Dotted Line proves able backup in Frost King

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Sid Attard was expected to have the favorite in last Saturday’s $100,400 Frost King with the unbeaten Red Giveaway, who got sick and missed the stakes for Ontario-sired 2-year-olds. Attard went to his bench and won it with the 49-1 shot Dotted Line, who – like Red Giveaway – is a son of Signature Red owned by Norseman Racing Stable.

With Justin Stein aboard, Dotted Line had a dream stalking trip along the inside in the seven-furlong Frost King and beat favored filly Artie’s Princess by a neck. His quick time of 1:22.25 translated into a big 81 Beyer Speed Figure.

Attard said owner Howie Walton misspoke after the race about running Dotted Line back in the Nov. 23 Coronation Futurity for Canadian-breds. He said the gelding will return Dec. 4 in the $100,000 Kingarvie Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile test for Ontario-sired juveniles.

“He came back very good,” Attard said.

Red Giveaway won his two starts by 4 1/4 lengths each, including the restricted Bull Page Stakes with an 84 Beyer.

“He got sick on us, so I don’t think he’s going to run anymore this year,” Attard said. “We thought he was going to be okay, but we wanted to make sure.”

◗ Stein retired in the spring of 2016 when he moved back to his native British Columbia with his family, and his comeback this year has been a resounding success. He swept both Woodbine stakes last weekend, including the La Prevoyante aboard Sav on Sunday, when he won three other races.

Stein has been riding for some of his longtime clients, including trainers Paul Buttigieg and Danny Vella, for whom he won the 2012 Queen’s Plate on Strait of Dover. He said he had no expectations when returning to the local scene in the spring.

“I missed riding every day that I was gone,” Stein said. “I wanted to come back and ride. I set a few goals, but it’s gone incredibly better than I expected. It was really nice to feel that warm welcome home. I thought I was confident before, but their confidence in me has built it up even more.”

Stein, 39, ranked 10th in the Woodbine standings through Sunday, with 38 wins on 346 mounts.

◗ Trainer Ricky Griffith said Sav is on her way to Ocala, Fla., for the winter for a well-deserved respite after landing her first stakes win in the $100,000 La Prevoyante.

“She’s a very hard-knocking filly,” Griffith said. “She’s been good to us.”

The 1 1/16-mile La Prevoyante was Sav’s first start around two turns, and she was able to overhaul Ciuri, who had set dawdling fractions. Ciuri defeated Sav in the June 28 Lady Angela Stakes.