Classic: Longshots Frosted, Hard Aces work well

Frosted and Hard Aces, who will try to pull off an upset in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 31 at Keeneland, both turned in their final Breeders’ Cup works on Friday, a day when Beholder had a good day both on the track and off at Keeneland.

Frosted has been training in Saratoga at the private Greentree facility owned by Sheikh Mohammed. On Friday, he went a half-mile in 47 seconds, with a final quarter in 23.80, and galloped out five furlongs in 59.20, according to Daily Racing Form clocker Dave Norton.

“Great work. Fabulous,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said by phone from Saratoga. “He couldn’t be doing any better. He seems to have done better each day, from the Travers on.”

Frosted finished third in the Travers behind Classic runners Keen Ice and American Pharoah. He then came back to win the Pennsylvania Derby in his most recent start.

McLaughlin worked Frosted clockwise, as he did last week, the opposite of the direction he will race in the Classic. McLaughlin has said he likes to do that because he believes it helps horses stay sounder. He can do that at a private facility like Greentree. He can’t do that training at Saratoga on the main track or the Oklahoma training track.

Frosted is scheduled to travel to Keeneland on Monday, McLaughlin said.

At Santa Anita, Hard Aces worked six furlongs from the gate in 1:13.40 with jockey Joe Talamo, who will ride him in the Classic. Talamo replaces Victor Espinoza, who has the Classic mount on American Pharoah.

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“We let Joe get familiar with him,” said John Sadler, who trains Hard Aces. “He’s never been a good work horse. He worked well, galloped out well,”

The time equaled the second best of 11 at the distance on Friday.

Hard Aces is scheduled to fly from California to Kentucky on Sunday.

At Keeneland, Beholder had a strong gallop of about 1 1/4 miles as she progresses from the shipping fever that caused her to miss training after arriving earlier in the week from California.

“She’s doing very good,” her trainer, Richard Mandella, said by phone from Kentucky. “Everything’s good.”

Mandella had more good news come his way on Friday when the Breeders’ Cup decided to postpone until Monday, entry day, when decisions must be made on which race horses cross-entered and in oversubscribed races will run in. Had that not been postponed, Beholder’s connections would have had to decide on Friday whether to run in the Classic or the Distaff, which is oversubscribed with 16 pre-entrants.

Mandella has said all along – and repeated again Friday – that the Classic is the intended target, but he didn’t mind having a few more days to think about it.

“I’d just like to keep the option open as long as I can,” he said. “If they come and make me do something, I will, but I’d rather wait as long as I can.”

His wish was granted.