Frost Free Brings Creighton First Graded Stakes Win

By his recollection, it has been 40 years since trainer Brett Creighton got his trainer's license, with his first official starters coming in 1989, according to Equibase records.

In that time, his most successful horse by earnings, Humble Smarty, ran 90 times from 2006-14. Creighton was the trainer for most of those starts and the best the Mutakddim gelding could do is a handful of black-type wins.

Now, after 1,346 starts, Creighton has a graded stakes winner.

Keene Thoroughbreds' Frost Free  went gate to wire to win the $200,000 Chick Lang Stakes (G3) May 18 at Pimlico Race Course.

"I've been in the business a very long time. And you know, it means a lot," Creighton said, accomplishing the milestone on one of the industry's biggest days. 

The son of Frosted   was unbothered by the muddy track. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., who had never ridden the 3-year-old before Saturday, had a simple approach: He let the colt run his race.

"I let him be happy, let him be free, let him be relaxed. He was there for me whenever I wanted him to," said Ortiz.

The gray or roan colt posted fractional times of :23.24, :46.66, and :58.80 before stopping the clock at 1:11.39. Frost Free paid $5.60 as the 9-5 favorite.

Coming down the stretch, Frost Free moved off the rail and began venturing further outward before Ortiz took control and closed out the 1 1/2-length victory. Cats by Five  and Mr Skylight  respectively finished second and third. 

Creighton said he has not thought about a next race for his trainee but will send him back to a training center in Hot Springs, Ark.

Super Chow Super in Maryland Sprint

Jockey Javier Castellano had been closely watching Super Chow  during the 4-year-old's recent run at Aqueduct Racetrack. That stint included wins in the Toboggan Stakes (G3) and Tom Fool Handicap (G3), and most recently a third in the Carter Stakes (G2).

What stood out to the Hall of Famer is the colt's knack for getting to the front quickly. 

So when he got the call from his agent May 17 asking if he was free to ride Super Chow in the $100,000 Maryland Sprint Stakes (G3) at Pimlico the next day, Castellano didn't hesitate.

"I was in the right place at the right time, being that I was open to race. I didn't have any commitment with somebody. ... I received the phone call to offer the mount and said I'm in, I'm open," he said.

True to form, everything Castellano had observed about the colt played out May 18 in the Maryland Sprint Stakes. 

"He was able to dictate the pace," Castellano said. "The first quarter, you can see, he's a fast horse. He can go 21 and he went in 23-and-change. That was the key to winning the race."

Splitting Jaxon Traveler  and Prevalence  strides from the gate gave Super Chow the early lead. Through the first quarter-mile, Super Chow's fractional time of :23.23 was good for a two-length advantage over favored Prevalence. He nearly matched that time over the next quarter, going in :46.49 while not yielding much of his lead. 

Down the stretch, Prevalence moved outside in hopes of chasing down Super Chow, but was unable to do more than remove a modest portion of the difference separating the two. Super Chow's covered five panels in :58.61, and finished the six-furlong sprint on the muddy (sealed) main track in 1:11.19. 

Super Chow paid $10.40 for the win.

The Maryland Sprint is part of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen Bonus Series, and the top three finishers earned monetary credits that can be used for Breeders' Cup World Championship pre-entry and entry fees. Super Chow will receive $30,000 for his win. Prevalence and third-place Prince of Jericho will receive $15,000 and $7,500, respectively.