Firing Line's pedigree reveals he's a son of Line of David.
His performances on the racetrack say he's a direct off-spring of Alydar.
Twice during the Kentucky Derby prep season, Firing Line engaged in a fierce stretch battle with Dortmund that sparked memories of the famed duels between Alydar and his arch-rival Affirmed.
In December, trainer Simon Callaghan's colt held a short lead over Dortmund at the eighth pole in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity, only to have Dortmund beat him by a head after a strenuous three-horse stretch duel.
In both horses' next race, they met in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita on Feb. 7. This time, Firing Line surged past Dortmund to open a length lead at the eighth pole. Yet the Bob Baffert-trained Dortmund showed his mettle by digging down, coming back at Firing Line and proving best by a head in an exciting final-furlong duel.
For their final preps, they headed in separate directions. Callaghan targeted the Grade 3 Sunland Derby on March, giving Firing Line a six-week gap between the race and the Derby. Free of Dortmund's shadow, owner Arnold Zetcher's 3-year-old romped to a 14 ¼-length victory.
Two weeks later, the undefeated Dortmund notched a decisive 4 ¼-length victory in the far more prestigious Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby.
Round 3 came in the biggest race of all, the $2 million Kentucky Derby. Firing Line pressed the early pace of Dortmund and inched past his nemesis midway on the final turn, but this time, the budding "Affirmed and Alydar" had company.
"We got past Dortmund, and it was starting to feel a little bit like Alydar and Affirmed, and now we faced two Affirmeds instead of one in the Kentucky Derby," said Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, who has been on Firing Line since the Lewis.
The "other" Affirmed was actually last year's 2-year-old champion, American Pharoah, who is also trained by Baffert. He quickly drew alongside Firing Line and this time, they were the ones locked in a heated stretch duel, with Dortmund straining to stay close to them.
With a record crowd of 170,513 roaring its approval, American Pharoah and Firing Line staged their version of an Affirmed-Alydar stretch duel as American Pharoah finally edged away in the final 70 yards to win by a length. A tired Dortmund was another two lengths back in third.
In recent years, many of the top finishers in the Derby have opted for discretion over valor and sat out the Preakness in favor of resting for the Belmont Stakes. Yet this year the percolating rivalry between Firing Line, Dortmund and now American Pharoah has brought all three of them to Baltimore for Saturday's $1.5 million Preakness, the middle jewel in racing's supremely coveted Triple Crown, where they are the dominant figures in a small field.
That Triple Crown hopeful American Pharoah will be there is a no-brainer. Dortmund, since he's also trained by Baffert, is somewhat of a surprise starter, yet he and American Pharoah have different owners and the Preakness ranks as one of Baffert's favorite races.
With those two on board, few would have complained if Callaghan had elected to let the two speedy stablemates knock heads at Pimlico in order to face one or both of them in New York. Yet Callaghan, a 32-year-old native of Cambridge, England, never flinched from the prospect of making it a trio, adding to the excitement built into this year's race and giving it a level of charisma unseen since 2009 when the top three finishers in that year's Derby all moved on to Pimlico.
"We really like the signs and signals he's been showing us since the Kentucky Derby. He's done everything we'd like to see, and he's taken the race extremely well," said Callaghan, who moved to the United States in 2009.
Though the Kentucky-bred was second best once again, Stevens was proud of the fight his horse put in, especially since Firing Line did not switch leads in the stretch, which might have given him an extra burst of speed late in the race.
"When we came into the stretch, I thought to myself, 'Man, this is going to be a big three-horse race. Right now, we're going to have to dig deep.' American Pharoah, he accelerated coming off the turn, and my horse went with him," the 52-year-old Hall of Famer said. "We got away from Dortmund in a matter of two or three strides, so there was one down and now the battle was between Firing Line and American Pharoah.
"You know, lots been made of Firing Line not switching leads, and why he did not switch, I don't know. I wasn't prepared for it because he had never shown me any inclination that he wouldn't before, but he was digging hard, he was trying."
Two key elements figure to decide if there will be a revision of the order of finish from the first Saturday in May.
The first involves returning on just two weeks rest, a rare phenomenon in Grade 1 stakes these days. Depending on how much the Derby took out of each of the horses, the final furlongs could turn out to be a steep, uphill climb for a weary 3-year-old. There's no predicting how each horse will handle it, but Callaghan is hopeful the added weeks of rest Firing Line had over Baffert's duo coming into the Run for the Roses will pay off as the field approaches the finish line in a race a half-furlong shorter than the Derby.
"I love the way he's come out of the race," Callaghan said. "He's been eating up, he's been very bright and showing us lots of positive vibes since the race. I think that's one thing. He's really the sort of horse that just takes these big races and all the build-up and everything in his stride, and coming back in distance a touch, I think certainly is not going to count against him. I think we've got a really good chance of turning the tables, but obviously we highly respect both of Bob's runners, and there's a couple of other interesting runners in there as well. So it's going to be tough, it's not going to be easy, but we feel we've certainly got a real chance, a good chance to do it."
Stevens noted Firing Line galloped in a manner indicating he was not exhausted after his first try at a grueling mile and a quarter distance and believes his horse can bounce back with another solid effort on Saturday.
"He's the first horse that I've ridden in the Derby that he was still a fresh horse [after it]. The outrider had to help me pull him up. His gallop out was strong," Stevens said of a colt purchased for $240,000 at a 2-year-old sale.
The post position draw could also have an impact on how the race unfolds and finishes. In the 18-horse Derby, Dortmund had post seven, Firing Line nine and American Pharoah 15, and that helped to dictate the running positions on the backstretch. Dortmund led from the inside, with Firing Line second outside him and American Pharoah stalking them from the outside.
With each of the three preferring to run on or near the front, radically different posts could alter who leads and who chases and perhaps the outcome as well.
"Yes, obviously the draw plays a massive part, and if we had drawn differently that would have changed the way the race was run, and we would have probably been in slightly different positions," Callaghan said. "So I guess we'll just see how the draw at the Preakness works out. If we're outside, that gives you a little bit more options, I guess."
If Firing Line does have that touch of Alydar in him, it paints a picture of a thrilling race at Pimlico with another double-scoop serving of disappointment for him and his connections. Stevens, though, remains as optimistic as ever.
"[Firing Line] has grown with each race," he said. "A lot of people, because of his first two defeats by Dortmund, thought that he was a horse that likes to hang a little bit and maybe doesn't want to try in a battle. I think the Derby proved that people might have been mistaken. There was a lot of question about his ability to get the distance. He put that to rest. American Pharoah, he really hadn't been in a battle. My horse has been in two big battles, now three big battles, and he seems to relish it. He likes the competition."
Of course, even Alydar had his day from time to time, and perhaps on Saturday, if there's a photo finish, Firing Line might finally smile when the shutter opens and closes. If doesn't, with a horse as honest and consistent as Firing Line, it surely will not be for a lack of trying.