Gierkink's preview: Frost King, Jammed Lovely analysis

Frost King Stakes

Goodoldhockeygame (5-2) and Three Ring Circus (12-1) are two Bob Tiller-trained geldings owned by Frank DiGiulio Jr. in the $125,000 Frost King, for Ontario-sired juveniles.

Goodoldhockeygame is unbeaten in two starts, including a rail-closing score in the six-furlong Bull Page Stakes. The half-brother to 2010 Canadian champion female sprinter Indian Apple Is shouldn’t mind the stretch-out to seven furlongs.

Three Ring Circus’s post 2 draw might lead to an aggressive approach, in order to try and kill off the other speed. After narrowly losing his debut with a 76 Beyer, Three Ring Circus notched an open maiden special going six furlongs Oct. 19.

Phil’s Cocktail (8-1) is adding Lasix off a flat fourth in the Bull Page. The Simcoe Stakes winner worked five-eighths in a bullet 1:00.60 last Saturday, with trainer John LeBlanc Jr. aboard.

Seffeara (3-1) prevailed in a front-end battle before weakening to third in the Bull Page. Trainer Steve Owens said he felt that the Clarendon Stakes winner has a license to fare better in the Frost King.

“I was a little disappointed in his last performance,” Owens said. “Maybe I didn’t train him hard enough. He had a couple of works that didn’t go as planned prior to the race. I worked him a little harder coming into this race, and added a set of ear plugs and a tongue strap. Hopefully, he’s growing into that big body of his.”

Jammed Lovely Stakes

This $150,000 sprint for Ontario-bred 3-year-old fillies is wide-open. Russian Jewel, who was supplemented for $3,000, will be scratched in favor of a second-level optional claimer on Sunday.

Unspurned (2-1) ran big on the turn-back from a route when second in the open Ruling Angel Stakes on Oct. 18. She has another half-furlong to negotiate in this seven-furlong contest, and is 2 for 2 at that distance.

The 5-2 quote on Fun in the Desert is hard to swallow, since she won her only start with just a 68 Beyer, and didn’t beat much in that 6 1/2-furlong maiden special.

Aragorn Ami (8-1) went to the sidelines for seven months after capturing the Feb. 1 Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn. The first two starts of her comeback were disappointing, but she’s exiting a decent third against older opposition in a briskly run second-level optional event.

Bambarra Bold (20-1) can rebound off her fading third in a first-level allowance Oct. 3, when she ran back too quickly and came out of the race with some mucus. She won three straight Ontario-sired sprints in the summer, which included an easy 5 ¾-length tally in a seven-furlong allowance.

Executive Allure could lead the way, with Skylander Girl in close proximity.

Executive Allure (6-1) made a name for herself as a front-running turf sprinter early in the meet, when she took the restricted Passing Mood Stakes. She wasn’t up to snuff after racing in an early stalking position in each of her last two outings, in the Ruling Angel and the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks.

Skylander Girl (4-1) ended a drought by winning a recent seven-furlong optional claimer on grass. Her only poor performance since the spring came over giving ground in the Grade 2 Canadian, when she faced the likes of Deceptive Vision and La Tia.

Promising 2-year-old unveiled

Trainer Mike DePaulo thinks highly of Dancing On Fire, a 2-year-old filly by former Ontario sire Philanthropist, who debuts against open maiden special company in the third race.

Dancing On Fire (3-1) posted a host of fast drills on the dirt training track prior to her five-furlong breeze in 48.80 seconds on Polytrack last Saturday. Patrick Husbands, who probably could have ridden the Mark Casse-trained Britannia Penny in the five-furlong dash, has the mount on Dancing On Fire.