Kiaran McLaughlin is expecting Frosted to run the race of his life in Saturday's Belmont Stakes and is hopeful the Godolphin colt can upset favourite American Pharoah in his Triple Crown bid.
Kiaran McLaughlin is expecting Frosted to run the race of his life in Saturday's Belmont Stakes and is hopeful the Godolphin colt can upset favourite American Pharoah in his Triple Crown bid.
Frosted finished a gallant fourth behind the Bob Baffert-trained winner of the Kentucky Derby last month, making up an enormous amount of ground in the final half-mile, and, he has thrived since that run, according to his trainer.
"I couldn't be more pleased with him," McLaughlin said. "He has been training very well, he's been eating all his oats, he just couldn't be doing better. I'm excited."
Frosted's main target this summer is the Travers Stakes at Saratoga on August 29. Originally, it was thought the colt would be given a break and then prepared specifically for that race.
But he came out of the Derby so well, McLaughlin felt the Belmont, and at least one other race along the way, could be fitted in before the Travers.
"There is so much time in between that I wanted to run him in the Belmont. He could still come back in plenty of time for the Jim Dandy on Aug 1, and then the Travers," he explained.
McLaughlin has healthy respect for American Pharoah, whom he said he would describe as a 'super horse' if he pulled off the Triple Crown.
"He's attempting to win three big races in five weeks, or looking wider still, four races in eight weeks. We are hoping that it catches up with him.
"The extra two furlongs of the Belmont is not going to hurt our chances, either," the trainer added.
