Fireball Birdie ("Firebird") had his final tune-up breeze Monday morning at Lone Star Park, covering three furlongs in :38.60 (see above). This is a standard final drill in the Asmussen barn, which gives the majority of its stable an easy three-furlong blowout the week of a race.
As we reported in our entry update, the idea of trying the turf has been a thought for quite some time due to the success of his siblings, most notably Up with the Birds. This will come with some challenges, though.
Not only will Fireball Birdie be trying the turf for the first time, but he will be going two turns for the first time and skipping a condition. While half of the field of eight are N1X (non-winners of one race other than maiden or claiming) horses, this is a N2X (non-winners of two races other than maiden or claiming) and four of the top contenders are all multiple winners. From a numbers standpoint, Fireball Birdie will need to improve to crack the board in here, but in reality, he does not need to improve that much.
If we are right regarding the surface and distance upside, the improvement needed could be well within reach. Asmussen strikes at 16% when moving from dirt to turf and 16% when going from a sprint to a route. In addition, Steve and his youngest son Erik have teamed up to have quite the meet at Lone Star Park, winning at 26% together and we were lucky enough to team up with this duo last week for a win with MyRacehorse stablemate Classic Cut.
A reminder, Saturday's third race has a post time of 2:31 p.m. CT. Fireball Birdie has been slated the morning-line fifth choice with odds of 8-1. Click here to enter our winners' circle lottery.
About the competition (click here for the past performances):
#1 Illustrator (3-1): Was fourth two weeks ago in the Canterbury Park Derby. It must be noted that that race was taken off of the turf and run over a muddy track. The two-week turnaround is a bit concerning given the ship back and forth from Minnesota, but the return to turf will be very beneficial.
#3 Devil’s Mischief (6-1): Ran a career-best Beyer Speed Figure (69) in his most recent start. Still seems a notch below.
#4 Rusty (20-1): Beaten a combined 43 1/2 lengths between his last two starts. Will add the blinkers for the first time, but that seems like a shot in the dark. Hard to support.
#5 Louis the Champ (12-1): Stablemate to Fireball Birdie. Has been beaten by many of the other contenders in this field. Would be a shock.
#6 Mind Bolt (5-2): The deserving morning-line favorite. The $160,000 2-year-old purchase has shown talent from the get-go, winning on debut at the Fair Grounds. He flopped against winners for the first time, but responded with a career-best race, earning a 79 Beyer Speed Figure in start number three. He has tactical speed and is the horse to beat.
#7 Third Street (9-2): Was second to #8 Kentucky Dawn a few weeks ago. The barn is hot, striking at 21% this meet, but we would lean towards playing against this one.
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