Rosario in the driving seat on Frosted

Godolphin trainer Kiaran McLaughlin is going to leave the most important decision to Frosted's jockey Joel Rosario in the first one-eighth of a mile of Saturday's G1 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga.

Should horse and rider kick on when the gates fly back, or should the jockey take a pull and tuck in behind?

Frosted, who surprisingly made all the running when winning the G1 Whitney Stakes on August 6, has drawn post position 3 in the nine-runner line-up for the Woodward, run on dirt over nine furlongs.

"The speed is next to us -- Bradester is in 4," McLaughlin pointed out. Clearly, this gives the jockey options in an intriguing contest.

"He can break and then see where he wants to go," the trainer said. "He may not have to lead. We will talk about it beforehand. But, in the end, I will leave it to Joel. He and Frosted get on so well," he added.

The Woodward is an allowance conditions race, in which Frosted is favoured at the weights. If it were a handicap, he would be asked to give away more weight to his rivals.

In June, Frosted produced a stunning performance to win the G1 Met Mile at Belmont by 14 and a quarter lengths, and followed up with another victory, in the G1 Whitney at Saratoga, in which he overwhelmed his rivals. His well-being is well documented.

"He's been doing great at home at Greentree," McLaughlin said. "He's in fabulous form. No issues. He's working great, eating great. We'll see where we are (with his future programme) after he runs on Saturday," he added.

Since Frosted last won, a new headline-grabbing horse has thrust himself under the spotlight, Arrogate, who won the G1 Travers Stakes by 13 and a half lengths in record time.

McLaughlin was impressed by the Bob Baffert-trained Arrogate. "It was a 'wow' race, something you don't see very often," he commented.