Defining Purpose, Frosted Departure Prevail at Oaklawn

Favorite Defining Purpose  capped a four-win day for trainer Kenny McPeek that included both stakes with her dominating victory in the $150,000 Year's End Stakes at Oaklawn Park as the 2-1 favorite. Several races earlier, McPeek won the $150,000 Renaissance Stakes with Frosted Departure, and he also won two maiden special weights on the 10-race card dedicated to racing for juveniles.

Defining Purpose was eager to run early as she tracked Unifying  through fractions of :23.68 and :47.86 for the first half mile from fourth while pulling strongly against jockey David Cabrera. The winner moved to the outside and came four wide entering the stretching before drawing clear to win easily by 5 1/4 lengths in a final time of 1:39.23 for one mile over a fast track. Unifying ran on for second, while Take Charge Briana  rallied from last to finish third.

“She only should improve off this, and it didn’t look like it taxed her too much, either," McPeek said. "I’m sure we’ll come back in the next (stakes) for the 3-year-old fillies," referring to the $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes Jan. 28 at Oaklawn.

Defining Purpose, a 2-year-old Cross Traffic   filly, was winning for the second time in four career starts and has now earned $157,088 for owners Magdalena Racing, Colette Marie Vanmatre, and James Ball. She returned $6 to win as the favorite.

Bred in Kentucky by VanMatre, she is produced from the Indiana-bred stakes-winning mare Defining Hope  (Strong Hope ), who has a yearling filly by Runhappy  .

Video: Year's End S. (BT)

Frosted Departure Breaks Through in Renaissance Stakes

C & H Diamond Racing and Magdalena Racing's Frosted Departure  became a stakes winner in his ninth start, edging 3-5 favorite Two Eagles Rivers late to win the $150,000 Renaissance Stakes.

Ridden by Francisco Arrieta, Frosted Departure was in close pursuit of Advent Stakes winner Count De Monet  through early fractions of :21.95 and :45.38 for the first half mile. The winner took over entering the stretch but was soon joined by the favorite, and the two battled towards the wire, with Frosted Departure prevailing by a head in the final strides. He covered six furlongs in 1:10.91 over a fast track. The son of Frosted   paid $21.20 to win

Bourbon Bash  was third and was followed by Count De Monet, Choctaw Zip , and Spurrier .

"He's kind of hit and miss sometimes," said winning trainer Kenny McPeek. "When things play out for him, he's tough, and you've got to kind of make him lay a little closer. I was a little worried when the 6 (Count de Monet) sprinted out in front of him, and then he had to duck and go around. But (Francisco) Arrieta did a great job doing that. That was nice."

Frosted Departure, a $100,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale acquisition by his trainer from the Blandford Stud consignment in 2021, improved his earnings to $246,711. Bred in Kentucky by Alastar Thoroughbred Company, he is out of the More Than Ready  mare Undeterred . The dam of five winners, she has also produced Perservencia (California Chrome  ), who most recently placed in the Nov. 24 Cardinal Stakes (G3T).

Video: Renaissance S. (BT)