Don't Forget About Frosted
- Laura Pugh
- Aug 23, 2016
- 2 min read
Photo Credit: Casey Laughter
With his win in the TVG Pacific Classic, California Chrome served notice to the rest of the country that he is much, much better than ever. He earned a career best Beyer Speed Figure, earning a 113, a 112 Brisnet Figure, a 121 Equibase Figure (another career high), and a 132 by TimeformUS standards.
Everything points to California Chrome being in the form of his life. He is deservedly the top horse on the NTRA Top 10, but make no mistake, there is another horse that could give California Chrome a run for his money come November. His name is Frosted.
The East Coast star son of Tapit has also come into his own this year, after a three-year-old season running in the shadow of American Pharoah. Now, in 2016 he has won three of four starts, setting track records in two. He won the Met Mile (GI) by a record margin of victory under a hand ride.
In his most recent start, Frosted won the Whitney Invitational in the easiest of victories. However, the ease in which Frosted won was not the only impressive aspect of the race. Frosted set unbelievably fast fractions, over a notoriously deep track, displaying a completely new running style. Despite all of that, despite setting initial fractions of :23.11, :46.45, and 1:09.65, Frosted kicked away in the stretch to win by two lengths.
Frosted’s speed figures around two turns rival those of California Chrome’s. His Whitney score was given a 107 BSF, 105 Bris, a 124 Equibase figure, and a TimeformUS number of 130.
As of now, Frosted’s next start is yet to be determined. Currently being batted around are the Sept. 3rd Woodward Stakes (GI), the Oct. 8th Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI), the Oct. 1st Awesome Again Stakes (GI), or even a combination of the above races. The Awesome Again is also under consideration for team California Chrome.
At this point, Frosted’s numbers and past performances indicate that he could be the only horse in the country that can pose a threat to California Chrome. Should Frosted keep his form going into the Breeders’ Cup Classic fans could be witness to a real, live “East vs West” match-up. If both Frosted and California Chrome continue to improve then we could witness a Breeders’ Cup Classic for the ages.
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