Friesan Fire is an American Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

 racehorse

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

. He was sired by 1992 American Horse of the Year, A.P. Indy

A.P. Indy

A.P. Indy is a champion stallion Thoroughbred racehorse bred in Kentucky, USA, by William Farish III and William Kilroy. He is known for his ancestry, his own record, and his successful progeny. He was sired by Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew through mare Weekend Surprise, who herself was sired...

, a son of the 1977 U.S. Triple Crown

United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing

In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...

 winner, Seattle Slew

Seattle Slew

Seattle Slew was an American Thoroughbred race horse who won the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1977, the tenth of eleven horses to accomplish the feat. He remains the only horse to win the Triple Crown while undefeated. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S...

. His dam, Bollinger, is an Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n Group One

Group One

Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...

 winner and a daughter of the 1993 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, Dehere

Dehere

Dehere is an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred and raced by Robert E. Brennan's Due Process Stable. Sired by Canadian Hall of Fame inductee and two-time North American Champion sire, Deputy Minister, he was out of the mare Sister Dot, a daughter of the great U.S...

. Bred by Grapestock LLC, he was sold for $725,000 at the Keeneland yearling sale

Keeneland Sales

The Keeneland Sales is an American Thoroughbred auction house in Lexington, Kentucky founded in 1935 as a nonprofit racing/auction entity on 147 acres of farmland west of Lexington, which had been owned by Jack O. Keene...

 in September 2007.

Owned and raced by Vinery Stables & Fox Hill Farm, Friesan Fire is trained by J. Larry Jones

J. Larry Jones

J. Larry Jones is an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer. A former commercial farmer, he embarked on a career as a professional trainer in 1982....

, who trained Eight Belles

Eight Belles

Eight Belles was a thoroughbred racehorse owned by Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farms. She finished second to winner Big Brown in the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby held at Churchill Downs, a race run by only thirty-nine fillies in the past...

, the 2008 Kentucky Derby

2008 Kentucky Derby

The 2008 Kentucky Derby was the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 3, 2008 with 157,770 in attendance, the second largest in Derby history. Post time was 6:15 p.m. EDT and was televised in the United States on the NBC television network.Big Brown won the race by nearly...

 second place finisher. The colt's best result racing as a two year old was a third-place finish in the 2008 Belmont Futurity Stakes. However, after winning three important Graded stakes race

Graded stakes race

A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...

s including the Louisiana Derby

Louisiana Derby

The Louisiana Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Usually run in early March, the race is open to horses, age three, willing to race 11/8 miles on the dirt. A Grade II event, it currently offers a purse of...

, he became a leading contender for the Kentucky Derby

Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...

, the first leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series, and was the favorite on Derby Day at 7:2 after I Want Revenge

I Want Revenge

I Want Revenge is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was one of the favorites to win the May 2, 2009 Kentucky Derby. He was sired by Grade I winner, Stephen Got Even, a son of 1992 American Horse of the Year and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, A.P. Indy...

 scratched. However he did not finish in the top 3. He finished 18th.

On January 23, 2010, Fresian Fire once more showed his style. Racing in blinkers he took the Louisiana Handicap

Louisiana Handicap

The Louisiana Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the third week of January at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana...

wire-to-wire, beating General Quarters, a horse also on the 2009 Derby trail. He was fourth in the Texas Mile Stakes in 2011.