For Frosted, no shame in second

ELMONT, N.Y. – Frosted had moved into second leaving the five-sixteenths pole of Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, and for a moment, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin allowed himself to get excited.

“I was excited for three strides when we turned for home and pulled out, then I looked at the leader, and whoops, he’s just starting to go now,” McLaughlin said, referring to American Pharoah.

American Pharoah kept going right into the history books, his 5 1/2-length victory in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes enabling him to complete a Triple Crown sweep, the first since Affirmed in 1978.

Accepting the inevitable, which ultimately was a second-place finish, McLaughlin allowed himself to be a fan as American Pharoah cruised to the wire before a wall of noise emanating from the jam-packed stands.

“It was a great day for our industry,” McLaughlin said. “I was happy my wife and kids were in the box with me witnessing the Triple Crown.”

Frosted finished fourth to American Pharoah in the Kentucky Derby, but McLaughlin thought his horse was second-best in that race. He thought the same thing Saturday, “except we got paid for being second this time.”

On Monday, Frosted shipped to McLaughlin’s Saratoga base, the Greentree training track, and will have the $1.25 million Travers on Aug. 29 as his summer objective. McLaughlin mentioned the Jim Dandy Stakes on Aug. 1 or the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 2 as possible preps. He also mentioned just training up to the Travers.

McLaughlin said he really would prefer not to face American Pharoah again before the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on Oct. 31.

“No, I’m not looking forward to running against him again,” he said.

McLaughlin hopes a Triple Crown winner will be a bonus for the racing industry.

“Whether it’s one day, or one month, or however much time it is, it’s good to have positive press because we get so much negative press,” he said.

Trainer Todd Pletcher, whose Belmont Stakes runners Madefromlucky and Materiality finished sixth and eighth, said he always felt there would be another Triple Crown winner despite a 37-year drought that had others thinking it wouldn’t happen again.

“It was so close to happening a number of times, you had to think it was going to happen again,” Pletcher said. “Hopefully, the sport can build on it, gain some popularity because of it. Everything I’ve been seeing on television and hearing on the radio, there’s a lot of positive exposure we don’t normally get, which hopefully is a good thing.”

Pletcher said neither of his horses had an excuse in the race. He thought Materiality could have applied “a little more pressure than he did, but he just didn’t fire for whatever reason,” Pletcher said.

Pletcher said the modest early pace established by American Pharoah had the field bunched up, which didn’t help Madefromlucky, who raced between horses down the backside.

“I didn’t really love the position we were in, but at the same time, he was never traveling well enough to make an impact,” Pletcher said.

Pletcher said his horses came back healthy and sound and would be prepared for a summer campaign that hopefully could include the Travers.

“Barring anything else showing, all I know to do is regroup and try again,” he said.