Veteran trainer Krcmar hoping his colt Fire and Wine goes all 'King Kong' in the Breeders' Stakes

By Steve Buffery

With the energy of a man half his age, 85-year-old trainer Zeljko Krcmar marches through his barn at the Woodbine backstretch and says: “Where is the big boy?”

The “big boy” is Krcmar’s three-year-old colt Fire and Wine, who will be one of the favorites in this Sunday’s Breeders’ Stakes at Woodbine, the third and final jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown.

The Croatian-born Krcmar is hoping that Fire and Wine can return to the form he demonstrated in the King’s Plate in Sunday’s $500,000 Breeders’ Stakes, contested over 1 ½ miles on the E.P. Taylor Turf course, a major test of endurance for the three-year-olds. In the King’s Plate, with jockey Jalon Samuel aboard, Fire and Wine took the lead out of the gate – as Krcmar hoped he would – and set a brisk place and held on for third, behind Luster and Military Time. Both the Josie Carroll-trained Luster and Mark Casse-conditioned Military Time will not race in Sunday’s Breeders’ Crown. Carroll decided to give Luster, who won the Plate by a stunning 7 ¼ lengths, a break after that race and Casse was looking at possibly entering Military Time, who won the Prince of Wales, in the Grade 3 Ontario Derby on Oct.17 at Woodbine. Without Luster and Military Time, the Breeders’ is wide open and Krcmar is confident that Fire and Wine (Lexitonian-Double Latte by The Factor) will step up to the challenge, even though he is yet to win again since prevailing in the prestigious Coronation Futurity last year, the premier race for two-year-olds in Canada, a contest he won by five lengths.

“He’s training extremely well, hopefully he likes the grass. He didn’t like the dirt,” said Krcmar, alluding to the dirt course at Fort Erie for the Prince of Wales, the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown. “He’s sharp for Sunday. Really sharp.”

Originally purchased at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky February Mixed Sale for $5,000, Fire and Wine broke his maiden in his sixth start as a two-year-old in a $40,000 maiden claiming race by a stunning 13 lengths and then won the Coronation in dominant fashion in his next outing, thus allowing Krcmar to dream of winning his first Canadian Triple Crown race. However, things didn’t get off to a great start in his three-year-old campaign as Fire and Wine finished sixth in the King Corrie and Marine Stakes this year and then eighth in the Plate Trial.

“He slowed down because of his growth,” said Krcmar. “His legs were all over the place. And you can’t push him because you’ll break him down. When you’re a young horse of that size they usually break down fast.”

“He’s still growing, his ass end is up that high,” added Krcmar, holding one hand at about a 25-degree angle. “He could end up maybe 17 (hands), two (inches) as a four-year-old. He’ll be huge. He’s going to be a strong, big horse.”

After finishing third in the King’s Plate, Fire and Wine finished fifth in the Prince of Wales, Krcmar suggesting that his colt didn't like the dirt track but he’s hopeful that Fire and Wine, owned by Paul Ryder and his wife Lynda, will take to the E.P. Taylor turf course. As was the case in the Plate, Krcmar is banking on Samuel getting Fire and Wine out of the gate near the front of the pack.

“He’s a little bit chicken when somebody’s beside him, but when he’s on the lead he thinks he’s King Kong,” said Krcmar with a laugh. “This time I’m going to send him to the front again by himself – go on the front and say ‘Catch me if you can.’ He’s ready to go two miles easy. Easy. And let’s hope he’ll stay there until the wire.”

Krcmar, who proudly bears the Croatian emblem at his barn, arrived in Canada from Yugoslavia in 1968 and, three years later, after working as a chemist, secured his training licence. Growing up around horses, Krcmar was a show jumper back home. And even though he’s nowin his mid-80’s, the personable conditioner is at the track everyday around 4:30 a.m., working until 10-11, with no plans to slow down.

“God no. What am I going to do? Sit at home and die? I’m only 85. What the hell? You got to keep on going. Don’t slow down. If you slow down, then you’re done,” said Krcmar, who credits his wife, Gail, with helping to keep the operation at Barn No.1 in the Woodbine backstretch running smoothly every day. “She’s amazing, she’s 79. She out-works me and everybody in the barn.”

Tafari Chang had been Fire and Wine’s groom the last two years.

A winner of 176 races during his career, including five stakes, Krcmar has recorded purse earnings of $4,102,028 and has seven wins, three seconds and three thirds in 25 starts this year, including two victories at Woodbine last Saturday with Interim Analysis and Sheshimaintenance – a four-year-old, Florida-bred filly that has an impressive six wins, a second and a third in nine starts this year. Sheshimaintenance is owned by Krcmar’s daughter Mary Self and Polly Benson.

Fire and Wine drew post position No.3 in the talented six-horse field for the Breeders’ Stakes. The other entries are Bond Market (PP 1, jockey Xarel Forde, trainer Carlos Grant); Keepmypowderdry, (PP2, Pietro Moran, Don MacRae); Katie’s Grace (PP4, Ryan Munger, Catherine Day Phillips); Buium (PP5, Emma-Jayne Wilson, Kevin Attard); Imyourmedicineman (PP6, Fraser Aebly, Harold Ladouceur).