Trained by Simon Callaghan and ridden with ice-cold nerve by Serafin Carmona, the horse unleashed a devastating late rally down the center of the turf course. In a race that saw the top five finishers separated by less than a length, Baltic Fire powered through the middle of the pack to seize the narrowest of victories at the wire.
The 4-year-old daughter of Flameaway was overlooked, going postward as the longest shot on the board. But that didn’t deter the team from Next Wave Racing, who watched their filly return a staggering $116.40 one of the richest payouts of the summer at the seaside track.
“She’s always shown heart in the mornings,” said trainer Callaghan. “We’ve just been waiting for her to put it all together. Today she did.”
Exline-Border Racing, Hauisman or Zubola’s Vibez finished a tight second, just a nose ahead of Paradise Lake, representing the familiar silks of C R K Stable. The official margins for the first five finishers read: half a length, a nose, a nose, half a length, and another half — a true blanket finish.
The win was Baltic Fire’s third from eleven lifetime starts and pushed her career earnings to $150,400. She took home $49,200 from the $82,000 total purse for her efforts on the lush Del Mar turf.
With her eye-catching late kick and the credibility of this performance, Baltic Fire could be pointed toward higher-grade turf contests later in the season. The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club may yet see more fireworks from this flame-bred filly.
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