Xtra Heat

It was 6 a.m. and the sun had yet to peek over the horizon at Laurel Park, but local sensation Xtra Heat had already begun her day. Some horses kicked the doors of their stalls; others bucked in outdoor pens. Xtra Heat waited quietly in her stall for her turn to be saddled and bridled. There were no cameras, fans or glitz. It was an ordinary day for the extraordinary, 4-year old filly. A little after 6, Xtra Heat's groom, Javier Cruz, placed a bright orange and red saddle on her back.

A million-dollar international race doesn't usually serve as practice for a $300,000 stakes in Maryland. But following a script that is part wisdom and part luck, the Breeders' Cup Sprint three weeks ago at Belmont Park turned out to be a dress rehearsal for the Frank. J. De Francis Memorial Dash today at Laurel Park. In the Sprint, the astute California trainers Jim Chapman and Bruce Headley watched the little filly from Maryland, Xtra Heat, shoot into the lead and then, to their amazement, nearly hold on at the end. They learned their lessons.

Until Thunderello ran a gritty second in the Breeders' Cup Sprint less than three weeks ago, the De Francis Dash wasn't even on trainer Scott Lake's mind. Now, Lake has in his barn the overnight favorite for the Grade I, $300,000 De Francis Dash on Saturday at Laurel Park. Thunderello was made a slight 9-to-5 choice yesterday over California speedster Avanzado in a field of eight that does not include the popular local filly, Xtra Heat. "I love it," Lake said of being the favorite. "He ran a tremendous race in the Breeders' Cup [beaten by a half length by now-retired Orientate]

One day after failing to sell at auction, Xtra Heat was sold privately for $1.5 million to ClassicStar, a Utah-based group with a farm in Kentucky and high hopes for Xtra Heat as a broodmare. Tony Ferguson, one of ClassicStar's owners, said yesterday that Xtra Heat would continue racing for John Salzman, her Laurel trainer, until the decision is made to breed her to a top Kentucky stallion. "Xtra Heat has proven speed and proven durability," Ferguson said. "She's a great East Coast sprinter and we think she'll be a great future mother.

Xtra Heat beat them once. If she's ever going to earn their respect, she's going to have to beat them again. She'll have her chance Saturday in the $300,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park. Xtra Heat, the Maryland filly who finished second in the Breeders' Cup Sprint Oct. 27 at Belmont Park, will tangle again with three males who chased her in that race: Caller One, Delaware Township and Kona Gold. The post-position draw yesterday for the six-furlong De Francis Dash practically ensures a repeat strategy employed in the Sprint.

Xtra Heat will stare into the face of history when she enters the starting gate today in the Barbara Fritchie Handicap at Laurel Park. The 5-year-old mare based at Laurel could become North America's leading female thoroughbred in stakes wins. She is tied at 24 with Susan's Girl, a three-time champion who raced in the 1970s. The $200,000 Barbara Fritchie, a Grade II stakes of seven furlongs for females, and the $200,000 General George Handicap, a Grade II stakes of seven furlongs for males, will headline the revamped Laurel card.

Rick Wilson shook his head. "She's unbelievable," the jockey said. The filly did it again. Xtra Heat, the Cinderella story of racing, equaled an 11-year-old track record in winning the $125,000 Straight Deal Breeders' Cup Handicap yesterday at Pimlico. Bet down to 1-5, the 3-year-old filly devoured a field of older horses by six lengths en route to her 15th victory in 18 races. Her time of 1 minute 9.07 seconds matched the six-furlong record set in 1990 by Northern Wolf. And Xtra Heat did it leisurely - or so it looked, as Wilson never raised his whip and urged the small but overpowering filly with merely his hands.

Before an international audience on racing's richest stage, Xtra Heat will attempt to become the leading earner among fillies and mares in North America when she races tomorrow in the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates. The $1.2 million winner's share of the Golden Shaheen purse, the world's richest for a sprint, would catapult Xtra Heat past Spain on the female earnings' roster. Spain, winner of the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff in 2000 and runner-up in 2001, retired with a bankroll of $3,540,542.

A bid of $1.7 million was not enough to buy the Maryland filly Xtra Heat last night at the Fasig-Tipton November selected sale of thoroughbreds in Lexington, Ky. The Eclipse Award-winning filly will be transported by van back to her Laurel Park stall today and continue racing for her Maryland owners, said John Salzman, her trainer. Salzman owns the 4-year-old Xtra Heat with fellow Marylanders Ken Taylor and Harry Deitchman. They had placed her in the auction with a reserve of slightly less than $2 million, Salzman said, meaning a bid had to surpass that for her to be sold.

Extra weight and extra distance were no extra burden for Xtra Heat yesterday in the Grade II, $200,000 Barbara Fritchie Handicap at Laurel Park . While carrying 128 pounds for the first time and running a distance over which she had been beaten twice in succession, the sensational filly romped to a 2 3/4 -length victory, her 19th in 24 career starts. It was an impressive step for the 4-year-old daughter of Dixieland Heat, who will make her next start in the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen on the undercard of the Dubai World Cup, March 23. "I'd love to win in Dubai," said Kenneth Taylor, one of the filly's three owners.