Since Om Fire announced his arrival at Emerald Downs in the middle of his 4-year-old campaign with a 4 1/2-length win in a $5,000 claiming race, trainer Liz Kowalski has not been shy about seeking tougher company for the gelded son of Om and the mare Well Caught.
In for a $10,000 tag on June 14, Om Fire finished second, five lengths behind Company’s Dream, who covered the six furlongs in a meet-best time of 1:07.59. Now, on Saturday, Om Fire steps into a $10,000 starter allowance with a $14,000 purse off a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 76, the best last-out number in an evenly matched field.
“We were a little bit concerned we’d run into a horse who’s nominated for a stakes race, but it was kind of the next logical step and we’ll still be able to protect him,” Kowalski said of the choice to spot him here. “Plus, we were wanting to stretch his distance out a little bit.”
Om Fire has never raced longer than six furlongs, and Saturday’s distance is 6 1/2 furlongs.
“The way he’s been training, he’s been showing us that he might like some distance,” said Kowalski, who typically shuns official workouts in favor of more eclectic mile-long galloping sessions. “His mother comes from grass route horses.”
While Gunnin for Gold, Sir Greyson, and Fort Necessity can be expected to vie for the early lead, Om Fire, Roy Hobbs, Rollin Dice, and Horse Doctor each have tactical speed, which should make for a fascinating pace scenario in race 7.
The richest event on Saturday’s eight-race card is a six-furlong, $23,000 maiden special weight for 3-year-olds and up that goes as race 4. Here, two horses stand out.
Angier ran in a pair of six-furlong maiden special weights for Bob Baffert in Southern California in the spring and summer of 2024 and hasn’t raced in the year since. But the 4-year-old gelding now resides with top local trainer Justin Evans, who has had considerable success with horses who are new to his barn and coming off extended layoffs. Angier has both the best last-out (64) and career (70) Beyer Speed Figures in the field.
Then there’s Impassable, trained by Howard Belvoir. While his six rivals have one combined stakes appearance among them, the 3-year-old colt has only raced in stakes, finishing second twice as a 2-year-old. Impassable finished a listless sixth in the June 22 Auburn Stakes, which marked his 2025 debut following a 10-month layoff. Nevertheless, the son of Barkley and Star Protocol earned a career-high 61 Beyer for that effort.
“Every place has been wrong, track’s been bad,” Belvoir said of Impassable’s four career starts, all at Emerald. “He’s just not been ready to do what he’s supposed to do. He’s just going to need maturing.”
When asked if his performance in the Auburn was the result of him needing a race to get back on track, Belvoir responded “For sure. He hasn’t had a fair shot, but I think he’s got a lot of talent. Getting it out of him is something else.”
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