First-crop sires: Flameaway passing speed to offspring

TwinSpires.com will follow prominent first-crop sires whose two-year-olds are hitting the track this season. This installment is the first on Flameaway.

Unheralded when entering stud in 2020, Flameaway has made an immediate impact with his first crop, putting himself among leading freshman sires. The eight-year-old has produced 10 winners from his first 32 starters, ranking second by progeny earnings ($629,548) through Aug. 21.

Flameaway stands at Darby Dan Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.

A two-time Grade 3 winner, the chestnut finished second in the Blue Grass (G2) and Tampa Bay Derby (G2) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby series in 2018. Flameaway never factored in the first leg of the Triple Crown, eventually retiring with nearly $1 million in earnings from an 18-6-3-1 career line, and he recorded five stakes wins and four graded stakes placings.

Mark Casse trained the Canadian-bred son of Scat Daddy, who also sired Triple Crown winner Justify in the same crop, for John Oxley, and Flameaway hailed from the Fusaichi Pegasus mare Vulcan Rose, a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Essential Edge. It’s a classy female family.

Flameaway did his best running on or close to the early lead, and his offspring are inheriting speed.

Eye-catching stakes winner

Dreamfyre ranks as the most distinguished runner to date, opening her racing career with a pair of convincing wire-to-wire wins. She upset listed stakes foes at 11-1 in her first outing at Pleasanton in mid-July, leading all the way in a 3 1/2-length decision, and came back to impressively defeat graded foes at Del Mar by the same margin in the Sorrento (G3) on Aug. 12.

Trained by O.J. Jauregui, Dreamfyre registered a commendable 92 Brisnet Speed rating for the Sorrento triumph, stamping herself as one of the leading two-year-old fillies at Del Mar this summer. Danny Eplin purchased the dark bay filly for $140,000 at the OBS April two-year-old sale.

Others of note

Michael McCarthy trains a pair of intriguing first-out turf winners by Flameaway.

Julias Dream appears stakes-bound off a sharp win, breaking on top and rolling to a 5 1/2-length victory in a six-furlong turf maiden special weight on Aug. 6. Blue Eyed George is one to take note of following a rallying win in a one-mile turf maiden special weight at Ellis Park on July 31, overcoming trouble to win going away by about two lengths.

Bella Haze caught the eye when finishing second at 63-1 in her initial appearance at Ellis, and the chestnut filly succeeded as the favorite five weeks later, dominating by 3 3/4 lengths in a six-furlong maiden special weight on Aug. 5. The quick miss may be stakes-bound for trainer Carlos Santamaria.

She’s Fire sped to the lead at the break and romped by 2 1/2 lengths on the front end when trying turf at Belmont Park in early July. The bay filly, a $17,000 yearling purchase, will look to show more next time after experiencing a rough trip in the Colleen S. at Monmouth Park on July 29, checking in fourth for Kevin Rice.

Wine Collector switched to the turf with a maiden special weight tally at Colonial Downs on July 15.

Conclusion

Watch for the Flameaways on the front end!

Standing for a $7,500 fee in 2023, Flameaway is outperforming early projections with his first crop of runners. And among the top five new sires presently, he's the only one who doesn’t reside at Spendthrift Farm. I will continue to update developments surrounding Flameaway this fall.