Eclipse winner FRAME BY FRAME – 3 YO Turf Male – Long

2015 Eclipse Award Winner        3 YO  Turf Male – Long

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FRAME  BY  FRAME

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HEART’S CRY (JPN)  x  DANEHILL  x  ALLEGED           (Scratch bred)
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11 starts  –  8 wins good for $6.1 million dollars in purse earnings

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2015 Japan Classic winner’s photo and results

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Bay speedster closed out the 2015 campaign with three straight G1 victories,  all against older horses,  culminating with a smashing,  stalking triumph in the rich,  $6M  Japan Classic.  Dixiedotco runner accumulated the most division points in the SIM behind only Horse Of The Year,  Dark Mandu.  Ultra-consistent colt  has twelve straight exacta finishes after debut 3rd.  
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He got his 2015 season off successfully,  breaking his maiden at 9 furlongs in his 3rd career run.  After that,  he won his first allowance test in a state bred affair at  9.5 furlongs,  holding on after stalking the early leaders.  Next up was a good 2nd in his stakes debut in the Hawks Heir listed stakes at 9 panels.  Dixiedotco then ran him through his allowance conditions ( 2 wins and a place ),  gradually stretching out each time to get to the classic 12 furlong turf trip.    
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Grade/group racing was next as he went 12 furlongs in the G3 The Gordy Stakes,  and he responded with an easy,  front running triumph,  never threatened at any point.  A step up to G2 ensued as dixiedotco’s patient handling prevailed.   FRAME  BY  FRAME hasn’t lost since that runnerup finish in the G2 The Great Volt,  where he got to the front but had to settle for 2nd best that day.
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Time to try the big boys.  FRAME  BY  FRAME faced his elders for the first time in the G1 Coalminer Cup.  The “good” surface didin’t hinder a stalking trip triumph.  His owner/trainer decided to go next in the G1 Coffeefields Cup for $3M,  effectively eschewing the Breeders’ Bowl.  The tactic paid off as FRAME  BY  FRAME took over when ready for a second straight G1 victory.  The last big race of the year in the division was the $6M  Japan Classic.   FRAME  BY  FRAME showed his dominance with an open lengths romp against eight other G1 winners,  capping off a superb sophomore season.    
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Owner/trainer/breeder dixiedotco shared his thoughts about his star,  and what the future holds for FRAME  BY  FRAME.   
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What went into your breeding process for  FRAME  BY  FRAME  ?

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“I generally like to breed some horses from scratch later in the 2yo season that I think could be effective going long on turf.  There are always lots of options for those horses so it’s a good deal if you can get a few that can run a little.  In the case of  FRAME  BY  FRAME and a few others, I tried to find a little value in the sires.  Heart’s Cry is a sire that has done well in his first several crops in Japan, including siring some winners of big international races.  And obviously his pedigree is as good as it gets as far as Japanese sires go.  As for the dam’s side, Danehill needs no explanation and was affordable at the time, and Alleged has always been affordable and underrated in the sim.  I’ve always had a lot of luck with him.”
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What was your highlight of the campaign ?
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“As far as season highlights, it would definitely have to be the Japan Classic.  That is the biggest year-end race for classic turf horses and for him to not only win but demolish that field… I was shocked.  You don’t see a horse win a premiere G1,  $6 million race by daylight very often, especially by a horse with the upfront running style he has.  He had won several graded races before that but not against the top horses.  So to see him do what he did was exciting.  I could have run him once more and gone for HOTY and he might have done it, but I felt it was more important to do what I thought was right for the long term and rest him up for next season.  He had a pretty busy graded schedule the second half of 2015.”
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Too right he did ,  dixie — 3  G1 wins,  a G2 runnerup and a G3 win in his last five starts.

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What does the year ahead look like for FBF ?  
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“He just came back from the farm and he’ll have one prep before his early 2016 target, the Sand Castle Golden Turf Classic.  I’m curious to find out whether he can be even better this year.  He’s still relatively lightly raced and having just turned 4, he might have even more improvement in him.”
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More improvement ??? His potential opponents down the road certainly hope not.  He’s half way to the Hall Of Fame and looks to have the potential to get there.

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Thanks dixiedotco,  and congratulations on a splendid training job through 2015 with FRAME  BY  FRAME.  Good luck in 2016 and beyond.