Frosted brings his show to the Woodward

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – He was otherworldly in the Metropolitan Handicap. He was outstanding in the Whitney. What Frosted has in store next is the intrigue in Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga.

Frosted, the leading older male dirt horse on the East Coast, faces eight rivals in the Woodward, the highlight of the final Saturday program of the Saratoga meet. First post is 12:30 p.m. Eastern, and the card includes the Grade 1 Spinaway, Grade 3 Saranac, and Grade 3 Glens Falls.

Frosted, a 4-year-old son of Tapit owned by Godolphin Racing and trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, earned the two biggest Beyer Speed Figures of his career in his most recent starts. He won the Met Mile by 14 1/4 lengths and ran the fastest time (1:32.73) in the 123 runnings of the race, earning a 123 Beyer. Frosted came back eight weeks later and showed previously unseen early speed to win the Grade 1 Whitney by two lengths, earning a 107 Beyer.

Choosing to run Frosted back in four weeks gives McLaughlin the option of waiting nine weeks to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. And while there’s a nice group of horses assembled for the Woodward – including Bradester, Mubtaahij, Samraat, and Shaman Ghost – Frosted is the most accomplished.

“He’s the best horse,” McLaughlin said. “Hopefully, he doesn’t have to run a monster race to be effective. I have a lot of respect for [Bradester]. We hope we don’t have to run a ‘wow’ race to win.”

In the Whitney, Joel Rosario put Frosted on the lead, setting fractions of 23.11 seconds for the quarter, 46.42 for the half-mile, 1:09.65 for six furlongs, and 1:34.52 for a mile, and they covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.77.

“I was surprised he went to the lead,” McLaughlin said.

The Woodward, which like the Whitney is run at 1 1/8 miles, has more speed in it, led by Bradester, who has won three consecutive races – including the Grade 1 Stephen Foster – on the front end. Frosted, who will be ridden by Rosario, breaks from post 3, one slot inside of Bradester, who has Joe Bravo to ride.

“Joel will figure out what he wants to do,” McLaughlin said. “To me, Bravo goes, and we might be able to follow him.”

Trainer Eddie Kenneally said he doesn’t plan on changing Bradester’s running style.

“He’s broken well in his races, and if he does again, he’s got plenty of natural speed, so I’m sure he will want to be up close to the pace,” Kenneally said. “That’s the running style he’s adopted. That seems to be working. We’re not going to change a whole lot. We’re going to let him do his thing.”

Though he wasn’t planning to run against Frosted in the Woodward, Kenneally said Bradester is “as good as he can be, for sure.”

“Definitely, Frosted is the leader on the East Coast,” Kenneally said. “It is a Grade 1 after all, and these are the kinds of horses you have to run against.”

Longshots in the Woodward include Tale of Verve, Catholic Cowboy, Breaking Lucky, and the low-level claimer Tapin Mojo.

Key Contenders

Frosted, by Tapit

Last 3 Beyers: 107-123-103

◗ He is a three-time graded stakes winner at 1 1/8 miles, including a two-length victory in the Whitney in his last start.

◗ The last time he ran back in a relatively short period of time, he won the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby following a third-place finish in the Travers, earning what was then a career-best 106 Beyer.

Bradester, by Lion Heart

Last 3 Beyers: 100-101-102

◗ He is 3 for 3 this year, with the Stephen Foster his first win at 1 1/8 miles from three tries.

“We’re going to have to run as good as we have been running,” Kenneally said. “We can’t regress if we hope to be competitive in this kind of race.”

◗ Comes off a 2 1/2-length victory in the Grade 2 Monmouth Cup, his fourth win from seven starts at Monmouth Park.

◗ In his only start at Saratoga, he finished second in a seven-furlong allowance race on Aug. 24, 2013.

Mubtaahij, by Dubawi

Last 3 Beyers: 101-95-91

◗ Finished second to California Chrome in the $10 million Dubai World Cup, a race in which Frosted finished fifth.

◗ In his first start for McLaughlin, he finished third, beaten 1 1/2 lengths by Effinex, in the Grade 2 Suburban. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said he learned that the horse is a bit one-paced in the Suburban and plans on keeping him closer to the pace in the Woodward.

Shaman Ghost, by Ghostzapper

Last 3 Beyers: 94-99-97

◗ Took advantage of a dream trip and showed a good late kick to win the Grade 2 Brooklyn at 1 1/2 miles on Belmont Stakes Day.

◗ Finished fifth in the Suburban, without a real excuse.

◗ Gets Lasix for the first time Saturday.