Indian Firewater tops Baffert exacta in San Fernando

Indian Firewater seized command early and established splits of :23 2/5, :46

4/5 and 1:10 2/5. Thiskyhasnolimit (Sky Mesa), who inherited 8-5 favoritism,

prompted the pace as Do It All (Distorted Humor), Victory with Honor (Tiznow)

and Tweebster all took up stalking spots. Indian Firewater kept responding to

the pressure and stayed on determinedly into the stretch, but Thiskyhasnolimit

failed to maintain his position and began to drop back.

Meanwhile, Tweebster emerged as the only danger in the drive. Although the

gray looked poised to pass Indian Firewater, the longtime leader plowed ahead

grimly and wouldn't yield. Tweebster found an extra spurt in the final yards to

make it desperately close. The two crossed the wire abreast, but the photo

revealed that Indian Firewater had a whisker to spare over Tweebster. The final

time was 1:41 2/5 for 1 1/16 miles on the fast track.

"Going into this race, we thought we'd let him run away from there and if we

made the lead, fine," Smith said. "When I came out to the paddock, they told me

Bob (Baffert) had called an audible, and there was a change in strategy -- 'Put

him on the lead.' Down the backside, he was running easily and he was within

himself and breathing really good. I wasn't sure if we won it, because the other

horse (Tweebster) was out so wide."

Indian Firewater, the 5-1 third choice in the eight-horse field, furnished

mutuels of $13, $6.60 and $4.40. Tweebster, the 5-2 second choice, returned

$5.60 and $4 for finishing 1 1/4 lengths clear of Do It All. The third-placer,

who went off at 16-1 in his stakes debut, paid $8. The $1 exotics totaled $26.60

(exacta), $315.80 (trifecta) and $917.80 superfecta (7-1-5-6) with

Thiskyhasnolimit reporting home another 2 3/4 lengths back in fourth. Paris

Vegas (Maria's Mon), Haimish Hy (Ecton Park), Make Music for Me (Bernstein) and

Victory with Honor completed the order of finish. Sidney's Candy, who was

withdrawn Friday after being off in his right hind, was slated to undergo a

nuclear scan on Monday.

Indian Firewater's scorecard now stands at 14-3-6-3, $257,120. Runner-up in

the Turf Paradise Derby early last year, the dark bay recorded his first stakes

win in the November 18 Nashville S. at Hollywood Park. He tried to go with

Sidney's Candy early on in the off-the-turf Sir Beaufort, but was run off his

feet and was beaten 7 1/4 lengths in second.

Bred by John H. and Laura L. Mulholland in Kentucky, Indian Firewater was a

$400,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase. He was produced by Touched

(Touch Gold), whose latest offspring are an unnamed two-year-old filly by Master

Command and a yearling colt by Harlan's Holiday. Indian Firewater comes from the

same female line as Four Flings (Quadratic) and Rugged Bugger (Assert [Ire]).