After a win in the Steve Sexton Mile, Frosted Grace will take aim at the Cornhusker Handicap
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GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Frosted Grace became a graded stakes winner Monday at Lone Star Park in the Grade 3, $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile and will go for another victory at that level in July.
Trainer Robertino Diodoro said Wednesday that Frosted Grace has returned to Churchill Downs and is now being pointed for the Grade 3, $300,000 Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows. The 1 1/8 miles race is July 8.
“I like the timing and it’s not a crazy ship from Churchill Downs,” Diodoro said. “He’s done well at [Churchill] and I want to keep that as his home base for as long as we can. I think it works out good.”
Frosted Grace put in a strong closing bid to win the Steve Sexton Mile by 1 1/2 lengths. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 97. Frosted Grace races for the Flying P Stable operation of Jason Provenzano.
“It’s a good win for him,” Diodoro said. “He’s put a lot into the game.”
Diodoro noted Provenzano also co-owns Lone Rock, the marathon specialist who has earned $1.4 million. Lone Rock is based in New York.
“He’ll work at Saratoga this weekend,” Diodoro said of Lone Rock. “If he works well, he’ll run in the Brooklyn.”
Lone Rock is a past winner of the Grade 2, $250,000 Brooklyn, which will be renewed June 10 on the undercard of the Belmont Stakes.
The Steve Sexton Mile was one of two stakes Diodoro won on the Lone Star Million Day card of six stakes Monday. He also saddled Adaline Julia to victory in the $100,000 Memorial Day Sprint.
Diodoro said Wednesday, Adaline Julia is now being considered for the $100,000 Saylorville, a six furlong race for fillies and mares July 7 at Prairie Meadows.
In her stakes debut, Adaline Julia fought off Tap Dance Fever for a three-quarter length win. She earned a Beyer of 82. Adaline Julia was winning for the fourth time in her last five starts, with her other victories at Oaklawn and Churchill.
In time, the daughter of Oxbow could test some different waters.
“She seems like a turf horse and she seems like a two-turn horse,” Diodoro said. “Obviously, we couldn’t try her on grass while at Oaklawn, but we wanted to try two turns. Every time we entered two turns, the race didn’t [go] or if there was one, we had just run in a sprint. Now, with how well she’s run sprinting, it’s hard to switch.”
Adaline Julia races for Jerry Caroom.
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