Frosty the Giant tries Timonium Juvenile as first-time gelding

Frosty the Giant, fourth in Belmont’s Tremont on June 11, races as a gelding for the first time in Saturday’s $75,000 Timonium Juvenile for 2-year-olds at about 6 1/2 furlongs.

Trained by Anthony Farrior, Frosty the Giant finished fourth, 12 3/4 lengths behind runaway winner American Rascal, when debuting at 4 1/2 furlongs on April 20 at Keeneland.

“I don’t like to ship and not win,” Farrior said. “I thought he would run better. He broke slow, took dirt for the first time, and the horse that beat him ran a big race. [Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.] was very happy with him. That’s why we decided to ship him back to Churchill.”

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Frosty the Giant responded at Churchill with a six-length win in a May 11 maiden race restricted to horses that sold for $50,000 or less at auction. That victory preceded the Tremont, a race that produced the top-two finishers in Saratoga’s Grade 3 Sanford.

“He was always a rambunctious horse in the mornings,” Farrior said. “He lost his race before he ever ran [in the Tremont]. I sent him to the farm for a couple of months. We gelded him, and I think it’s helped. He’s come back more focused.”

Farrior isn’t concerned about the bullring configuration at Timonium as Frosty the Giant has trained with Farrior’s string at Charles Town.

“That’s one thing we have to our advantage,” Farrior said.

Determined Driver is one of two fillies in the Juvenile. A daughter of Dialed In, Determined Driver won her debut sprinting against Virginia-restricted maidens on the turf Aug. 11 at Colonial. That race surprised trainer Phil Schoenthal.

“She had a couple of minor issues along the way. I didn’t feel she was fit enough to win,” Schoenthal said. “I figured it was a good opportunity to give her a race and build up her conditioning that way instead of breezing her a few more times. I was surprised that she won as nicely as she did.”

Schoenthal wanted to run Determined Driver in a couple of allowance races that didn’t fill and considered the Rosie’s on turf at Colonial next Saturday, but decided on the Timonium Juvenile.

“Going into the first race, I strongly felt she was a dirt horse. She had trained better over the dirt than the Tapeta here at Fair Hill,” Schoenthal said. “She’s always been a precocious, professional, straight-forward horse.”

Schoenthal trained Determined Driver’s dam, Elevated Vision, to win Laurel’s Politely on dirt in 2018.

Jubawithatwist, a debut winner at Charles Town, returned to place in Colonial’s restricted Hickory Tree Stakes on dirt Aug. 5. Kristy Petty trains the West Virginia-bred gelding by Juba.

Dance for Green, a gate-to-wire winner at Laurel against waiver maidens on Aug. 6, should show good early speed along with rail-drawn debut winner Sweet Soddy J.

Grumpy Brooksie has winning experience at Timonium as she bested $20,000 maiden claimers last week. Low Mileage, the other filly in the field, is cross-entered at Colonial on Saturday. Cataleya String, a first-time starter by Catalina Cruiser trained by Rudy Sanchez-Salomon, completes the field.

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