Kid Is Frosty takes to turf in NYSS Cupecoy's Joy

The turf experiment for Kid Is Frosty was a success. For Newly Minted, not so much.

Kid Is Frosty, who made the first seven starts of her career on dirt with only one win, proved more effective on turf, recording a neck victory over a slow-starting, tough-luck Niko’s Dream in the $150,000 Cupecoy’s Joy division of the New York Stallion Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. It was another 1 3/4 lengths back to Newly Minted, the 3-5 favorite making her turf debut, in third.

Irad Ortiz Jr. rode the winner for trainer Brad Cox and owner Mitchell Kelly. Ortiz said he had ridden Kid Is Frosty once before on dirt and said when he asked her to run in that race, “she was spinning her wheels.” She finished second, beaten 7 1/2 lengths by Newly Minted in a dirt version of the New York Stallion Stakes in April at Aqueduct.

Ortiz felt perhaps Kid Is Frosty would be better on turf and after she worked twice over that surface at Belmont, her connections felt it was worth giving the new surface a try.

Ortiz said he was told Kid Is Frosty has a short run and he tried to wait as long as he could to ask her to run. Kid Is Frosty stalked the pacesetting Parton through a half-mile in 46.69 seconds. Turning into to the lane, Kid Is Frosty was right alongside Parton. Ortiz looked under his shoulder to locate the competition. Seeing none immediately, he waited a few strides before asking Kids Is Frosty for her best.

“I was so comfortable turning for home – I said let me look, if I have to move, I have to move, but if I can wait it’s great because I got a good feeling about my filly,” Ortiz said. “When I looked, nobody was there. I wait, she changed leads, and then I asked her to run and she responded really well. She’s got a better kick on turf for sure.”

Kid Is Frosty, a daughter of Frost Giant, covered the seven furlongs in 1:21.49 and returned $14.80 to win.

Niko’s Dream charged the starting gate before the doors opened. She broke a step slow and then had to go wide and her late run fell a neck short at the wire.

“It’s sad to say I finished second but I think I was on much the best horse,” Alvarado said. “Distance is what she probably wants too, a mile, mile and a sixteenth.”

Newly Minted, who had worked well on turf last week, will likely be headed back to the dirt after failing to kick on in the stretch.

“I could see she was swapping her leads on the middle of the turn,” trainer Linda Rice said. “I could tell she didn’t like it.”