Frosted Continues Travers Preparations
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Photo:
Adam Mooshian/NYRA
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin was forced to call an audible with Travers contender Frosted. The Grade 1 TwinSpires.com Wood Memorial winner was supposed to work Friday for the Mid-Summer Derby, but with rain in the forecast he instead hit the track Thursday morning for his final serious work in advance of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers on August 29 at Saratoga Race Course.
Under regular rider Joel Rosario, the gray colt breezed five furlongs in 59.59 seconds over the Saratoga main track, a much swifter move than his previous work of four furlongs in 51.25 on August 14.
"He worked great," said McLaughlin. "He worked with Cavallucci, who's still a maiden but works well, to make sure he had a good work. He was back in six days because he went slow the week before. He took a lot of dirt and went great. We're all set."
After a successful 2-year-old campaign that included a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Remsen at Aqueduct Racetrack, Frosted stepped his game up as a sophomore. The son of Tapit finished second in the Grade 2 Holy Bull to kick off 2015, and then won the Wood two starts later on the heels of a disappointing fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth.
Frosted was sent off at odds of 10-1 in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, and finished fourth behind American Pharoah after a wide trip. The Godolphin Stable color-bearer again encountered American Pharoah in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, this time finishing second, beaten 5 ½ lengths by the Triple Crown winner.
With American Pharoah's Travers status still in limbo, McLaughlin is somewhat ambivalent about having to face the Bob Baffert trainee for a third time this year.
"Obviously, we've been beat by him twice, so we prefer not to run against him, but if he shows up it's great for the game," said McLaughlin. "We'll deal with it. We're not adjusting our schedule."
Should the Triple Crown winner not show, McLaughlin is confident his colt is capable of firing a winning race, including turning the tables on Grade 2 Jim Dandy winner Texas Red, who beat Frosted by a half-length in his most recent outing.
"We like our chances," he said. "With equal weights it should help us against Texas Red, but there are good horses [pointing to the Travers]. It'll be a good race, either way. We're ready."
On Monday, Jess's Dream will make his long-awaited debut for McLaughlin and Stonestreet Stables in the sixth race, a 1 1/8-mile maiden race. A son of two Horse of the Year honorees - Curlin and Rachel Alexandra - Jess's Dream will hope to follow in the footsteps of his younger sister, Rachel's Valentina, a daughter of Rachel Alexandra who enjoyed a winning debut earlier in the meet. He is the first foal out of 2009 Woodward winner Rachel Alexandra.
"It's exciting," said McLaughlin. "To be honest, I don't know that I've ever run a horse a mile and an eighth first time out. Here it's either 6 ½ [furlongs], seven [furlongs] or a mile and an eighth. He's not a sprinter. It's a tough distance and he might get a little tired, but we're excited to get him in the gate and go from here. He's got a bright future."
Two races later on Monday, McLaughlin will saddle Rachel Alexandra's full sister, Samantha Nicole, in the $100,000 Summer Colony.
"She's in tough, but if we can finish first, second or third it's great for her resume," said McLaughlin. "We could have run her in an allowance race, but we opted for the stake. It's a tougher spot, but maybe we can get lucky, and she always tries hard."
Source: NYRA Communications
Source: NYRA Communications
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