Frosted training strongly for Met Mile

ELMONT, N.Y. – Frosted, fifth in the Dubai World Cup in March, continues to impress trainer Kiaran McLaughlin as he works toward an expected start in the $1.25 million Metropolitan Handicap on June 11.

Last Friday, Frosted worked five furlongs in 1:00.20 clockwise – the opposite direction that races are run – over the Greentree training facility at Saratoga. It was his fourth workout this month.

“He’s come back, trained great, looks fantastic,” McLaughlin said. “No issues whatsoever.”

Though Frosted’s success has come around two turns and at distances beyond a mile – he won the Wood Memorial and Pennsylvania Derby at age 3 – McLaughlin thinks the prestige of the Met Mile makes it worth taking a shot at the race.

“Instead of working him six more times to the Suburban, we decided to run him,” McLaughlin said, referring to the 1 1/4-mile race on July 9. “We’ll hope they go real fast and he comes running. He’s already a stallion, but it’s certainly a very important race for him to win.”

McLaughlin is considering running three horses in the Met Mile. Marking, fourth in the Godolphin Mile at Meydan in March, is likely to run. He worked four furlongs in 48.85 seconds over Saratoga’s Oklahoma track last Saturday.

Tamarkuz, the winner of the 2015 Godolphin Mile and the fourth-place finisher in last year’s Met Mile, is also possible. The horse has not run since finishing fourth in the Kelso here last October and is in training in Camden, S.C.

Meanwhile, McLaughlin said he is contemplating what to do next with Lady Shipman, a winner of eight sprint stakes on turf. The options are the Grade 2, $300,000 Jaipur Invitational on June 11 against males at her preferred distance of six furlongs or the $150,000 Intercontinental Stakes against fillies and mares at seven furlongs June 9.

McLaughlin said he would discuss the options with owner Randy Lowe before making a decision.