Frosted Headlines Woodward Stakes

A look At Frosted And Wrap-Up Of The Summer

By: Staff

Saratoga’s stakes program is a lucrative one, offering stakes between $400,000 and $1.25 million during the summer weekends and rounding out on Labor Day weekend. If you bet on horse racing, it’s time to get your facts right.

On Saturday, August 6, Saratoga hosted the $1.25 million Whitney Stakes and the $500,000 Test stakes. The Whitney, which was first run in 1928, was won by 5x Horse of the Year Kelso a record 3 times. The Whitney has been won by several Hall of Famers such as Dr. Fager, Alydar, Easy Goer, Slew o Gold and filly Personal Ensign.

This year, Frosted galloped to win the renewal of the Gr.1 Whitney by 2 lengths, earning the 4-year-old an outstanding Beyer speed figure of 107. The dappled grey colt continues to dominate in the east as the top older horse and heads into this weekend’s Woodward Stakes as the 1-2 favorite.

Frosted will take on eight horses in this year’s $600,000 Gr.1 Woodward Stakes. Among the contenders are 2015 Preakness Stakes runner-up Tale of Verve, Brooklyn Invitational Stakes winner Shaman Ghost, Suburban Handicap runner-up Samraat, and stablemate Mubtaahij.

In a statement, McLaughlin said Frosted had won the Metropolitan Mile with the same 107 Beyer Speed Figure as he won the Whitney, and that with his versatility and strength, he (McLaughlin) is not yet sure whether to point the colt to the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic or to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile in November at Santa Anita Park. “He’s doing great,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said of Frosted on September 2. “We’re still waiting [to see how he does this start and make a decision.”

Saratoga’s weekends have seen longshots run away with huge upsets: Paola Queen won the Gr.1 Test at incredible odds of 55-1; Laoban upset a stellar field in the Jim Dandy at 27-1; and Bob Baffert-trained Arrogate shattered a track record that stood since 1979 when he won the $1.25 million Travers Stakes by 13 ½ lengths in 1:59.36 at generous odds of 11-1.

Summer Notes:

• Kentucky Derby runner-up, Preakness Stakes and Haskell Invitational winner Exaggerator also took part in the Travers, finishing 11th of 13.

• Nona Mela took charge to win the $200,000 Gr.2 Adirondack Stakes (6 ½ furlongs on dirt for 2-year-old fillies), William Mott-trained Tourist won the $500,000 Gr.1 Fourstardave (one mile on grass).

• Trainer Tom Morley won his first Grade One stakes race with Haveyougoneaway in the Ballerina – the 5-year-old mare beat top fillies/mares Carina Mia, Sheer Drama and Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Wavell Avenue.

• Lady Eli made her comeback after battling laminitis. She ran second in the $400,000 Gr.2 Ballston Spa Stakes after a 13-month lay-off.

Out West

72 miles north of San Diego, beautiful Del Mar Thoroughbred Club will close the curtain on its 2016 summer meet this weekend.

On Saturday, August 6, 2-year-old fillies ran across the dirt in the Gr.2 $150,000 Sorrento Stakes. On September 3 (closing weekend), 2-year-old fillies return to run in the $300,000 Gr.1 Debutante Stakes, and Triple Crown winning American Pharoah’s sister, American Cleopatra headlines the field as the 5-2 morning line favorite.

Straight Fire, the 2-year-old colt who earned a 98 Beyer speed figure after winning his second start by 10 ½ lengths, at Del Mar on August 6, will not be running on closing weekend, but looks to do great things in the near future. The $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile is on the horizon.

Back on August 14, Richard Baltas-trained Free Rose won the $150,000 Gr.3 La Jolla Handicap, completing the 1-1/16 miles in 1:40:73 at 28-1.

And who could forget the epic show downs between 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome and the super talented Dortmund in the $200,000 Gr.2 San Diego Handicap, and California Chrome and Beholder in the $1million Pacific Classic. Both races were won by the Art Sherman-trained superstar, California Chrome, who has now made upwards of $13.2 million in career earnings.

Other Summer Notes:

• Mondialiste won the$1 million Gr.1 Arlington Million by a neck. The top 3 finishers were foreign-bred: Mondialiste an Irish-bred, Kasaqui an Argentinian-bred, and Deauville also Irish-bred.

• Champion filly Songbird returned to Del Mar on August 22 after spending her summer at Saratoga, where she won the $500,000 Gr.1 Coaching Club American Oaks and $600,000 Gr.1 Alabama Stakes by a combined margin of 12 ¼ lengths. She will run in the Gr.1 Cotillion Stakes next at Parx Racing in Pennsylvania.