Firenze Fire Sires First Foal in Japan

Yano Farm on Hokkaido in Japan reported on Twitter Jan. 24 the first foal by multiple graded stakes winner Firenze Fire. The filly is the first foal out of the Wicked Strong mare Wicked Bisou. "She was born small, but is above all healthy," Yano included in its tweet. Wicked Bisou was a homebred for Woodford Thoroughbreds, which placed in two races with her at best before offering her at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale, where JS Company bought her for $50,000. She was exported to Japan in November 2021 and bred to Firenze Fire, who stands at Arrow Stud. Out of grade 3 winner Diva Delite, Wicked Bisou is a half sister to multi-millionaire and champion older dirt female Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) and also to grade 1-placed winner Verifying (Justify) and stakes-placed Stage Left (Congrats). Firenze Fire is an 8-year-old son of Poseidon's Warrior and raced as a homebred for Ron Lombardi's Mr. Amore Stables. He raced from 2 to 6, compiling a 14-7-3 record from 38 starts and earned $2,730,350. Firenze Fire won eight graded stakes, including the 2017 Champagne Stakes (G1). He just missed another grade 1 victory, when he won the Vosburgh Stakes in 2020—the first year the prestigious sprint had been downgraded to grade 2. He was second in the Vosburgh the previous year when it was still a grade 1.