Promises Fulfilled (Shackleford) and Firenze Fire (Poseidon's Warrior) are set to square off after posting a pair of jaw-dropping victories earlier this summer in Saturday's GI H. Allen Jerkens S. at the Spa.
The rail-drawn Promises Fulfilled has turned back in distance with two impressive attempts since finishing 15th in the GI Kentucky Derby–a third-place finish behind Still Having Fun (Old Fashioned) after setting a scorching pace in the GII Woody Stephens June 9 and a powerful win in the GIII Amsterdam S. at Saratoga last time July 28. He earned a 108 Beyer Speed Figure in the latter.
“This race is going to be a little bit tougher [than the Amsterdam], but that was a pretty awesome performance,” trainer Dale Romans said. “He's done nothing wrong since and he's trained well every day, so I think we'll see another big effort out of him.”
Firenze Fire, winner of the GIII Sanford S. over this course last summer, followed an 11th-place finish in the Derby with a jaw-dropping, nine-length tally in Belmont's one-turn mile GIII Dwyer S. July 7, good for a 107 Beyer.
“Everything's going good,” trainer Jason Servis said of the 2017 GI Champagne S. hero. “He worked OK the other day, he got a good freshening after the Derby, and it showed in the Dwyer. We've been wanting to shorten him up.”
'TDN Rising Star' Gidu (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), sixth in the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot June 22, makes his dirt debut after tiring to fourth in the GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. Aug. 3. Fellow 'Rising Star' Telekinesis (Ghostzapper), a painful second in the GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. at Keeneland this spring, returns to dirt and cuts back in distance after finishing fifth in the Queen's Plate S. at Woodbine June 30.
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