a half furlongs in August last year, but after 2 months layoff she was asked to run in a stretched out race at about 1 1/16 miles where she finished 5th
to Stephanie’s Kitten in the Grade 1 Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland.
Cut back in distance to a mile in her next race, On Fire Baby responded in style in the Grade 2 Pocahontas Stakes over the dirt course at Churchill Downs, where many runners fail to make an impression. She didn’t stop there as she elaborated her fondness
to the track and course and downed the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Churchill Downs.
Gary Hartlage is hoping that she wins her second start of the new campaign. “Anything other than first-place and I’d probably be disappointed,” he said recently. “I think she’s that good.”
The Kentucky bred daughter of Smoke Glacken, out of mare Ornate by Gilded Time, On Fire Baby is a candidate for both the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks and the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, and since her third place finish in the Smarty Jones, and a string of solid works
since the race, she got Hartlage feeling good about the future prospects.
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