Frosty Margarita could give Rodriguez a Stallion Stakes sweep
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Rudy Rodriguez won the New York Stallion Stakes on turf for the boys Monday at Saratoga with Uno Emayo. He’ll try to complete the sweep in the fillies’ division of the series Thursday with Frosty Margarita, a three-time stakes winner on dirt who has only limited experience on grass.
Frosty Margarita ran off three straight New York-bred victories over the main track within a 10-week span beginning in the fall and culminating last winter at Aqueduct. But she had never run on grass until her third-place finish behind Louisville First and Little Bear Cat going seven furlongs over the Belmont turf June 26.
“I’m not sure if she’s going to run,” Rodriguez said. “She might need one more work. I’ll leave it up to the owner. She’s an honest horse. She always tries; she never runs a bad race. Her race on the grass was good. She was a little confused at the beginning, but she was coming on at the end, and the mile may be good for her.”
If she runs, Frosty Margarita will get a chance to avenge her latest setback, with both Louisville First and Little Bear Cat among the 11 3-year-old fillies entered for the $100,000 Stallion Stakes.
Louisville First has shown an affinity for grass since trainer George Weaver switched her to turf for her 2016 debut June 15. She finished third against older horses that day, then returned just 11 days later to win the most recent of the Stallion Stakes turf events for 3-year-old fillies by a half-length at Belmont.
“We worked her on the turf last fall, never really got a chance to run on it, and after we gave her some time off this winter, I really wanted to try her on the grass at 3,” Weaver said. “She ran well on it the first time, then jumped up and won the stakes, so it just makes sense to wheel her back again in this one. The big question is whether she’ll get the mile. She’s a big, leggy filly, and it’s two turns as opposed to one turn. It’s kind of an experiment on our part, but she’s coming into the race very well.”
Naked Empress and Free N Clear are both proven commodities around two turns on turf, which could give them an advantage over the others. Free N Clear may have the best chance of the pair, coming off a 1 1/4-length allowance victory against older fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles four weeks ago at Belmont.
KEY CONTENDERS
Frosty Margarita, by Frost Giant
Last 3 Beyers: 73-71-69
◗ She’s far and away the richest filly in the field with nearly $400,000 in earnings.
Louisville First, by Girolamo
Last 3 Beyers: 74-70-46
◗ She’s a three-quarter sister to Fioretti, the winner of the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes at Keeneland last fall.