Served Neat: Fireball From The Front

Sometimes races are easy to read. I’m A Fireball was always going to set a good pace in the R200,000 March Stakes over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville, and Roland Garros was always likely to chase him home, hammer and tongs, over the last 200m.

The outcome was good – at least for Hollywood Racing and Lucky Fish ambassadors Mike and Mathew de Kock – because Callan Murray judged his fractions perfectly, broke away from the small field with 300m to run and held on to win from the fast-finishing Justin Snaith charge.

Callan said: “The team’s done a fantastic job in getting him to bounce back after the Guineas. I had a lot of confidence at the gates today, just from his demeanour.”

He added: “I thought we had it fairly cheap early, he was somewhat vulnerable late but he was game. He had no company to keep him honest. He’s still a young horse, still maturing. He’s a horse with ability.”

The Vaal Classic 1450m course record-holder, I’m A Fireball was a R1 million BSA National Yearling Sale purchase and is now a winner of 3 races with 2 places from 9 starts and stakes of R308 869.

A son of Vercingetorix (Silvano), he is out of the multiple Gr2-stakes winning Rock Of Gibraltar Blue. Interestingly, John Koster of Klawervlei Stud chose Gibraltar Blue, with the help of Mike de Kock, Jehan Malherbe and ‘Fozzy’ Stack at the Goffs Million Sale in Ireland in 2008.

I’m A Fireball was named after a ‘shooter’ called ‘Fireball’ – a blend of whiskey and cinnamon – most popular with the Hollywood Racing tour groups to the Breeders’ Cup every year.

“It’s become a tradition for us to have a bucket of Fireballs on the bus,” explained Devin Heffer. “It travels with us, always fun when they are ice cold. The Fireballs get everyone going and can be used as punishment or reward, depending how you take it. They’re not just a remedy for hangovers!”