Frosted Hits Sweet Spot in Wood Memorial Win

After three solid races without a win, Frosted took things to another level April 4 with a two-length victory in the $1 million TwinSpires.com Wood Memorial Stakes (gr. I) at Aqueduct Racetrack .

Ending a drought that lasted more than five months, the Godolphin Racing homebred may be peaking at just the right time for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin as there are just four weeks to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) at Churchill Downs. On Saturday the son of leading sire Tapit   passed longshot New York-bred Tencendur in the stretch on his way to the Wood Memorial victory.

Early on, Frosted raced sixth of seven while longshot Toasting Master led the field through a slow half-mile in :49.04. In the far turn, things got more serious as Frosted moved within two lengths of the lead through six furlongs in 1:13.41. In midstretch Tencendur emerged with the advantage and briefly looked poised for the upset, but the eventual winner found his top gear.

Frosted had not won since taking an Oct. 30 maiden race on the Aqueduct main track. He then lost three straight races but ran well in each, finishing second in the Remsen Stakes (gr. II) at Aqueduct, second in the Holy Bull Stakes (gr. II) at Gulstream Park, and fourth after leading into the stretch in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) at Gulfstream.

Not settling for second in his first grade I stakes race Saturday, Frosted and new rider Joel Rosario surged past Tencendur to complete the 1 1/8-mile test in 1:50.31 on a fast track and claim the victory.

"This has been a top, special project for my team, my brother (assistant Neal McLaughlin), the grooms, etc.," McLaughlin said. "We know he has a ton of ability and the last race really made us scratch our heads, asking 'why?' He would go to the lead and throw his head up and stop. We did everything we could to change everything we possibly could that we thought went wrong, including the jockey just because we were changing everything.

"It all worked out and it's just a special win for our team and Godolphin because he's a homebred and it enhances his resume by winning a race like the Wood." 

While a return to the site of his first score certainly didn't hurt, Frosted already had been showing signs of improvement. In March he registered four strong workouts at Palm Meadows, earning bullets in two of the moves.

"He was always there for me," Rosario said. "I tried to get him to the outside, where he'd be comfortable. The whole way, he was taking me. That was a very good race."

Frosted returned $6.40 to win, $4.50 to place, and $3 to show. Longshot Tencendur paid $15.40 to place and $5.60 to show, while El Kabeir returned $2.70 to show.

Bred in Kentucky by Sheikh Mohammed's Darley, Frosted is out of the grade II-winning Deputy Minister mare Fast Cookie. He is the first stakes winner for his dam, who has produced two other winners.

The Wood Memorial is a "Road to the Kentucky Derby" points race that awards 100 points to the winner and 40-20-10 to the following three finishers. The points are used to determined the 20-horse field for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). Frosted now ranks fourth on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 113 points, while El Kabeir has 95—enough to make the starting gate on the first Saturday in May.

It's looking like a high-point year to make this season's field, but Tencendur also should have a spot with 41 points, which puts him 15th on the current list. Philip Birsh's son of Warrior's Reward   earned his first graded stakes placing, continuing well to the wire to finish 3 3/4 lengths ahead of El Kabeir.

"I'm from Louisville and I'd love to run in the Derby," said Tencendur's trainer George Weaver, who said for a few strides he thought his starter had the upset. "As long as the horse is in good shape, I'd be inclined to go."

Zayat Stables' consistent El Kabeir registered a top-three finish for the sixth straight race, all graded stakes. He won the March 7 Gotham Stakes (gr. III) and the Jerome (gr. III), with a runner-up finish in the Withers (gr. III) between.

"He was running at the end," said El Kabeir's trainer John Terranova. "I watched him gallop out and he passed everybody. He was finishing really well but there wasn't any pace to soften up the front-runners."

Daredevil, the 2-1 favorite, finished fourth. Rounding out the race were Tiz Shea D in fifth, Toasting Master in sixth, and Lieutenant Colonel. Javier Castellano, aboard Daredevil, said he was surprised the son of More Than Ready   didn't finish better.