Chocolate Gelato's rally too much for You're My Girl in Frizette Stakes
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Chocolate Gelato demonstrated a new dimension in winning Sunday’s Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette Stakes at Aqueduct and established herself as one of the top contenders in next month’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland.
Unlike her maiden victory at Saratoga, where she led from the start, Chocolate Gelato had to rally from fifth in the six-horse Frizette, splitting horses adeptly around the far turn and sustaining a three-furlong bid to beat the pacesetting You’re My Girl by one length. It was 2 3/4 lengths back to Grade 1 Spinaway winner Leave No Trace, who broke poorly under Jose Lezcano.
American Rockette finished fourth and was followed by Vedareo and The Great Maybe. Raging Sea scratched to run in Friday’s Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland.
Chocolate Gelato earned an 83 Beyer Speed Figure for the Frizette, nine points fewer than her maiden victory.
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said the plan was to have Chocolate Gelato close to the pace, but You’re My Girl out-broke her and others were more aggressive in their early positioning, leaving Chocolate Gelato fifth, but only three lengths off the pace.
Ortiz did a good job down the backside finding space between horses where Chocolate Gelato was not getting the slop kicked back in her face. Around the turn, Chocolate Gelato split Leave No Trace and The Great Maybe and had her head in front by the quarter pole. Chocolate Gelato opened up a length lead on You’re My Girl, the latter attempting to battle back under Joel Rosario, but Ortiz hand-rode Chocolate Gelato to the victory.
“Our plan was to try and be close, but they went too fast for me,” Ortiz said. “She was handling it pretty well and when I asked her a little bit she responded, she jumped on the bit right away. So, I was able to follow and tip her out at the three-eighths pole and as soon as she hit the clear she kept moving forward on her own.”
Ortiz indicated that when Chocolate Gelato got to the front, she idled a little bit, but when he asked her again she responded.
Chocolate Gelato, a daughter of Practical Joke owned by Mike Repole, covered the mile in the slop in 1:38.57 and returned $5.30 as the favorite.
“I liked the way she turned off, gives you the impression two turns is going to be within her range,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “I think she got there a little bit early and was waiting a little bit.”
The victory earned Chocolate Gelato a fees-paid berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 4 at Keeneland. Echo Zulu won last year’s Frizette and the Juvenile Fillies and was crowned 2-year-old filly champion.
You’re My Girl, a 14 1/2-length debut winner on Sept. 2 at Saratoga, tried to fight back when Chocolate Gelato came to her, but couldn’t stay with that one late.
“I wasn’t surprised with the speed she showed, she beat the gate, cruised out there and then we got down inside a little bit late and the inside is not the place to be,” John Terranova, the trainer of You’re My Girl, said. “It might have got to her that last little bit, but she kept fighting.”
You’re My Girl is not Breeders’ Cup nominated but Terranova said the ownership group will discuss whether or not to supplement to the Juvenile Fillies.
Leave No Trace, who won the Grade 1 Spinaway in her last start, broke open her stall doors before the official start of the race. When the gates opened for real, she broke inward brushing the side of the gate. Lezcano said being stuck on the inside part of the track did not help his cause.
“We were on the inside and we had to let her be there and the inside is no good,” Lezcano said. “I think she’s a very nice horse and she’ll be better next time.”
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