Flamewalker a hot horse

June 07, 2007

Hot off a world record mile, Flamewalker headlines the $46,500 Open Trot on Friday night at the Meadowlands. The Michigan-bred son of Ciro Ambrosio has won six of his eight starts this spring at the Meadowlands for the Julie Miller Stable. In his last race, on May 25, he set a 1:51.3 world record for a 4-year-old gelding on a mile track.

Flamewalker was a private purchase by his owner, Jon Lewis of Yorktown, Ind., on Feb. 20. Lewis and Chicago-based trainer Carl Porcelli made an offer on the horse after watching him win in 1:57.1 on Feb. 14 at Balmoral Park. Confident in his potential, they shipped the trotter out to the Meadowlands where he has quickly risen up the class ladder.

�When we got him, we really didn�t think he�d progress the way he has,� said Andy Miller, who in addition to being one of the track�s top drivers, assists his wife, Julie, with her stable. �We looked up his lines and weren�t all that impressed. They had taken the trotting hobbles off and they thought he had turned it around with that mile. We raced him that way, he acted like he had a lot of go, but coming off the last turn he spooked and ran [in his first start for the Millers on Feb. 28]. So, we put the trotting hobbles back on, and like they say, the rest is history.�

Flamewalker rebounded from that bumpy start with a 10-length romp in 1:54.4. He reeled off two more wins before having throat surgery in April.

�After he won in 1:55 [on April 6] he bled and also had some throat issues,� Miller said. �He had a little surgery, a month off and then came back real good on Lasix.�

The gelding breezed to a 1:53.1 win in his first start off the layoff on May 4 and closed strongly to finish second the following week. He lowered his mark again as he trounced his foes by nearly eight lengths in 1:52.3 on May 18, his last start in the conditioned ranks. Flamewalker announced his arrival into open company with a dazzling 1:51.3 victory over Corleone Kosmos on May 25.

�The world record two weeks ago was an incredible mile,� he said. �He did get a decent trip before his cover cleared around the last turn, yet he just dug in. Corleone Kosmos was following him, and our horse had every right to get tired, but just kept on going.

�Now, he has a lot of confidence,� Miller continued. �He�s not a real big horse, but he�s got extreme speed. He had shown a tendency to be a little hot-headed when we got him, so we tried to avoid that. Racing him off cover was a better way to keep him calm.� (Meadowlands)

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