Character and guts are rare attributes in any animal but Kiaran McLaughlin feels that Frosted is no ordinary racehorse and that he will hold his own in the US$5 million (Dh18.3m) Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on Saturday.
Frosted chased home the short tail of American Pharoah three times without success during the summer but it was in the Pennsylvania Derby last month in which he showed his true colours.
The grey colt had gone hoof to hoof with the Triple Crown winner for 1,800 metres in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga in August, and only ceded advantage in the closing stages when the two were exhausted and were picked up wide by Keen Ice.
It was Frosted’s best effort against American Pharoah but the impression many had afterwards was that he may have dug too deep for nothing to be left.
Frosted clearly had other ideas and much against McLaughlin’s usual practices, Frosted came out just three weeks later and won the Pennsylvania Derby.
“He came out of the Travers so well and he just was tearing the barn down and we decided to go ahead and run him,” McLaughlin said by teleconference. “He’s put on weight since the Pennsylvania Derby.
“He’s matured, he’s a beautiful horse, and we’re very happy with him.”
Comparing racehorses is almost impossible, but McLaughlin feels that Frosted’s iron constitution is similar to that of his sole Classic winner. Invasor powered to victory in the Breeders’ Cup feature in 2006, and subsequently landed McLaughlin the Dubai World Cup at Nad Al Sheba.
“Invasor was just unbelievable and every time you let him out you didn’t think he would get beat and he didn’t, and he seemed to never get tired either,” McLaughlin said.
“So it takes a special horse like that to be able to do what we’ve done.”
One of the reasons that contributed to Frosted vying for the lead with American Pharoah at Saratoga was that Jose Lezcano was a late replacement for Joel Rosario, who was injured in fall earlier on the card.
Rosario is unlikely to push Frosted too far forward, but out of Gate 3 on what could be a sloppy surface after the heavy rain in Lexington this week the prospect of getting pummeled with heavy kickback must surely be unappealing.
There is little pace in the race, which means that once again American Pharoah, drawn next door in Gate 4 under Victor Espinoza, is likely to be on the speed. It will be up to Rosario to stick or twist on the Godolphin runner.
Frosted is the leading candidate for the Dubai-based operation but tonight they have a strong hand, also. Wedding Toast will start favourite for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff for McLaughlin, while British-based trainers John Gosden and Richard Fahey will saddle Cymric and Birchwood respectively in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, a race won by Charlie Appleby with Outstrip in 2013.
“She’s just training great and running very well and we think that she will run very well,” McLaughlin said of Wedding Toast.
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