Bounding Away with history should Fireburn win the Oaks

Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan

In her short career, the 3-year-old filly Fireburn has run into considerable history. Last year, she was just a Champagne S. short of sweeping the juvenile Triple Crown in Sydney, and had she pulled it off, she would have kept company with the brilliant Burst (Marauding {NZ}).

These days, history is still chasing Fireburn as she heads into the G1 Australian Oaks at Royal Randwick. If she wins, she will join the peerless filly Bounding Away (Biscay) as the only Golden Slipper winner to also win the Australian Oaks.

It’s a considerable task, stretching out a filly to 2400 metres after 2-year-old brilliance under speed. When Bounding Away did it, it was 1987 and no horse has managed it in Sydney since.

In 2006, Miss Finland (Redoute’s Choice) pulled off something similar when she won the Golden Slipper that year and the G1 VRC Oaks later in the spring. Like Burst and Bounding Away, Miss Finland was not only the dominant filly of her generation; she was probably the dominant horse, full stop.

Bounding Away is the only 2-year-old in history to win the Australian Horse of the Year honour, which, at the time, suggested the calibre of older horses was ordinary. However, trained by TJ Smith, she won the Champagne S., Flight S., Golden Slipper, Blue Diamond S. and AJC Oaks, all Group 1s, as well as the G3 Magic Night S. and Listed Blue Diamond Prelude (Fillies).

Bounding Away was the best filly or mare that Smith trained, according to him, which was a substantial accolade from the Hall of Fame trainer.

None of this is known to the 3-year-old filly Fireburn, who is wavering among favouritism for the Australian Oaks on Saturday. However, it’s well-known by the man who co-races her, Laurel Oak's Louis Mihalyka, who’s had a number of people flag the fact this week.

“Bounding Away is certainly the last one to do it, and the reason I know is because a few different people have told me,” Mihalyka said, speaking to TDN AusNZ.

“I’m inclined to think that history owes us one because this filly was odds-on favourite for the Triple Crown and she was beaten by She’s Extreme, so we missed out on that.

“In that Champagne S., Fireburn ran the fastest final 600 metres of the meeting, which included the older horses in the All Aged S. Unfortunately, she was chasing the horse that ran the second-fastest last 600 metres and she was beaten, so that was our first little crack at history and this weekend is another.”

Of course, there’s also the Slipper winner’s hoodoo to contend with. Pierro is one of the last Golden Slipper winners to win anything as a 3-year-old, so Fireburn is also chewing on that bone.

“Since Pierro, the only two horses that have gone on to win anything after the Slipper were She Will Reign, who I think won the Moir, and Fireburn, who won the Sires’ Produce,” Mihalyka said. “No Slipper winners had gone on to even win a Sires’ Produce or Champagne S. since Pierro, so we’ve at least won that race and it would be really nice to win another.”

Lady luck, or lack of

As a daughter of Rebel Dane, part of the folklore around Fireburn last year was her sire. In part, she was the reason why Rebel Dane was relocated to a plum berth at Widden Stud.

Here was a filly from a So You Think (NZ) mare proving an outstanding juvenile at the highest level, and it was an extreme disappointment when She’s Extreme (Extreme Choice) got the better of her by a nose in the Champagne S.

Since then, trainer Gary Portelli has nursed her along as a 3-year-old. She was winless in the spring, running into the likes of In Secret (I Am Invincible), Jacquinot (Rubick) and Zougotcha (Zoustar). So far this autumn, her best effort in four starts has been the G1 Vinery Stud S. on March 25 when she was third to Prowess (NZ) (Proisir).

“Fireburn’s prior form has been in good order, if you actually look at it,” Mihalyka said. “In six starts since she turned three, all in Group 1 or Group 2 races, her best barrier draw has been third from the outside. She’s had three outside draws and two second from the outside, and then one third from the outside.

“When you’re running around against In Secrets and Zougotachas who have drawn barriers two, three and four all the time, you can’t compete because we’ve had to go back to last all the time while they’re sitting up on the speed.”

Luckless is one word for it. However, Fireburn has drawn barrier four in the Oaks this weekend with one of her co-fancies, the Freedman-trained Pavitra (American Pharoah {USA}) alongside her in gate two. Pennyweka (NZ) (Satono Aladdin {Jpn}), visiting from New Zealand, is worse off in barrier 11.

“In the Vinery she drew a good barrier for the first time and we knew she’d be competitive, and she was,” Mihalyka said. “The same this time, even though a good draw is less important over 2400 metres at Randwick than it is over 1400 metres. Still, it’s nice to draw well.”

Laurel Oak Bloodstock had a Pompeii Ruler filly in the Australian Oaks in the past, but Fireburn is the group’s best chance in the Blue Riband to date. When, however, did Mihalyka and the other owners decide to stretch their filly out to a mile-and-a-half?

“It was almost out of necessity,” he said. “After the horror run with draws, Fireburn wasn’t going well-enough to be taking on races like the Coolmore or the Queen of the Turf, or even the Doncaster against those older horses that were flying over the 1400 to 1600 metres.

“We were looking to go to a softer option and stick to the 3-year-old fillies, and the only option was the Vinery-Oaks path. The reason we gave it a go is because it’s against her age and sex, and a lot of the race’s winners in the past haven’t necessarily gone on to be high-class stayers later on. They’re just superior against their own age and sex.”

Despite her precocity as a juvenile, Fireburn also had pedigree to stack her credentials. In a way, she defied that pedigree in winning the Golden Slipper, according to Mihalyka.

Winner’s circle, not the broodmare barn

On paper, Fireburn is already a priceless filly. Winning the Oaks will improve that, but she’s a Slipper-winning dual Group 1 winner already, and Mihalyka isn’t interested just yet in her net worth.

“It’s a weird thing,” he said. “We’ve never really discussed her value and what we’re going to do with her. We’re enjoying the moment with people who might struggle to part with her, people that have that Winx and Black Caviar mindset. The horses are worth a lot of money but the owners still race them because they’re never going to sell them.

“Now, that’s never been discussed with our horse, and it may be we keep part of her and come to an arrangement with somebody, but it really hasn’t been discussed. Her long-term value is the last thing on our minds in regards to the decision making.”

Getting Fireburn back in the winner’s circle is first and foremost for the Laurel Oak team. It’s been a frustrating 12 months with the talented filly, who has been better than her bare results.

She has consistently posted flawless sectionals that didn’t eventuate in wins, and her trainer and owners have waited patiently for lady-luck to drop.

“We know she’s in good order, so she just needed to draw a barrier,” Mihalyka said. “She was fourth in the Phar Lap after being wide and going around them, and that was a change in tactics to get her involved in the race. We did that because in the previous five starts she’d dropped back to last with bad barriers.”

As such, all roads have pointed to the Oaks on Saturday. A good draw (barrier four), strong form and plenty of luck, and things may just go the way of the Slipper winner.

In 1987, when Bounding Away won the race with jockey Mick Dittman, she leaped from barrier three. Is it close enough for history to repeat?