Ten days ago, on May 8, Separate Fire set a new 300-yard track record for 2-year-olds at Los Alamitos Racecourse, when she posted the fastest qualifying time for the Kindergarten Futurity. This Sunday, May 22, she goes to post as the overwhelming favorite in the $339,600 GI Kindergarten, the year’s first major test for 2-year-olds on the West Coast.

Ridden by Ramon Sanchez for trainer Paul Jones, Separate Fire pulled away to win her trial by more than 2 lengths. Her time of :15.10 eclipsed the previous 2-year-old record held by stablemate Blues Girls Choice, who posted :15.14 in a maiden race, on May 9, 2010. The track record of 14.96 was set by 7-year-old Go Love A Lark Go in 2010.

Tremor Enterprises, Separate Fire’s owner, raced 2009 champion 2-year-old colt Tempting Dash and last summer’s All American Futurity (G1) winner Mr Piloto. Separate Fire’s sire, Walk Thru Fire, is also represented by second-fastest qualifier Fixin To Fly and third-fastest qualifier This Boogie Fires.

“We wanted a Walk Thru Fire baby and that’s why we bought her at the Heritage Place Sale,” said Jose Trevino, owner of Tremor Enterprises. “Walk Thru Fire is an outstanding sire and a lot of his horses seem to hit it big.”

Separate Fire broke her maiden in :15.40, at Los Alamitos. Prior to that, on March 19, she set what is believed to be the fastest 220-yard gate work (:11.80) by an unraced 2-year-old.  The Kindergarten trial win was her second in two starts.

“When she drilled in :11.80, Ramon Sanchez had to straighten her out during the first fifty yards,” said Jones, who won the 2009 Kindergarten with Revv It Up. “Once he got her head going straight, that’s when he started riding her. When we saw that her time was an eleven-eight, we knew we had a super fast filly.”