Frosted Grace surges past Silver Prospector, takes Oaklawn Mile

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Frosted Grace had an animated cheering section of two men fully engaged in the running of the Grade 3, $500,000 Oaklawn Mile as it was being shown on a big screen in the infield paddock area Saturday.

And in the midst of a large, loud Arkansas Derby Day crowd, Frosted Grace seemed to be responding to their screams of encouragement. He moved past leader Silver Prospector in the lane and went on to a 1 1/2-length win to push his career earnings past $1 million. Silver Prospector was a comfortable second, while it was another 3 3/4 lengths back in third to Nautical Star.

The Oaklawn Mile was the first of four consecutively stakes.

Frosted Grace ($14.40) was returning to the graded ranks after a win over $62,500 claiming rivals in January at Oaklawn. Earlier in his career, he won the Grade 3 Steve Sexton Mile at Lone Star Park.

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Frosted Grace was content to sit in fourth Saturday as Last Samurai and Silver Prospector led through fractions of 23.73 for the opening quarter and 46.84 for the half-mile.

Silver Prospector continued on through six furlongs in 1:10.80 as Frosted Grace advanced three wide on the final turn and went after the leaders into the stretch. He went on to cover the distance on a fast track in 1:36.31. The race ended at the sixteenth pole, and Frosted Grace earned a career-high 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

Ramon Vazquez was aboard Frosted Grace for Flying P Stable and trainer Mike Maker. The son of Mark Valeski has now won 11 of 46 starts for earnings of $1,113,562.

Maker won the inaugural Oaklawn Mile in 2019 with Exulting.

American Band in Matron

American Band became a stakes winner at 27-1 on Saturday, when she moved past Grade 1 winner Daddysruby to capture the $250,000 Matron. She won by three-quarters of a length, while it was another three-quarters of a length back in third to Royal Spa.

The six-furlong race was for fillies and mares.

American Band ($57) won her third straight race in a streak that began in a $30,000 claiming race Jan. 12 and continued with a first-level allowance win March 9.

She was content to sit in third Saturday, as Mucho Macho Girl and Daddysruby raced through fractions of 21.49 seconds for the opening quarter and 45.06 for the half-mile. American Band advanced on the final turn and worked her way past Daddysruby in the later stages while covering the distance in 1:10.57.

American Band was assigned an 82 Beyer for the win.

Walter De La Cruz was aboard for the Haran Thoroughbreds operation of trainer John Haran. The Matron was the first Oaklawn stakes win for Haran.

American Band is a daughter of Flatter. She has now won six of her nine career starts and with the first-place check of $138,750 on Saturday pushed her earnings to $332,305.

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