Oaks Post #7: Frostfang Primed For Big Oaks Run

It’s not hard to find Given.  Just stop by barn five at Bluegrass Downs any day around dawn.  He’ll greet you with a big smile, a firm handshake, and a hot cup of coffee.  When I arrived Monday morning to talk about Frostfang, a daughter of Forestry who represents Given’s Confessor Stable, for my BTB story, he was busy supervising blacksmith Tommy Jensen who was shoeing his other Oaks hopeful, Hancock Pond.

 

“Hey Nextbonus!  Good to see you!  Thanks for stopping by.  My fillies will be going out for their final work as soon as Hancock Pond gets her new shoes on.  Care to join me by the rail?”

 

Watching horses work in the morning is one of life’s simple pleasures.  The beauty, the grace, the power.  I was ready!

 

Oaks jockeys Nick Lawton (Frostfang) and Paul Cadigan (Hancock Pond) were chatting a few stalls down while waiting to work their fillies.  Neither was very familiar with his mount although Lawton, ironically, had won with Hancock Pond in her debut.

 

I gave Lawton a leg up on Frostfang while Given hoisted Cadigan aboard his mount.  The four of us then headed trackside.  As we walked, Given gave his riders their instructions.  “Nick, I want Frosty (Frostfang) in front.  That shouldn’t be a problem because she’s as headstrong in the morning as she is in the afternoon.  I’m looking for five furlongs worth of even twelves.  Paul, you’ll probably have to chase Pond in order to keep up.  She’s a little on the lazy side.  Once you turn for home, get after her some more.  I want to get her on her toes for Saturday.”

 

Each rider solemnly nodded after receiving his orders.  Then both headed through the draw gate and disappeared into the final vestiges of fog.  The backstretch was slightly visible in the dawn’s early light.  But both the club turn and stretch turn were still completely enshrouded.  As his fillies’ faint silhouettes approached the 3/8ths pole, Given reset his stopwatch.  Then he clicked it as they sped past that marker.

 

When the fillies disappeared into the fog on the last bend, Frostfang was two lengths in front of her stablemate.  We awaited their emergence.  First came the sounds of hoof beats.  The rhythmic pounding against the slightly damp ground.  Da-da-dump!  Da-da-dump!  Da-da-dump!  Louder.  Faster.  Two shadowy figures emerged.  First Frostfang.  Ears pinned.  Reaching out.  Gliding effortlessly.  Under wraps.  Then Hancock Pond.  Ears pricked.  Looking around.  Choppy gaited.  Given groaned.

 

An eighth away from the finish, Cadigan whacked Hancock Pond left-handed.  Hard.  The big filly then flattened out nicely and got serious.  But she never did cut into her stablemate’s advantage.  Frostfang stopped her trainer’s watch in :59 flat, three lengths better than Hancock Pond.  Nice solid workout for both.  Given smiled.

 

On the way back to the barn Given talked about Frostfang.  “I’ll know the instant the gate opens whether Frostfang has a chance at victory. She’s a very headstrong filly, as you just saw, and if she doesn’t break on top she will have a very hard time getting into the bit. If you had asked me at the end of her juvenile campaign whether she’d have a chance to get into the Bluegrass Oaks I’d have laughed at you. After two turf races to start her career and a narrow loss in a dirt sprint I finally stretched her out to a mile and she won by a measured length with a 90 speed figure.”

 

Given obviously loves this filly.  I wish my written words could convey his tone.  He continued, “At that point I was debating whether to run her in a stakes or in another allowance for her 3yo debut, and it was actually Laura (Topicount) who persuaded me to try a stakes. So I stretched her to a mile-and-a-sixteenth in a listed stakes and she opened up a five length lead en route to an easy three length win and a 92 speed figure. That performance convinced me she was something special, and I jumped her up to a G1 race next time out. The field came up very tough with the 2005 Juvy Filly Eclipse Winner No Apagues La Luz entered, and going in I told myself to be happy with a second place run. Frostfang had other ideas though. She timed the break perfectly and in what seemed like the blink of an eye she was up by six lengths. That lead grew to nine lengths as the fillies entered the stretch and she was able to hold off a late rally from the Eclipse winner to win her first graded win!  What a feeling that was!  I was flying for weeks!”

 

The trainer’s tone then got more serious.  “She regressed a bit in her next race, finishing third in the Louisiana Oaks. At that point she had two tough graded races in a row and since I had an Oaks spot clinched I wanted to give her an easy spot for her final prep. I decided to drop her to a mile in an attempt to sharpen up her speed. I didn’t have her very sharp for the race and surprisingly enough she got outbroke and fought her jockey the entire time, finishing a disappointing sixth.

That race is a complete toss, and actually the fact that she struggled when dropping in distance has me more convinced that she’ll love the Oaks distance. She will definitely be going for the lead, as my other filly in the Oaks, Hancock Pond, is a dead closer. It’s nice to have two fillies with such completely different running styles entered, and allows me to let both of them run their races without any qualms.

Frostfang is an immensely talented filly who is still learning what it takes to be a professional racehorse. I think she will adore the stretch to nine furlongs and I think if she breaks first she’ll be playing catch me if you can for most of the race!

Good luck to everyone in the race!”