(Edited Aqueduct report)

When a 2-year-old bay son of A.P. Indy stepped off the van on arriving at Larry Jones’ barn this summer, he brought with him a reputation for talent and the unusual name of Friesan Fire.

“I don’t know what it means,” said Jones. “Fast horse, maybe.”

Sunday afternoon at Aqueduct Racetrack, Friesan Fire gets a chance to live up to Jones’ interpretation when he takes on six other juveniles in the 33rd running of the Grade 3, $100,000-added Nashua Stakes. Run at a mile, the Nashua will be the eighth of nine races, following its sister race, the $100,000-added Tempted for two-year-old fillies.

A three-length winner in his debut for Vinery Stables at Delaware Park on Aug. 25, Friesan Fire traveled to Belmont Park for his next start, finishing third behind Charitable Man in the Grade 2 Futurity at odds of 11-1. In that September 13 race, Friesan Fire was shuffled to last early on, and then closed well on the outside to best the others. Since then, said Jones, the colt has begun to mature.

“In his first two races, he was doing what he did on his pure talent,” said the trainer, who will give a leg up to John Velazquez . “Now, he’s starting to get a game plan. In the mornings, he’s starting to spot horses ahead of him in his gallops, and wants to go by them, instead of sitting behind them. This should be a good test for him.”

Trainer John Kimmel is another looking for a better performance in the Nashua from Break Water Edison, eighth in the Grade 1 Champagne in his last start following a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Hopeful. In both, the son of Lemon Drop Kid drew the rail; Sunday, he will break from post No. 6 under Alan Garcia.

“Six of seven, well, that’s good,” said Kimmel, who trains Break Water Edison for Eli Gindi. “In three of his four starts he had the one hole. We tried a different tactic last time in taking him back – too far, it turned out. He got so much dirt in his face and had to go wide, and he was through at six furlongs. He’s a lot better horse than he showed.”

Friesan Fire, Break Water Edison and the others will have to contend with Puglisi Racing’s Forty Thieves, runaway winner of both of his starts. The son of Read the Footnotes was a 7¾-length winner of his debut at Delaware Park on August 30, next, he romped by 5½ lengths over a sloppy track at Monmouth Park going six furlongs on September 27.

Although it appeared that Forty Thieves was a logical candidate for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, trainer Steve Klesaris was not happy with the way the colt had trained over the synthetic surface at Fair Hill and elected to keep him on dirt. He will be ridden by Cornelio Velasquez from post No. 7.

E. Paul Robsham’s Royal Vindication, winner of an overnight stakes at Belmont on Oct. 13; Elizabeth Valando’s Hello Broadway, fifth in the Grade 1 Champagne, and recent maiden winners Prince Charming, who carries the colors of Susan Moore, and Tire Kicker, owned by Camilla Casby, round out the field.

Royal Vindication has been no worse than third in four starts, putting together back-to-back wins at Belmont for trainer Stanley Hough. The son of Vindication will be ridden again by Javier Castellano and break from post No. 5.

Hello Broadway, who was roundly bumped at the start of the Champagne on Oct. 4, has been training well since for Barclay Tagg, including a five-furlong move in :58 4/5 on Oct. 22, the fastest of eight at the distance. The son of Broken Vow drew post No. 2 and has regular rider Eibar Coa aboard.

Prince Charming, another son of Vindication, came through in the mud in his third start for trainer Jimmy Jerkens on Sept. 27, and gets a new rider in Jose Lezcano from the rail.

The Mark Hennig-trained Tire Kicker will be making his first start on dirt, having broken his maiden at first asking on the grass at Belmont on Oct. 9, rallying from seventh to win by 2¼ lengths. A son of More Than Ready, Tire Kicker will have Ramon Dominguez up from post No. 3.

The field for the 33rd running of the Grade 3, $100,000-added Nashua

         Horse                           Jockey                       Trainer

1.      Prince Charming           Jose Lezcano              James Jerkens
2.      Hello Broadway            Eibar Coa                    Barclay Tagg
3.      Tire Kicker                    Ramon Dominguez       Mark Hennig
4.      Royal Vindication          Javier Castellano         Stanley Hough
5.      Friesan Fire                  John Velazquez           Larry Jones
6.      Break Water Edison     Alan Garcia                  John Kimmel
7.      Forty Thieves               Cornelio Velasquez     Steve Klesaris