Making the Grade: Frosted

An improving Frosted wins the Wood Memorial to secure a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate. (Photo by NYRA/Dave Alcosser)
Making the Grade, which will run through the 2015 Belmont Stakes, focuses on the winners of the big races, usually from the previous weekend, who could impact the next Triple Crown. We’ll be taking a close look at impressive winners and evaluating their chances to win important races based upon ability, running style, connections (owner, trainer, jockey) and pedigree. 
This week we take a closer look at Frosted, winner of the $1-million Twinspires.com Wood Memorial Stakes on April 4 at Aqueduct.

Wholesale changes that included surgery to correct a breathing problem, an equipment change and a new jockey followed a disappointing effort by Frosted in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes on Feb. 21. Whether one of the changes was the key or all of them together made the difference, Frosted was a different horse in the Wood Memorial Stakes and charged clear in the stretch to win by two lengths.
The Wood Memorial was a career-best performance from a colt who had been highly regarded since the fall of his 2-year-old campaign. Let’s take a look at his chances in the Kentucky Derby, which he qualified for with the 100 points he banked in the Wood Memorial.

Frosted
Gray or Roan Colt
Sire (Father): Tapit
Dam (Mother): Fast Cookie, by Deputy Minister
Owner: Godolphin Racing
Breeder: Darley (Ky.)
Trainer: Kiaran McLaughlin

Ability: After a pair of runner-up finishes sprinting, Frosted romped to victory in his third race when stretching out to a mile. He pressed a moderate pace and drew away to win by 5 ¼ lengths. He closed his 2-year-old season with a runner-up finish by a half-length in the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes, a performance that was especially promising given he was making the jump from a maiden race to a graded stakes for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. He earned a 93 Equibase Speed Figure for his first win and then a 94 for the Remsen.
Frosted’s 3-year-old debut came in the Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes in January at Gulfstream Park. He rallied from fourth to finish a well-beaten second behind Upstart but earned a new career-best 102 speed figure. 
In the Fountain of Youth Stakes, Frosted appeared to be in great position when he took the lead in the stretch, but he threw in the towel late and faded to fourth, beaten by 4 ¾ lengths. The 81 Equibase Speed Figure was the worst Frosted had posted since his career debut in August 2014 and led McLaughlin to consider his options.
McLaughlin believed Frosted might have flipped his palate in the Fountain of Youth, which impedes a horses ability to take in oxygen, so the colt underwent a minor procedure to correct the issue. He then shipped Frosted back to New York for the Wood Memorial and enlisted a new jockey in Joel Rosario. Frosted rallied from sixth after a half-mile and completed the final furlong in :12.55 in the 1 1/8-mile for a convincing win. The 102 speed figure he earned equaled a career top, but remains about 10-12 points behind the top 3-year-olds this season.
FROSTED IN THE WINNER'S CIRCLE WITH MCLAUGHLIN (LEFT)

Photo by NYRA/Susie Raisher
Running style: Frosted has demonstrated some versatility throughout his career, producing quality efforts from near the pace and when coming from a few lengths back. In the Kentucky Derby, the key will be to gain a position in the clear where he can make a clean run when he launches his bid. I’d expect him to settle about 4-5 lengths off the pace, whether that places him just behind the leaders or somewhere from sixth to 10th, depending on how much pressure there is up front.

Previous Making the Grades

Competitive Edge
American Pharoah
Carpe Diem
Daredevil
Texas Red
Ocho Ocho Ocho
El Kabeir
Leave the Light On
Nasa
Dortmund
Calculator
International Star
Upstart
Ocean Knight
Far From Over
Metaboss
Far Right
Materiality
Firing Line

Connections: Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin served as an assistant to Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas and also worked for a number of other trainers before he took a position as trainer for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum in Dubai.
His first experience on the Triple Crown train came in 2005 when he finished second in the Kentucky Derby with longshot Closing Argument. The following year, McLaughlin won the Belmont Stakes with Jazil.
McLaughlin also trained 2006 Horse of the Year Invasor as well as champions Questing and Lahudood. He has had five starters to date in the Kentucky Derby.
Godolphin Racing, the international racing operation of the Maktoum family, owns Frosted. He was bred by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, under the Darley banner of his U.S breeding operation. Godolphin has won virtually every major race in Europe through the years and has been the leading owner in Britain nine times. Sheikh Mohammed also was the leading owner in Britain nine times between 1985 and 1997. Godolphin won Eclipse Awards as outstanding owner in 2009 and 2012, and Darley was named co-outstanding owner in 2006 with Lael Stables and outstanding breeder in 2012. Sheikh Mohammed is still chasing his first Kentucky Derby win, however, he won the Preakness Stakes in 2006 with Bernardini. Sheikh Mohammed has had eight starters alone and one in partnership but his runners have not finished better than eighth.
Joel Rosario rode Frosted for the first time in the Wood Memorial; he also is the rider of top Kentucky Oaks hopeful Condo Commando. He was the regular rider of 2013 Kentucky Derby victor Orb and added a win in the Belmont Stakes with Tonalist in 2014. Rosario has three Breeders’ Cup victories to his credit and guided Animal Kingdom to a win in the 2013 Dubai World Cup.
Pedigree: Frosted is by 2014 leading sire Tapit, who has quickly developed into the top sire in the United States after winning three of six starts, including the 2004 Wood Memorial, during his racing career. Tapit’s top runners to date include U.S. champions Untapable, Stardom Bound and Hansen as well as the aforementioned Tonalist among 39 graded stakes winners on all surfaces — turf, dirt and synthetic. Tapit, by Pulpit, started out his career standing for a fee of $15,000, which dropped down to $12,500, but phenomenal results on the racetrack have led to his stud fee ballooning to $300,000 in 2015. Tapit, who stands at Gainesway in Lexington, is arguably the top commercial sire in the marketplace and the most productive on the racetrack in North America.
TAPIT'S UNTAPABLE WINS THE KENTUCKY OAKS

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
Frosted gets a big dose of class from his sire and the bottom half of his pedigree also is outstanding. His dam (mother) is graded stakes winner Fast Cookie, by top broodmare sire Deputy Minister. Fast Cookie won the Grade 2, 1 1/16-mile Cotillion Stakes in 2003 and earned $557,480 in four years on the racetrack.
Frosted’s grandam (maternal grandmother), Fleet Lady, by Avenue of Flags, was a Grade 2 winner at 1 1/16 miles and 1 1/8 miles while winning 10 of 21 starts and banking $631,190. In addition to Fast Cookie, Fleet Lady also is the dam of 2008 champion 2-year-old male Midshipman.
Frosted’s third dam (maternal great-grandmother), Dear Mimi, was winless in two starts but her sire, Roberto, adds another nice dose of stamina to Frosted’s pedigree.
From a pedigree perspective, Frosted boasts a ton of class and plenty of stamina. In an era where there are very few “Derby pedigrees,” Frosted definitely has the look of a 3-year-old with every chance to excel at 1 ¼ miles. I’d feel much better about Frosted’s chances in the Derby if he had at least one huge effort on par with the elite runners of this crop or if he had strung together multiple big performances. Frosted is moving in the right direction, however, and he has pedigree firepower on his side.