Nickname Makes a Name for Herself in Frizette
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Stretching out from six furlongs to a mile, Nickname became a Grade 1 winner on Saturday at Belmont Park, splashing home to victory in the $400,000 Frizette for 2-year-old fillies.
Since hooking Rachel's Valentina in her debut, Nickname has won two straight races for trainer Steve Asmussen and owner LNJ Foxwoods. The daughter of Scat Daddy won her second start by 3 ½ lengths on September 2 at Saratoga Race Course before capturing the Frizette by the same margin.
Ridden again by Javier Castellano on Saturday, Nickname tracked a solid pace set by 9-5 favorite She's All Ready of 22.78 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 46.10 for the half. After three-quarters in 1:10.93, Nickname commenced her rally and dispatched the enervated front-runner at the top of the stretch. Maintaining a steady run through the lane, Nickname completed the distance in 1:37.76 over a sloppy main track, with European invader Nemoralia securing runner-up honors.
"I tried to find my best shot, do the best thing for the horse and find the best way to get there," said Castellano. "I knew they went pretty quick and then picked it up. I didn't want to keep pushing and get caught in the pace. At the same time, I could see those two horses on the outside [Width and Nemoralia], so I had to move a little bit. She did really well."
Nickname bumped her bankroll to $293,950 and returned $12.80 on a $2 win wager. For her effort, the dark bay filly won an all-fees paid berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at the end of the month at Keeneland.
"When I first saw this filly, it was hard to believe she was one of the 2-year-olds," said Asmussen. "She just had that look and that feel about her from that moment. For things to come together so nice for our stable, from thinking and looking at her to being in the position we are today, a Grade 1 winner of a race of the caliber of the Frizette, is wonderful. In the paddock, she looked like she ran. [Assistant] Toby [Sheets] has done a wonderful job with her. She's a beautiful mare who just ran a very good race. For her to go from three-quarters [to a mile], I definitely was concerned about the off going, mainly because of how big she is. That's a lot of weight to get through the mud. She looked so good coming into the stretch; very professional. I'm extremely proud of her."
Nemoralia finished 1 ¼ lengths clear of third-place finisher She's All Ready, who checked in nine lengths clear of Width in fourth.
Desert Tune, Anna Rae, and Where's the D completed the order of finish.
Source: NYRA Communications (Sean Morris)
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